Major League Soccer has announced two players in the 2024 Generation adidas class and two pre-signed seniors for Tuesday's MLS SuperDraft 2024 presented by adidas (3 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
Name | Position | School | Year | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Stephen Annor Gyamfi | F | Virginia | Fr. | Accra, Ghana |
Kimani Stewart-Baynes | F | Maryland | Fr. | Toronto, Ontario |
Stephen Annor Gyamfi (F, Virginia)
Annor Gyamfi scored a team-high 10 goals in 19 games, including a conference-best five game-winning scores, during his first season with the Cavaliers, paving the way for ACC Freshman of the Year and First Team All-ACC honors. He helped lead the Cavaliers to the NCAA tournament's third round while becoming the first Virginia player to reach double-digit goals since former Orlando City SC SuperDraft selection and USMNT striker Daryl Dike scored 10 goals in 2019. Hailing from Ghana, he prepped at Montverde Academy in Florida.
Kimani Stewart-Baynes (F, Maryland)
Stewart-Baynes made an immediate impact with Maryland in 2023, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors after scoring three goals and adding seven assists in 14 matches. His 10 combined goals and assists were the most by a Maryland freshman since current Portland Timbers midfielder Eryk Williamson recorded 11 contributions in 2015. Before joining Maryland, Stewart-Baynes played for Vaughan Soccer Club in Ontario, the same club that produced fellow MLS SuperDraft selections Kamal Miller, Dayne St. Clair and Alistair Johnston.
Name | Position | School | Year | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Logan Farrington | F | Oregon State | Sr. | Racine, Wisconsin |
Tyrese Spicer | F | Lipscomb | R-Jr. | Trincity, Trinidad and Tobago |
Logan Farrington (F, Oregon State University)
Farrington was the 2023 Pac-12 Player of the Year, leading the conference with 15 goals while adding seven assists and helping guide Oregon State to their deepest postseason run in program history in 2023, culminating with a semifinal berth against Notre Dame. Farrington’s 15 goals in 2023 were tied for the second-most in a single season in school history en route to First Team All-Pac-12 and Third Team All-American honors from the United Soccer Coaches. The Wisconsin native began his collegiate career at the University of Milwaukee, where he scored 20 goals across three seasons and earned First Team All-Horizon League accolades in each of his seasons with the Panthers.
Tyrese Spicer (F, Lipscomb University)
The native of Trinidad and Tobago was a standout forward at Lipscomb University, scoring 29 times and adding 18 assists in his 57-game collegiate career. In 2023, Spicer was named a United Soccer Coaches First Team All-American after he led the ASUN Conference with 14 goals in 16 appearances, including a remarkable 10-game scoring streak. The attacker also earned MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist honors for his performances this season.
Generation adidas is a joint program between MLS and adidas that sees a handful of top collegiate underclassmen and youth national team players signed by MLS to Generation adidas contracts and made available in the SuperDraft.
In order to provide Generation adidas players with the best professional environment, Generation adidas player salaries are not charged against an MLS team's annual salary budget, providing an added incentive for that club to develop the player. Eventually, these GA players graduate to senior player contracts and their salaries are charged against a team's budget.
For the first time in league history, the list of players eligible for selection in the MLS SuperDraft may now include collegiate sophomores and juniors, in addition to previously draft-eligible groups (including Generation adidas signings).
MLS clubs may draft players from a list of eligible players which may include:
- Players who are collegiate sophomores and above.
- Generation adidas players.
- Any former college player who departed college with remaining eligibility since the conclusion of the college season approximately one (1) year prior to the SuperDraft (i.e., since the conclusion of the 2022 college season) in order to compete as a professional in a league domestically.
- Any other players specifically made available by the league (such as pre-signed college seniors or pre-signed internationals).
