2024 MLS SuperDraft top prospects by position

The 2024 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas comes with new territory.

With players in their sophomore season or later eligible to be picked, teams could go in several different directions. There is the possibility sophomores or juniors are selected and return to school to play in the fall of 2024.

As in more recent seasons, there is talent out there that could make an impact in MLS given the right fit and opportunity. Here’s a look at some of the top prospects by position before Tuesday’s event (3 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).

NOTE: This story has been updated with Generation adidas signings.

SuperDraft Tracker

1. Bryan Dowd, Notre Dame
2. Jayden Hibbert, Connecticut
3. Trace Alphin, Wake Forest
4. Ryan Schewe, Georgetown
5. Jackson Lee, West Virginia
6. Nate Crockford, Wisconsin

Dowd headlines the goalkeeping group after leading Notre Dame to the NCAA final. The former US youth international can do it all: shot-stopping, passing out of the back, commanding his area and providing leadership at the back. 

Goalkeepers coming from college continue to have an impact across the league, with Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati) and Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew) two recent examples.

1. Hugo Bacharach, Indiana
2. Obafemi Awodesu, Penn State
3. Joel Sangwa, Akron
4. Joseph Maher, Indiana
5. Josh Jones, Louisville
6. Mads Westergren, SMU
7. Max Broughton, West Virginia

There’s a long list of potential right-sided center backs for teams.

Bacharach is a big prospect at 6-foot-4 who played defensive midfield for Indiana, while Awodesu was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and has all the tools to succeed. Maher's name might look familiar (his older brother plays for Nashville SC).

1. Nate Jones, Washington
2. Wyatt Meyer, California
3. Finn McRobb, High Point
4. Morris Duggan, Marshall
5. Javier Armas, Oregon State

Two Pac-12 center backs highlight the crop of left-sided center backs. Washington is known for sending defenders to the league, and Jones has the skill to follow them. Meyer was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, while McRobb is among three international defenders who excelled in the college ranks and rounds out this list.

1. Jamar Ricketts, Cal State Northridge
2. Jahlane Forbes, Wake Forest
3. Anderson Rosa, UCF
4. Paddy Burns, Notre Dame
5. Ruben Mesalles, Duke

An athletic defender from the Big West Conference, Ricketts was part of the College Showcase and has the traits to succeed in the league. Forbes has been a standout for Wake Forest, showing a knack for getting forward to combine with his teammates.

1. Kevin Bonilla, Portland
2. Malik Henry, Akron
3. Grayson Doody, UCLA
4. Amir Daley, Duke
5. Nate Edwards, Syracuse

Former MLS academy standouts dot this list: Bonilla (FC Dallas), Henry (Toronto) and Daley (Red Bulls) all spent part of their club career in the league’s development pipeline. There’s a lot of quality in this group that could stick in the right environment.

Since he arrived at UCLA, Doody developed into one of the top collegiate outside backs in the country. Making the leap to MLS won’t be easy, but he’s shown plenty of intrigue.

1. Hosei Kijima, Wake Forest
2. Kalani Kossa-Rienzi, Washington
3. Filip Mirkovic, Pitt
4. Yannick Bright, New Hampshire
5. Tucker Lepley, UCLA
6. Jefferson Amaya, High Point
7. Nick Fernandez, Portland
8. Mark Fisher, Stanford

Ball-playing midfielders are no stranger to Wake Forest, and Kijima has proved his quality with the Demon Deacons. He has the athletic tools to succeed in the right environment.

Kossa-Rienzi has been a massive part of UW’s success and is a tough and tenacious player who could get a look at right back.

Amaya is the sleeper of the group. Only a sophomore, he’s an excellent soccer player who anchored High Point’s midfield for the past two seasons. If he can athletically compete at the next level, he could end up as a smash hit.

1. Ousmane Sylla, Clemson
2. Bryce Boneau, Notre Dame
3. Patrick McDonald, Indiana
4. Jeorgio Kocevski, Syracuse
5. Bailey Sparks, SMU
6. Tommy Mihalic, Indiana
7. Sander Røed, Louisville
8. Laurence Wootton, Ohio State

Sylla is listed as an attacking midfielder, though he projects more as a box-to-box midfielder. Doing the defensive work is going to be crucial to his chances.

Meanwhile, Boneau was instrumental in Notre Dame’s run to the final and can link play from defense to attack.

McDonald’s versatility is one of his standout traits. While primarily a central midfielder, he has the traits to play different spots, giving him a better chance of contributing. He could return to Indiana with at least a year of eligibility left.

1. Kimani Stewart-Baynes, Maryland
2. Matthew Bell, Marshall
3. Tyrese Spicer, Lipscomb
4. Peter Mangione, Penn State
5. Matthew Roou, Notre Dame
6. Jackson Castro, Creighton
7. KK Baffour, Notre Dame
8. Zach Bohane, Stanford

Stewart-Baynes and Stephen Annor Gyamfi (more on him below) enter the draft pool as the top talents. Stewart-Baynes was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and brings massive upside on the flank.

Bell powered Marshall over the past two seasons and can play out wide or even drop deeper into central midfield. Baffour and Bohane are both sophomores who would be savvy picks with an eye on 2025.

1. Stephen Annor Gyamfi, Virginia
2. Logan Farrington, Oregon State
3. Jacob Murrell, Georgetown
4. Jason Shokalook, Akron
5. Alec Hughes, Massachusetts
6. Jacob Babalai, Portland
7. Taylor Calheira, UMBC
8. Emil Jaaskelainen, Long Island University

While Annor might have the highest upside among the forwards, Farrington’s arguably a strong candidate to replicate Duncan McGuire’s 2023 college-to-MLS success.

Murrell is another sophomore who has shown upside and brings the physical traits to make the jump to MLS.