TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Trade
- CLT receive: No. 1 SuperDraft pick (select Hamady Diop)
- STL receive: No. 20 SuperDraft pick, $400k GAM, conditional GAM
St. Louis CITY SC have traded the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas to Charlotte FC. With that pick, Charlotte selected Clemson University defender Hamady Diop (Generation adidas signing).
In exchange for the No. 1 pick, Charlotte send St. Louis their No. 20 overall pick in the draft; $200,000 in 2023 General Allocation Money (GAM); $200k GAM in 2024; and conditional GAM should Diop meet certain incentives.
In Diop, Charlotte get a highly-touted center back who notched seven goals and three assists in 42 games for the Clemson Tigers, helping them win the 2021 NCAA Division I national championship.
This is the second straight year Charlotte have made the No. 1 pick in the SuperDraft, after they selected midfielder Ben Bender first overall in the 2022 draft. He put up three goals and six assists in 28 appearances (19 starts) during his first season with the club.
St. Louis will use the extra GAM to continue building a roster that currently sits at 22 players. So far, sporting director Luftz Pfannenstiel has emphasized acquiring young, hungry players who can work hard and press all over the field.
The trade marks the first time since 2016 that a team has made a deal on draft night that involves their first overall pick. That year, Chicago Fire FC drafted midfielder Jack Harrison with their first overall pick but immediately traded him to NYCFC in exchange for allocation money and NYCFC's No. 4 overall pick.
Harrison went on to excel during two seasons with NYCFC before signing for Manchester City. He currently plays for Leeds United in the English Premier League.
READ MORE: MLS Transfer Tracker presented by Avant
