The 2017 MLS SuperDraft was a historic day for Major League Soccer as its two newest expansion teams, Minnesota United and Atlanta United, took part in the roster building exercise for the first time.
October’s Expansion Priority Draft saw Minnesota nab the top spot in the 2017 SuperDraft after Atlanta opted for pole position in the Expansion Draft. With a healthy crop of talent at several key positions, Minnesota’s number one overall pick attracted a fair bit of interest as the draft drew close.
When MLS Commissioner Don Garber took the stage at the LA Convention Center, the rumor mill was in high gear as talk of a potential trade down by Minnesota picked up steam. With a few of the more consequential choices of the offseason in front of them, United spent the week observing and interviewing potential additions to their maiden MLS roster.
Let’s take a look at how Minnesota did when they were on the clock.
ABU DUNLADI
No. 1 Overall
Prior to the noon kickoff of the draft, Duke forward Jeremy Ebobisse was the consensus pick at number one for Minnesota. But as the commissioner walked onto the stage and announced Minnesota’s selection of Abu Dunladi, media and fans were reminded of why the SuperDraft is both unpredictable and exciting.
Dunladi, a UCLA product, was widely heralded for his raw athleticism and potential upside. After earning a ticket to the United States at age 16 thanks to Ghana-based soccer academy Right to Dream, Dunladi quickly made a name for himself on the pitch.
Widely ranked as a top-five prospect during mock drafts in the weeks preceding the event, Dunladi was expected to fall to Atlanta or Chicago if Minnesota stuck with the predictable pick in Ebobisse. They didn’t, and Minnesota walked away with perhaps the best overall young talent in the entire pool.
The only ding against Dunladi was a string of injuries during college that many analysts thought would give teams enough hesitation that he would slip a few slots. During interviews with the media, Dunladi chalked the injuries up to a punishing collegiate schedule and little time to recover properly.
In a post-draft interview, coach Adrian Heath confided that the team had not decided on a player to select with their top overall pick until they had a one-on-one interview with Dunladi on Wednesday, two days before the draft. His earnest character and desire to play in Minnesota under Heath was enough to win them over.
Though he was a surprise to Minnesota fans and media alike, there was no move at the top spot than to keep the pick and select Dunladi.
Player grade: A
ALEC FERRELL
No. 23 Overall
Though United’s roster was finally taking shape last week after a number of strong field position signings, until Friday the team did not have a keeper. They would (obviously) find a pair of keepers by the time training camp rolled around, but prior to the SuperDraft it was unclear whether they would come from other MLS teams, abroad or the draft.
That changed at the top of the second round of the SuperDraft when Minnesota managed to grab Alec Ferrell, a Wake Forest goalkeeper that fell into their laps. Ferrell was tagged by many as the top goalkeeping prospect in the draft and was expected to find a home in the first round.
The 6-foot-4 Ohio native played more than 1,500 minutes over 16 games and went 12-1-3 his senior year.
It’s hard to knock nabbing Ferrell at such an economical spot. This is the definition of a value pick, folks.
Player grade: A
THOMAS DE VILLARDI
No. 42 Overall
After managing to pick up both Dunladi and Ferrell, the mood heading into the 25th overall pick – United’s final pick of the day – was more curious than anxious. They’d already gotten two exceptional players, there wasn’t a lot of reason to sweat the rest.
Then things got interesting.
Minnesota’s time on the clock had barely begun when representatives from multiple teams camped out at their draft table. As their allotted time of four minutes wound down, it became increasingly clear that a trade was imminent. When the Philadelphia Union used their one-time-use time out during Minnesota’s time slot, a deal between the two teams was all but certain.
United ended up trading the 25th overall pick away to the Union in exchange for the Union’s 42nd overall pick and $50,000 of allocation money. Coach Adrian Heath would later reveal that United leadership didn’t feel any player on the board warranted passing on the trade offer.
With the 42nd overall pick, United selected French defender Thomas de Villardi. After transferring to the University of Delaware from Duquesne, de Villardi started all 19 games for the Blue Hens in 2015 and was named an All-CAA First Team honoree.
United are left looking pretty good after a risk-free trade down and bagging some bonus allocation cash. Time will tell whether de Villardi has the chops to make the first team.
Player grade: B-
OVERALL
The United brass could hardly have asked for any more. In a draft that largely expected them to go the safe round and pass on a top talent with a high ceiling, they managed to grab a tremendous forward, perhaps the best keeper of the day, a midfielder with a chance to slot in for depth and a nice stack of allocation money.
You can’t ask for more than that.
Overall draft grade: A
