Atlanta United wrapped up its first MLS SuperDraft on Tuesday with two more selections.
The MLS expansion squad had four picks in the draft's four rounds, taking Syracuse defender Miles Robinson and Providence midfielder Julian Gressel with the second and eighth picks in the first round, Harvard midfielder Michael Wheeler-Omiunu in the third round and Creighton goalkeeper Alex Kapp in the fourth round.
What are the chances that all four players make the squad, or any MLS squad (in case of trade) in their rookie year? And can any of them make an impact in their first years?
Let’s look back at the last few expansion squads and see how their picks did:
2015
New York City FC: Khiry Shelton (1), Connor Brandt (2), Andre Rawls (3), Markus Naglestad (4).
Shelton appeared in 17 games with one goal and one assist. Brandt appeared in one game as a rooke and his contract option was declined after the season. Rawls, a goalkeeper, has yet to play. Naglestad, a forward, has yet to play.
Orlando: Cyle Larin (1), Conor Donovan (2), Earl Edwards (3), Sidney Rivera (4).
Larin, a forward, appeared in 27 games with 17 goals. He was named rookie of the year. Donovan, a defender, suffered a season-ending injury in his debut and has yet to play. Edwards, a goalkeeper, has yet to play. Rivera, a forward, has yet to play.
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2012 (Draft was two rounds)
Montreal: Andrew Wenger (1), Calum Mallace (2).
Wenger appeared in 23 games, scoring four goals as a rookie. He eventually went to Philadelphia in 2014 and then Houston in 2016. Mallace, a defender, appeared in four games as rookie. He did become a mainstay, starting in 2014.
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2011 (Draft was three rounds)
Vancouver: Omar Salgado (1), Jeb Brovsky (2), Bilal Duckett (3).
Salgado, a forward, appeared in 14 games with one goal and one assist as a rookie. Brovsky, a defender, appeared in 24 games as a rookie. Duckett, a defender, appeared in four games as a rookie.
Portland: Darlington Nagbe (1), Chris Taylor (2).
Nagbe, a forward/midfielder, appeared in 28 games with two goals and three assists. He has been capped by the U.S. men’s national team. Taylor, a defender, has yet to play in MLS.
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2010
Philadelphia: Danny Mwanga (1), Toni Stahl (2), Kyle Nakazawa (3), Brian Park (4).
Mwanga appeared in 24 games with seven goals and four assists as a rookie. Stahl, a midfielder, appeared in one game. Nakazawa, a midfielder/forward, appeared in 14 games. Park never played.
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2009
Seattle: Steve Zakuani (1), Evan Brown (2), Jared Karkas (3), Michael Fucito (4).
Zakuani, a midfielder, appeared in 29 games with four goals and four assists. Brown, a defender, never played. Karkas never played. Fucito, a forward, appeared in four games.
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2008
San Jose: Shea Salinas (2).
Salinas, a midfielder, appeared in 23 games.
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2007
Toronto: Maurice Edu (1), Rich Asante (3), Jeff Gonsalves (4).
Edu, a midfielder, appeared in 25 games. He eventually was called up to U.S. men’s national team and had a decent career in Europe before coming back to MLS. Asante, a midfielder, never played. Gonsalves never played.
Takeaway
Every team’s scouting talents and needs are different, but it seems improbable that even three of Atlanta’s four picks will contribute this season. It could be argued that even two picks making an impact is probable. However, the first-round picks have done well. Because Robinson and Gressel are first-round picks, there is a chance.
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