The 2021 MLS SuperDraft hosted by adidas is underway, and expansion team Austin FC began Thursday’s proceedings with Daniel Pereira, the midfielder of Adidas and Virginia Tech, with the overall no. 1 to select.
The move has made some headlines, as Clemson midfielder Philip Mayaka has been hailed by many as the best-suited SuperDraft player. But Pereira is an intriguing prospect in his own right, establishing himself as a skilled box-to-box midfielder with some dynamic qualities in attack during his hockey career.
During his two seasons at Virginia Tech, Pereira has scored six goals and six assists in 26 games. He helped Virginia Tech finish the Fall 2020 college soccer season in fourth place in the United Soccer Coaches poll and set a 3-1-2 record.
FC Cincinnati followed Austin through Calvin Harris’ Wake Forest forward at no. 2, and Mayaka is then at no. 3 by Colorado Rapids. Another Clemson product came in at number 4 when DC United took on Kimarni Smith.
DC rounded out the top five and secured the next pick in Atlanta with Atlanta United, using it to select Wake Forest defender Michael DeShields.
Austin continues to build
Austin FC put together the off-season through MLS-tested players and promising international matches, and has now injected a few youths into the club with Thursday’s selections. The sports director, Claudio Reyna, and his staff also received the overall no. 11 selected thanks to a trade with CF Montreal, which they used on Freddy Kleeman, defender of the University of Washington. They rounded it out with the No. 21 overall pick, which they acquired from the Rapids by taking on left-back Aedan Stanley of Duke.
Time will tell how much the first-timers play this season, but it’s a historic day for Austin as their long-awaited expansion season approaches. Of course, there is also a hype behind Pereira going on at number 1.
Rapids make a splash
Colorado was initially not in the top-five pick, but moved up to No. 3 in the pre-draft trade with Houston Dynamo FC and selected Mayaka. The Clemson product was a semifinal of the MAC Hermann Trophy in 2019, a second-team All-American and his college coach, Mike Noonan, calling him “the MLS-ready player I’ve coached since he was in Clemson . ”
The Rapids will hope that applies, and Mayaka is indeed ready to compete immediately for the first team minutes. He projects as no. 6, but may be in a few different positions.
For the latest selections, check out the Draft Tracker from MLSsoccer.com.