MLS SuperDraft 2025 grades: How did your club fare?

MLS SuperDraft 2025 wrapped on Friday, as teams continue to bolster their squads over the offseason.

Even as the draft's impact remains a small part of the roster-building process, it's still a chance to unearth players who can make a difference. Here are team-by-team grades for SuperDraft 2025, with the caveat that the true fallout of the draft won’t be known for at least a year or two (or more).

• MLS SuperDraft 2025 Tracker
• San Diego FC select Manu Duah No. 1 overall

• Round 2: Ronan Wynne (No. 53) - D, Denver
• Round 3: William Kulvik (No. 83) - D, Maryland

After trading out of the first round, Atlanta netted one of the best defenders in the college game in Wynne, a New Zealand youth international.

• Round 2: Riley Thomas (No. 42) - D, UNC Chapel Hill
• Round 3: Patrick Gryczewski (No. 72) - F, Rhode Island

Thomas in the second round is good value, as a player of his pedigree could end up making the roster.

• Round 1: Mikah Thomas (No. 9) - D, Connecticut
• Round 2: Andrew Johnson (No. 47) - D, Cornell
• Round 3: Barzee Blama (No. 77) - F, Mercer

Charlotte traded up in the first round to select Thomas, a left back out of UConn. Better prospects were available at the time, though he could certainly return to school for another year of development.

• Round 1: Dean Boltz (No. 3) - F, Wisconsin
• Round 2: Travis Smith Jr. (No. 33) - D, Wake Forest
• Round 3: Geni Kanyane (No. 63) - D, Dayton

Boltz is a prospect with upside, though he’ll need time to develop. Grabbing a player with local ties makes plenty of sense. Smith Jr. is a defensive prospect from Wake Forest who could end up staying in school next fall.

• Round 3: Ben Augee (No. 80) - M, Gonzaga

Assuming the allocation money is put to good use, Cincinnati made the most of Thursday. Not picking until 80, Augee is likely to start in MLS NEXT Pro.

• Round 1: Alex Harris (No. 4) - F, Cornell
• Round 1: Matthew Senanou (No. 6) - D, Xavier
• Round 1: Efetobo Aror (No. 12) - M, Portland
• Round 1: Sydney Wathuta (No. 16) - F, Vermont
• Round 1: Joshua Copeland (No. 26) - F, Detroit Mercy
• Round 2: Charlie Harper (No. 38) - D, UNC Chapel Hill
• Round 3: Donovan Phillip (No. 62) - F, North Carolina State
• Round 3: Shawn Smart (No. 68) - D, Las Vegas Lights
• Round 3: Matthew Van Horn (No. 75) - M, Georgetown

There is a lot to like about what the Rapids did, no matter who shows up in 2025. Aror is a central midfielder with a big upside, though he could stay in school for another season. Harris can thrive in a two-striker system sooner, though if he can adjust he could make things happen from wide areas. Finding chances for him in the penalty area is crucial, though he can certainly create as well.

• Round 2: Cesar Ruvalcaba (No. 51) - D, Southern Methodist
• Round 3: Drew Kerr (No. 81) - F, Duke

The Crew flipped their first-round pick for allocation money, then added a captain from a quality SMU squad and Kerr, a forward out of Duke.

• Round 1: Enzo Newman (No. 11) - D, Oregon State
• Round 2: Samuel Sarver (No. 41) - F, Indiana
• Round 3: Mohammed Cisset (No. 71) - D, Penn State

After hitting on a player from Oregon State last year, FC Dallas returned to pick up Newman. If he can defend at the MLS level, he could stick. Grabbing Sarver is good work, and the same can be said about Cisset, a defender who played at the Olympics this summer with Mali.

• Round 1: Hakim Karamoko (No. 10) - F, North Carolina State
• Round 2: Daniel Ittycheria (No. 40) - F, Princeton
• Round 3: Jonah Biggar (No. 70) - D, South Carolina
• Round 3: Grant Bailey (No. 86) - D, Loyola Chicago

Karamoko is a dynamic, athletic forward who can help occupy spaces next to Christian Benteke. He has the profile to play right away. Ittycheria profiles a bit more out wide, though both fit snugly into Troy Lesesne’s system.

• Round 2: Bo Cummins (No. 48) - D, Wake Forest

Left with one pick, the Dynamo did land a player with solid upside in Cummins.

• Round 1: Alec Hughes (No. 22) - F, Massachusetts

A poor combine knocked Hughes down draft boards, though there’s reason to believe he can be a supersub option in MLS. He’ll need to earn a roster spot first.

• Round 1: Jason Bucknor (No. 20) - D, Michigan
• Round 2: Jacob Woznicki (No. 60) - F, Hofstra
• Round 3: Nicklaus Sullivan (No. 90) - D, LAFC II

Bucknor, a former Inter Miami academy player, was a great value at No. 20. He had a good season and can play a number of different spots.

• Round 2: Bailey Sparks (No. 52) - M, Southern Methodist
• Round 3: Michael Appiah (No. 82) - F, Florida International

Sparks is another good value to take a flier on in the second round considering his talent and pedigree.

• Round 1: Roman Torres (No. 25) - M, Creighton
• Round 2: Kieran Chandler (No. 43) - D, Connecticut
• Round 2: Logan Dorsey (No. 55) - F, Kentucky
• Round 3: Nick Collins (No. 85) - D, Rutgers

Hard to poke too many holes in Minnesota’s approach. Torres could get a chance, as the Loons have provided opportunities to previous draftees.

• Round 1: Michael Adedokun (No. 13) - F, Ohio State
• Round 2: Arik Duncan (No. 44) - F, Califonia, Berkeley
• Round 2: Caden Grabfelder (No. 50) - F, Penn State
• Round 3: Arthur Duquenne (No. 73) - D, Clemson

Adedokun was one of the best players in college this fall, and several college coaches noted that he is among the most MLS-ready players. Duncan is a huge forward who could compete physically in the league. Grabfelder is a talented sophomore who is likely selected to hold his rights.

• Round 2: Alioune Ka (No. 36) - F, Cornell
• Round 3: Ethan Ballek (No. 66) - F, South Carolina

Nashville nabbed allocation money, and Ka is a solid pick for a second-round option.

• Round 1: Donovan Parisian (No. 18) - GK, San Diego
• Round 2: Eric Howard (No. 35) - D, Georgetown
• Round 3: CJ Williams (No. 65) - D, Boston College

After trading down, New England picked who they viewed as a good goalkeeper option, and Parisian was among the best. Eric Howard is likely to stay in school, though he has some intrigue as a potential MLS left back down the road.

• Round 1: Max Murray (No. 17) - D, Vermont
• Round 2: Collin McCamy (No. 54) - M, Northwestern University
• Round 3: AJ Smith (No. 78) - F, Virginia
• Round 3: Arnau Farnos (No. 84) - F, Oregon State
• Round 3: Nicholas Cavallo (No. 88) - D, UCLA

Vermont hero Max Murray parlayed his success into an opening-round selection by NYCFC; if he’s quick enough in space, he has the size to be an MLS defender. The other picks were solid. McCamy, a good central midfielder from Northwestern, Smith, a big forward from UVA who is likely to stay in school and Cavallo, a left back with intriguing tools.

• None

RSL finished the day with all of New York’s picks, as the team continues to develop and utilize players from its academy.

• Round 1: Joran Gerbet (No. 27) - M, Clemson
• Round 2: Titus Sandy Jr. (No. 46) - D, Clemson
• Round 2: Collins Oduro (No. 57) - F, Indiana
• Round 3: Takahiro Fujita (No. 87) - D, Marshall

It’s hard to knock any of Orlando’s picks, though international status looms large. Gerbet is a talented and technical deep-lying midfielder, and his teammate Sandy was part of Clemson’s back line. Oduro is a pick for the future, as he would do well to remain in school to continue his development.

• None

The Union flipped all of its picks to Colorado before the draft. They have an offseason ahead to put that allocation money to work.

• Round 1: Ian Smith (No. 14) - D, Denver
• Round 3: Lukas Burns (No. 74) - GK, Providence

Smith and Burns were both good picks made at their respective spots.

• Round 1: Jesus Barea (No. 19) - F, Missouri State
• Round 1: Max Kerkvliet (No. 21) - GK, Connecticut
• Round 1: Lineker Rodrigues Dos Santos (No. 29) - F, Marshall
• Round 1: Sergi Solans (No. 30) - M, Oregon State
• Round 2: Nick Dang (No. 49) - D, Virginia
• Round 2: Trace Alphin (No. 59) - GK, Wake Forest
• Round 3: Liam O'Gara (No. 79) - M, Wake Forest
• Round 3: Aleksandar Vukovic (No. 89) - D, Marshall

Finishing the day with eight picks, RSL ended up with ample talent. Lineker Rodrigues Dos Santos and Sergi Solans were two of the best.

• Round 1: Manu Duah (No. 1) - M, UC Santa Barbara
• Round 1: Ian Pilcher (No. 24) - D, UNC Charlotte
• Round 2: Harrison Bertos (No. 31) - D, Washington
• Round 2: Samy Kanaan (No. 56) - F, San Diego
• Round 3: Donovan Sessoms (No. 61) - F, Sacramento State

Without a full-fledged academy, adding young talent via the draft is a big opportunity. San Diego started off with Duah, a talented midfielder who could battle for minutes this season. Pilcher is a left center back who carved out a solid career at Charlotte. Bonus points for selecting Kanaan, a very talented forward from San Diego who is a local talent.

• Round 1: Max Floriani (No. 2) - D, Saint Louis
• Round 1: Reid Roberts (No. 5) - D, San Francisco
• Round 2: Nick Fernandez (No. 32) - M, Portland

Bruce Arena’s return to MLS featured him leaning on a pair of college defenders in Floriani and Roberts. Both should be in line for minutes right away and if they adjust, can make a big impact sooner rather than later.

• Round 1: Ryan Baer (No. 28) - M, West Virginia
• Round 2: Demian Alvarez (No. 58) - D, Seattle
• Round 3: Trace Terry (No. 76) - F, Bowling Green State

It was solid work from the Sounders, grabbing three players of intrigue. Baer’s a central midfielder who offers leadership and experience to go with his on-field quality. Alvarez is an under-the-radar defender who could end up surprising the technical staff.

• Round 1: Jansen Miller (No. 8) - D, Indiana
• Round 2: Anthony Samways (No. 34) - D, Ohio State
• Round 3: Leon Koehl (No. 64) - M, Maryland

Drafting a center back from Indiana in the Top 10 isn’t guaranteed to provide success, but there is plenty of logic to it. Miller has a good chance of at least providing depth for SKC.

• Round 1: Emil Jaaskelainen (No. 7) - F, Akron
• Round 2: Joey Zalinsky (No. 37) - D, Rutgers
• Round 3: Colin Welsh (No. 67) - GK, Western Michigan

Jaaskalainen is far from a sure thing (no college striker is) but if he’s half as efficient in the penalty box as he was this fall at Akron, it will be a good sign.

• Round 1: Reid Fisher (No. 23) - D, San Diego State
• Round 2: Michael Sullivan (No. 39) - M, Pittsburgh
• Round 3: Joseph Melto Quiah (No. 69) - F, Dayton

There’s intrigue from all three picks here. Fisher has the physical profile to make the jump to MLS. Sullivan is versatile, hard working and has the kind of traits that could sneak onto a first-team roster. Even Quiah could surprise, as he’s a dynamic attacker who will need to put in the work off the ball.

• Round 1: Tate Johnson (No. 15) - D, UNC Chapel Hill
• Round 2: Nikola Djordjevic (No. 45) - D, Southern Methodist

Outside backs are a solid bet from the college ranks. The Whitecaps bring in one for each side, and Johnson offers roster flexibility with the GA contract. Djordjevic is a sleeper out of SMU, as he’s very good on the ball. He’ll need to adjust to the defensive demands, but it makes plenty of sense for a second-round pick.