MLS SuperDraft 2023 results: Every first-round selection as Charlotte trade up to pick Hamady Diop at No. 1
The 2023 MLS SuperDraft first round has been completed, as MLS teams got an opportunity to select the best upcoming prospects graduating from college or signed from elsewhere by the league.
St. Louis traded the top pick, one of many deals struck before or during the event.
Read on as GOAL provides the results and details of the 2023 MLS SuperDraft.
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2023 MLS SuperDraft date
The annual draft began on Wednesday, December 21, at 5 p.m. ET, with a pre-draft show starting 30 minutes prior.
It was the first-ever draft for expansion newcomers St. Louis City SC, who start in MLS for the 2023 season. But the club traded the first-overall pick to Charlotte just before the event.
How to watch MLS SuperDraft
MLS streamed the SuperDraft on Twitter, Twitch, YouTube and MLSSoccer.com.
First-round MLS draft order, results
| Pick | Team | Player chosen |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charlotte (from STL) | Hamady Diop (Clemson) |
| 2 | Orlando (from D.C.) | Shakur Mohammed (Duke) |
| 3 | Colorado (from TOR) | Moise Bombito (New Hampshire) |
| 4 | New England (from SJ) | Joshua Bolma (Maryland) |
| 5 | Vancouver (from HOU) | J.C. Ngando (Greensboro) |
| 6 | Orlando (from CHI) | Duncan McGuire (Creighton) |
| 7 | Salt Lake (from ATL) | Ilijah Paul (Washington) |
| 8 | Kansas City | Stephen Afrifa (FIU) |
| 9 | St. Louis (from SEA) | Owen O'Malley (Creighton) |
| 10 | San Jose (from NE) | Daniel Munie (Indiana) |
| 11 | Nashville (from CLT) | Joey Skinner (Clemson) |
| 12 | Charlotte (from COL) | Patrick Agyemang (Rhode Island) |
| 13 | Houston (from VAN) | CJ Fodrey (San Diego State) |
| 14 | Columbus | Maximilian Arfsten (Earthquakes II) |
| 15 | Portland | Noel Caliskan (Loyola Marymount) |
| 16 | Salt Lake | Bertin Jacquesson (Pittsburgh) |
| 17 | Orlando | Abdi Salim (Syracuse) |
| 18 | Inter Miami | Cole Jensen (Xavier) |
| 19 | Minnesota | Ryen Jiba (Union Omaha) |
| 20 | Austin (from STL) | Valentin Noel (Pittsburgh) |
| 21 | New York Red Bulls | Elian Haddock (Yale) |
| 22 | Cincinnati | Joey Akpunonu (Bowling Green) |
| 23 | LA Galaxy | Gino Vivi (UCF) |
| 24 | Dallas | Herbert Endeley (Indiana) |
| 25 | Salt Lake (from MTL) | Emeka Eneli (Cornell) |
| 26 | NYCFC | Malcolm Johnston (Maryland) |
| 27 | Columbus (from HOU) | Xavier Zengue (Dayton) |
| 28 | Philadelphia | Holden Trent (High Point) |
| 29 | Vancouver (from LAFC) | Levonte Johnson (Syracuse) |
Top MLS SuperDraft prospects
Shakur Mohammed of Duke University in North Carolina is perhaps the most promising of all the SuperDraft hopefuls. He was Duke's top scorer with 13 goals and nine assists in 37 appearances and gave up the remainder of his NCAA eligibility to be part of the draft. The Ghana native can follow in the footsteps of previous Duke star Thorleifur Ulfarsson, who left to join Houston Dynamo, by making the move to an MLS side in January.
Indiana University defender Daniel Munie has excelled for his college side. He has been seen as one of the top players in his position in the college system. He was a rock at the back for IU as they made it to the 2022 College Cup.
CJ Fodrey was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2022 and was named in the Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Freshman Best XI Team this year. The San Diego State star took more shots than any of his team mates, got most on target, too, and was their joint-top creator with four assists.
High Point hero Holden Trent, is the brightest of all goalkeepers in this draft. His height combined with his shot-stopping suggest he is ready to excel in MLS. He was the Big South Goalkeeper of the Year in both 2021 and 2022, after being named the Big South Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year for 2022.
Stephen Afrifa from Florida International has been a superstar at college level. The Toronto native was his team's top scorer with 10 goals and four assists in 2022 and was named the American Championship Most Outstanding Offensive Player this year, too.