Who are the top players in the MLS SuperDraft 2024? Who is the favorite to be the first pick?

It’s not a giant claw machine, like the Pizza Planet grabber that is worshipped by the little green aliens in Pixar’s Toy Story, but that idea would certainly have my vote. For now, we’ll just have to settle with the MLS SuperDraft being held *sighs* virtually on Tuesday 19 December 2023.

All 29 teams in MLS will be allowed up to three picks, which the maths whizzes among you will realise that we will have 87 players potentially making cross-country moves ahead of the 2024 season.

There is a menu of 400 players who could be selected: they can be from the American college system, players who are collegiate sophomores or above, Generation Adidas players and former college players who are still eligible despite having recently left higher education (since the conclusion of the 2022 college season).

Now that we’ve got the formalities over with an nobody is listening to my claw grabber idea, let’s take a look at which players are the favourites to get picked:

Jacob Murrell | Georgetown | Forward

How could I not begin with Jacob Murrell? A former Gatorade National Player of the Year, Murrell is the favourite to be claw grabbed first; the player has not flown under the radar, scoring 11 goals along with four assists for the Hoyas in 2023. The forward has drawn comparisons from all across MLS: expect to see his name more than once in the run-up to the SuperDraft.

Logan Farrington | Oregon State | Forward

Let’s stick with the forwards while we’re here. Logan Farrington could well be the first name out of the hat when the time comes to pick the players, as the forward has been scoring for fun with Oregon. Hailing from Creighton, he can work either as a central forward or a wide-man. He is a hard-working, physical player who ended up being one of the NCAA’s top scorers in 2023, scoring 15 times for Oregon State.

Ousmane Sylla | Clemson | Attacking Midfielder

Moving slightly down the pitch, the attacking threat that Sylla has shown he can produce is not rivalled by many of his colleagues at his age in the US, something which has made sure he got his second championship in three seasons. He’s a likely pick with that natural flair and vision, but the senior game is nothing like the lower levels and the youngster will need to prove himself as a player who can work both when things are going well and not so well, with his off-ball game a question mark.

Hosei Kijima | Wake Forest | Centre midfielder

Hosei Kijima, who comes from Yokohama in Japan, is a strong choice for anyone looking for a physically tough central midfielder who commands the centre of the pitch. Physicality, along with speed of thought, is perhaps one of the biggest divides when it comes to making the leap to MLS, with the game not only a lot sharper but a lot tougher, and Kijima, as things stand, looks like one of the likeliest players to be able to make the jump.

Nate Jones | Washington | Centre-back

The Washington defender, as has become a theme here, will no doubt find the physical climb easier than some if he does, as is expected, make the move to MLS. Nate Jones has, as well as on and off-ball talents, the slightly fortunate skill of being left-footed, a key element as to why he’s on not just my list but the shopping lists of plenty of MLS teams. As rare as chicken’s teeth, a left-footed centre-back is never a bad option, especially not one with the potential that Jones has shown so far outside of the senior level.

Kevin Bonilla | Portland | Right-back

Switching out onto the right side of defence, in our full-back slot we have Portland’s Kevin Bonilla. WCC Defensive Player of the Year, the FCD Academy graduate got a whopping 10 assists last season for his side and consistently showed his quality deliveries from the flank. Over three seasons he has registered a total of 3 goals and 17 assists in 57 appearances, and even got an U-20 call-up in 2019.

Bryan Dowd | Notre Dame | Goalkeeper

Bryan Dowd has been at Notre Dame for four seasons, and during this year’s cup run, he conceded just 3 goals in almost 500 minutes of play, putting his name on the radar of many teams in MLS. His statistics throughout the season show him to easily be the best pick for a shot stopper in the draft: 70 saves, 11 clean sheets, 15 goals conceded, and the 9th best goals-against average in the league, expect to see Dowd’s name crop up at some point during the day.