MLS SuperDraft 2026: Everything you need to know
The MLS SuperDraft feels like it's on borrowed time, but it's back for 2026 nonetheless, and teams will have the opportunity to choose from some of the top college soccer players.
Though it's been a fixture of the league since its early days, the draft has gradually declined in relevance to the point where now, it is probably on the brink of being abolished. The league stopped holding an in-person event after the 2019 SuperDraft, and hasn't even hosted a live-streamed version since last year. Now, the only way to follow along with the draft will be by following the live tracker on MLSsoccer.com, which will be updated alongside every pick.
It's going to be a pretty boring SuperDraft night for the Fire, however. The team only has one pick, and it is the 18th overall selection in the first round. Players have certainly come out of the draft in recent seasons, with examples from last year being San Diego star center back Manu Duah and Vancouver Whitecaps defender Tate Johnson, but they've grown fewer and further in between.
Here's everything you need to know ahead of the SuperDraft, which will commence on Thursday at 1 p.m. central time.
What picks do the Fire have?
Remember the January 2024 trade they saw the Fire acquire Chase Gasper for "practically nothing" from Houston? Well, that "practically nothing" was this year's third round SuperDraft pick. The Fire also traded away their second round pick to Real Salt Lake this summer in exchange for the homegrown rights to 16-year-old Jonah Giorgis, who is currently playing with the Fire Academy, MIR97 Media can reveal. This leaves the Men in Red with just one pick remaining, their first round selection.
The 18th overall pick does not have a great history in MLS. Almost no players selected there have ever had good pro careers in the 30-year history of the draft, so barring divine intervention, the Fire shouldn't expect to unearth a hidden gem there in 2026. The most noteworthy players selected 18th historically are Steve Ralston (1996), Damani Ralph (2003), Tim Ream (2010), and Jack Lynn (2022). Last year's pick, Armenian-American goalkeeper Donovan Parisian, was signed by the New England Revolution but has yet to debut. The last time the Fire had the 18th pick, they chose Will John in 2005, who went on to make six appearances for the team.
That doesn't mean it's impossible to find someone who can contribute. Jason Shokalook, for example, was selected 35th overall by the Fire in 2024, and was the third player selected by Chicago in that draft after Bryan Dowd and Olu Oyegunle; after two seasons in the second team, Shokalook has now signed a first team deal. Jack Elliott, the Fire's captain, was a 77th overall pick out of West Virginia in 2017.
Will the Fire actually sign anyone from the SuperDraft?
The short answer? Probably not, and at least not to a first team deal.
Over the last few years, the Fire have very rarely used the draft as a way to expand their first team roster, though they have taken advantage of very high picks in the last two seasons. In 2024, they picked Bryan Dowd sixth overall (who signed a first team deal but never played); in 2025, they picked Dean Boltz as a Generation Adidas player with the third overall pick, and he is also yet to feature with the first team in any capacity.
Given that they only have one pick, it seems likely that the Fire will draft someone whom they view as a possible Fire II contributor. Given that there's no glaring roster need for the first team that a SuperDraft player would solve, they have almost no pressure to get this pick right. Therefore, they can afford to use it on a lottery ticket or on an applicable second team contract with potential upside.
Who will the Fire pick?
Last year, it would not have taken insider info to guess who the Fire were going to pick as their 3rd overall selection. Manu Duah was always going to be #1 overall, and Max Floriani had been linked to San Jose at #2, leaving GA forward and Chicago-area native Dean Boltz as the obvious selection, despite a very thin résumé. That turned out to be correct, even though he has had little to no impact in a Fire shirt since then.
This time around, it's much more difficult to predict. Grand Canyon University's Junior Diouf was the most talked-about player in college soccer this fall, but did not sign a GA contract, potentially throwing the whole first round out of whack. This year's Generation Adidas players, who sign contracts directly with the league prior to the SuperDraft, are highly-touted Kwaku Agyabeng (Clemson), Ricky Louis (Georgia Southern), Nikola Marković (NC State), and Nicholas Simmonds (Virginia), all of whom will likely be taken off the board before the Fire's pick.
Because the Fire are so far down the first round order, it's truly impossible to guess who they will pick, however.
Edouard Nys (UIC) is a sleeper pick in this draft, but FC Dallas is eyeing him up, and that's where he's expected to end up. Kenan Hot (Duke) was talked about as an exciting young American talent at the New York Red Bulls once upon a time and never lived up to the lofty expectations, but is now a projected first-rounder that the Fire could go for at #18. Olayinka Ogunleye (Louisville) is a Bolingbrook native and a former Sockers FC player; he's probably the most likely pick for the Fire given their recent track record of leaning toward local-area products in the first round.
It would not be a shock to see the Fire take a left back in this draft, as that is the most obvious position of need for the second team with 2025 third-rounder Geni Kanyane leaving the club this month. Jesús De Vincente (Virginia) is potentially the most likely – he trained with Fire II during his time at UIC and is among the 436 players in the draft pool. Another great pick at that position would be Ernest Mensah Jr. (Syracuse), who is a former Fire Academy player and is a very talented fullback with some potential upside. The other top left backs in the pool are Palmer Bank (Stanford), Ashton Kamdem (Akron), Nikos Clarke-Tosczak (Portland), and Dren Dobruna (Dayton).
In terms of former Fire Academy players, there are an impressive total of seven in the draft pool. In addition to the aforementioned Mensah, who may be the most likely to be drafted because of his excellent crossing and versaility, there is Christian Baumgartner, who played in every game for DePaul this season. Baumgartner featured for Fire II in their inaugural season in 2022, much like Luka Bezerra (Indiana) and Diegoarmando Alvardo (Marquette). Georgetown's Max Viera has been a very good and reliable player for the Hoyas throughout his four years, leading them to back-to-back Big East titles in 2024 and 2025; a team would be smart to pick him up in this draft. Michigan's Mitar Mitrović is also a key player to watch from this pool after an excellent Big Ten season, and the reliable midfielder will certainly become a professional somewhere this winter.
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Draft details and how to follow
The SuperDraft will start at 1 p.m. on Thursday, but will not be broadcast as clubs will announce their picks over a web call. Fans can follow along on MLSsoccer.com to stay up to date with picks in real time.
Read more:
https://meninred97.com/fire-academy-2004s-where-are-they-now/
