Meyer, Carmichael Selected In MLS SuperDraft

Wyatt Meyer (left) and Kevin Carmichael (right) will start their pro careers in the Music City – after one more season in Berkeley.

MSOC12/19/2023 6:05 PM | By: Cal Athletics

The California men’s soccer program saw both starting central backs – Wyatt Meyer and Kevin Carmichael – chosen by Nashville SC in Tuesday’s MLS SuperDraft, with the club selecting Meyer with the 11th pick in the first round and taking Carmichael with the 21st pick in the second round.
 
“We are so proud of Wyatt and Kevin for getting their names called today,” Cal head coach Leonard Griffin said. “These players have worked so hard to be one step closer to achieving their goals of playing at the next level. Cal has continuously produced players that have gone from here to do great things at the professional level, and we are thrilled to add Kevin and Wyatt to this group!”
 
Cal has been a regular supplier of players to the professional ranks and, in particular, has had numerous alumni move onto MLS. In the MLS SuperDraft, the only Golden Bears chosen higher than Meyer were Steven Birnbaum (No. 2, D.C. United), Christian Dean (No. 3, Vancouver Whitecaps), A.J. Soares (No. 6, New England Revolution) and Sam Junqua (No. 8, Houston Dynamo).
 
Both Meyer and Carmichael earned All-Pac-12 First-Team honors – Meyer was also named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year – and played on a Cal squad that produced a 7-6-5 record this fall to more than double its win total of 2022. They were key members of an overall team effort that led to the team’s 1.06 goals-against average, which was Cal’s best defensive performance since 2013 (0.97 GAA). The Bears allowed just 11 goals in conference games, tied for the second-lowest total in the Pac-12.

Additionally, Meyer, who played alternately as a central defender and a defensive central midfielder, was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Far West Region Second Team. He was also a contributor to the attack, scoring his first goal since 2021 in the season finale at No. 22 Stanford and posting two assists.

The 6-foot-2 Berkeley native was the first Bear taken in the MLS SuperDraft since Tommy Williamson went to the San Jose Earthquakes with the 12th overall pick in 2021. A second-semester junior who is a senior athletically, Meyer will…