DURHAM – Major League Soccer (MLS) held its 2024 SuperDraft on Dec. 19, with three Duke men’s soccer players selected across the three rounds. Wayne Frederick became the second consecutive Duke player to go second overall and extended the Blue Devils’ streak of a top-five pick to three straight years.
Frederick was the first ACC player of the board, going to the Colorado Rapids with the second overall pick. He joins Shakur Mohammed (2022, second overall) and Thorleifur Ulfarsson (2021, fourth overall) as Duke’s top-five picks in the last three years. Duke has now had eight all-time top-five picks, dating back to the creation of an MLS College Draft in 1996. Frederick joins Mohammed, Ulfarsson, Jeremy Ebobisse (2017), Andrew Wenger (2012), Ali Curtis (2001), Jay Heaps (1999) and Brian Kelly (1997).
Antino Lopez was next off the board, to Seattle Sounders FC, in the second round with the 52nd overall pick. Lopez previously played for the Sounders’ academy, appearing in nine matches during the 2019-20 academy season. Ruben Mesalles wrapped up Duke’s representation in the draft, going to Real Salt Lake in the third round with the 84th overall pick.
Following the conclusion of the draft, a fourth former Blue Devil made his way to an MLS side, as Nashville SC announced the signing of the 2023 ACC Offensive Player of the Year, Forster Ajago, to a contract for the 2024 season with options through the 2027 season.
Duke was one of five ACC programs to have three players selected in the draft, joining Clemson, Louisville, Virginia and Wake Forest.
Beginning with the 2024 SuperDraft, MLS announced new eligibility rules for aspiring professional players. For the first time in MLS history, the draft pool included current collegiate sophomores, juniors and above. Any player who was drafted on Wednesday night that has remaining college eligibility has the option to return to school and further their development but will not be draft-eligible in the future. Any player that elects to return to school, or remains unsigned, will have their SuperDraft priority held by the club that selected them for two years, expiring on December 31 of the second year.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils men’s soccer, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching “https://goduke.com/news/2023/12/20/DukeMSOC”.
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