December 20, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
San Jose Earthquakes News Release
SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes selected Saint Louis University defender Max Floriani second overall in the first round of the 2025 Major League Soccer SuperDraft on Friday. The Earthquakes also traded $200,000 of 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM) to the New England Revolution for the fifth overall pick in the first round, with which they used to select University of San Francisco defender Reid Roberts.
The Quakes used their second-round pick (32nd overall) on University of Portland midfielder Nick Fernandez to complete their SuperDraft selections.
“We are pleased with our three SuperDraft selections,” said Earthquakes Sporting Director and Head Coach Bruce Arena. “Max and Reid are promising defenders and will help bolster our backline. Nick is a very capable midfield player and will be a welcomed addition to our roster as well.”
Floriani, 21, a 2024 Atlantic First Team All-Conference and United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-Region defender, was the only pre-signed senior in the draft. A native of Gurnee, Illinois, the center back has established himself as one of the top two-way players in the nation with 11 goal contributions from the back line (4g/7a). Over the course of his collegiate career, Floriani appeared in 56 games, starting 53, and was an integral part of the Billikens making three NCAA Tournament appearances (2021, 2022 and 2024).
As a junior in 2024, he started 19 matches for SLU and led all field players in minutes played, playing a key role in helping anchor a Billiken defense that topped the conference in goals against average and shutout percentage. Offensively, he had his best season yet, totaling four goal contributions (3g/1a), including netting the decisive goal in the Atlantic 10 semifinal win against George Mason University.
Roberts, 21, the reigning West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, appeared in 50 games, all starts, recording five goal contributions the past three seasons (2g/3a). A native of Fort Collins, Colorado, the left-footed center back helped rebuild a strong defensive unit for the Dons, earning All-WCC First Team honors twice (2023, 2024) and Honorable Mention once (2022).
In 2024, Roberts played every minute of every match and led the team with 1,530 total minutes. As team captain, he helped secure five clean sheets and played a key role in San Francisco’s second consecutive victory in as many years over a top-10…
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