Let’s talk about the 2026 MLS SuperDraft.
First, the draft isn’t quite the talent generator it once was, even as recently as the last decade. In past years, teams could unearth a player like Clint Dempsey, and many Major League Soccer stars came through the draft. These days, you’re more likely to find back-end roster stalwarts.
That’s not a knock on the draft; it’s an acknowledgement that player scouting across MLS is covering so much more territory as teams look for every edge they can find.
Look at how many teams are signing players from Sweden, for instance! Generally, though, players drafted in the first round are MLS-caliber players; players in the second and third rounds are either USL-level or below (although that is more of a rough assessment than anything else).
You can get a sense of what MLS really thinks about the draft by the fact that, even as recently as a decade ago, it was either televised or live-streamed, and you could attend it as a fan. Now, it’s a conference call held privately, and the league posts the picks on their website with little fanfare.
• Ransford Gyan (Round One, #27)
Forward, Clemson University
• Kevin Pierre (Round Two, #57)
Midfielder, Georgia Southern University
• Joey Mueller (Round Three, #71)
Midfielder, University of Central Florida
• Luca Nikolai (Round Three, #87)
Defender, University of North Carolina
One other thing to remember: New York City FC just brought on Todd Dunivant as the chief soccer officer to replace David Lee. In his time at Sacramento and elsewhere, Dunivant earned a reputation for effective roster-building on a budget, a huge part of which is finding overlooked talent. This is his first draft, even if he doesn’t officially join the club until January 1. Did he unearth some gems here? Only time will tell, but historically, New York City hasn’t relied much on the draft for roster building. With the exception of Jack Harrison (who technically was drafted by Chicago Fire FC in 2016), most of the Pigeons’ picks haven’t really made an impact.
OK, let’s briefly break down each of these players, and rate their chances of making the NYCFC roster.
Hudson River Blue Staff
• Ransford Gyan, forward
Roster Chances: 7/10
Paul Harvey at American Soccer Analysis describes Ransford Gyan as arguably the funnest player in this year’s draft; I’d probably agree. I watched a solid amount of men’s college soccer this fall on ESPN+, and after New York City picked him this afternoon, I pulled up a couple of Clemson games. Gyan has a scoring touch, he’s creative on the ball, and he was probably one of Clemson’s best players, even as a sophomore. Gyan is a Ghanaian international, and a two-time Gatorade national player of the year.
The only thing is…he’s short, listed at 5’3″. Then again, if you were drafting a potential understudy for Maxi Moralez, our current Short King, you could do a lot worse than Gyan. Harvey predicts that if he were to go to MLS Next Pro, he’d light it up, and I could definitely see that.
Ransford Gyan Highlights
As I said, his height is the only “flaw” he’s got. I think he gets starts in training camp, probably gets a solid run out as Jansen sees what he brings to the yard, probably starts out with NYCFC II, but earns a promotion to the big club in the summer.
• Kevin Pierre, midfielder
Roster Chances: 4/10
Kevin Pierre started his college career at Lander University before transferring to Georgia Southern University, where he played three seasons. He was a stalwart for them, playing 51 games and starting 46 of them, logging over 4,000 minutes over that span. He played mostly as a holding midfielder, but has spent time as a left and right defensive midfielder, as well as occasionally as an attacking midfielder.
Kevin Pierre Highlights
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Unlike Gyan, Pierre didn’t get a lot of attention during his collegiate career. Players like Pierre typically profile out as a fringe MLS/USL player, but here’s the thing: The Pigeons need midfielders. We don’t know when Keaton Parks or Andrés Perea are going to be back on the field for New York City. We don’t know if Justin Haak is going to return to the Pigeons. Basically, the midfield cupboard is pretty bare.
Meanwhile, here’s a guy who anchored the Georgia Southern defense, and essentially never left the field. This past season, he played in all 18 of their matches, went the full 90 in 12 of them, and was third on the team with 1,500 minutes played.
Normally, I’d say his roster chances are more like 2/10, but New York City needs midfielders with this kind of durability and stamina. For Pierre, I think training camp is make-or-break; Jansen did a great job developing players this past season, so I feel pretty secure in thinking he could improve a player like Pierre. My guess is that he doesn’t make the roster, but stranger things have happened.
• Joey Mueller, midfielder
Roster chances: 1/10
Mueller played three years for the University of Central Florida, redshirting his freshman year before beginning his college career in 2023 for the Knights. His breakout year was this past season: He played in all 21 of UCF’s games, starting 18 of them. In those 21 games, he scored twice and had three assists, and played 1,319 minutes over the course of the season, including the NCAA tournament.
Like Pierre, he’s a holding midfielder who’s done defensive work; in his college career, that’s mostly been on the right. Unlike Pierre, he hasn’t played as many games or minutes, and he scans to me as a bit of a different player. He attempted to score more than Pierre did over a shorter career, but I’m of the opinion that lots of those guys could be converted to defensive specialists with a bit of work. (See: Aaron Long.) Are New York City willing to do that? Unclear.
Joey Mueller Highlights
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Of the four players drafted, Mueller seems to be the rawest. I don’t see him making the roster. I think he gets a look-see in training camp, and then winds up playing for the Squabs. Hilariously, if he makes the roster, he’d be the second UCF Knight to do so; Sean Johnson was the first.
• Luca Nikolai, defender
Roster Chances: 5/10
Düsseldorf native Luca Nikolai played two seasons for James Madison University before transferring to the University of North Carolina. In his second season at JMU, he was the Sun Belt Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year, starting all 19 games for the Dukes, and going the full 90 in 17 of those games. TopDrawerSoccer (which is the outlet for high school and college soccer player coverage) ranked him #20 in their Mid-Season Top 100 and projected that he’d go 23rd overall in their mock draft of this year’s SuperDraft. Nikolai then transferred to UNC, where he started all 20 games for the Tar Heels and played both defense and midfield, going 1,783 of a possible 1,840 minutes, including the NCAA tournament.
He played 10 seasons as a youth player for Borussia Mönchengladbach, starting as a 6-year-old. How did Nikolai fall to New York City at the EIGHTY-SEVENTH PICK IN THE FOURTH ROUND?!? This guy is good.
Luca Nikolai Highlights
I watched him play this fall, and he impressed in his last game against the University of Maryland in the tournament (North Carolina lost on penalties). Nikolai is actually more of a wing-back, but played right-back as well. He had a solid nose for goal in that game, and was dangerous throughout. So I’m wildly curious to know why he wasn’t drafted until the fourth round.
I really want to say his roster chances are like 7/10 or 8/10, but the thing is…he was picked near the end of the draft! Something’s going on there. Are there injury concerns? Who knows? If there’s nothing, then he’s talented enough to make the roster. I’d love to see what a coach like Jansen could do with a player like Nikolai.
