With the 2026 MLS SuperDraft set to kick off today, it's a good time to look back at how the class of 2025 did this past season, and how New York City FC's picks have performed over the years.
The 2026 MLS SuperDraft will start at 2:00 pm ET, with wooden spoon winners DC United set to make the first pick. There will be three rounds with 30 selections each. A total of 436 players are eligible for the SuperDraft — you can find a full list here.
If you're the kind of sicko who wants to go deeper, Paul Harvey put together an MLS SuperDraft Dashboard at American Soccer Analysis that handicaps the leading picks. He also put together a New York City-foused analysis for The Outfield, which you can find here.
New York City will have four picks: Round 1, #27 overall; Round 2, #57 overall; Round 3, #71 overall; and Round 3, #87 overall. The #71 overall pick came from San Jose via the Alfredo Morales trade at the start of the 2024 season; the other three are the club's natural picks.
Here are five thoughts about New York City's history with the MLS SuperDraft
1. Don't sleep on the MLS SuperDraft
Not all MLS SuperDraft picks work out. Some players won't sign with the club that selects them, while others don't develop into high-performing professionals.
But the MLS SuperDraft can reward teams that pick well. Take Patrick Agyemang, who was selected by Charlotte FC in 2023 from the University of Rhode Island. Agyemang broke into the First Team, scoring 18 goals in the regular season and playoffs while logging almost 3,500 minutes for the club (and scoring five goals in 12 appearances for the United States men's national team), before moving to Derby County over the summer for a transfer fee that reportedly could reach $10 million.
Looking back at the class of 2025, 12 of the 30 selections saw First Team minutes in the regular season, with six making 10 or more starts. Top pick Manu Duah, a 20-year-old defender who stands at 6' 4", made 14 appearances for San Diego FC in the regular season, then added another five in the MLS Cup Playoffs. For what it's worth, Transfermarkt now values him at $1 million, up from $100,000 when he first signed with San Diego.
2025 MLS SuperDraft | First Round Picks
| Team | Player | Apps | Starts | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | San Deigo FC | Manu Duah | 14 | 12 | 1,038 |
| 2. | San Jose Earthquakes | Max Floriani | 14 | 9 | 821 |
| 3. | Chicago Fire | Dean Boltz | — | — | — |
| 4. | Colorado Rapids | Alex Harris | 4 | 0 | 41 |
| 5. | San Jose Earthquakes | Reid Roberts | 14 | 10 | 890 |
| 6. | Colorado Rapids | Matthew Senanou | — | — | — |
| 7. | St. Louis City SC | Emil Jääskeläinen | — | — | — |
| 8. | Sporting Kansas City | Jansen Miller | 29 | 25 | 2,305 |
| 9. | Charlotte FC | Mikah Thomas | — | — | — |
| 10. | DC United | Hakim Karamoko | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| 11. | FC Dallas | Enzo Newman | — | — | — |
| 12. | Colorado Rapids | Efetobo Aror* | _ | — | — |
| 13. | CF Montréal | Michael Adedokun | — | — | — |
| 14. | Portland Timbers | Ian Smith | 20 | 11 | 1,021 |
| 15. | Vancouver Whitecaps | Tate Johnson | 29 | 20 | 1,974 |
| 16. | Colorado Rapids | Sydney Wathuta | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 17. | New York City FC | Max Murray | — | — | — |
| 18. | New England Revolution | Donovan Parisian | — | — | — |
| 19. | Real Salt Lake | Jesús Barea | 11 | 1 | 255 |
| 20. | LA Galaxy | Jason Bucknor | — | — | — |
| 21. | Real Salt Lake | Max Kerkvilet | — | — | — |
| 22. | LAFC | Alec Hughes | — | — | — |
| 23. | Toronto FC | Reid Fisher | — | — | — |
| 24. | San Diego FC | Ian Pilcher | 17 | 8 | 916 |
| 25. | Minnesota United | Roman Torres | — | — | — |
| 26. | Colorado Rapids | Josh Copeland | — | — | — |
| 27. | Orlando City SC | Joran Gerbet | 20 | 13 | 1,115 |
| 28. | Seattle Sounders | Ryan Baer | — | — | — |
| 29. | Real Salt Lake | Lineker Rodrigues dos Santos | — | — | — |
| 30. | Real Salt Lake | Sergi Solans | — | — | — |
MLS regular season only
* Did not sign
2. The current state of NYCFC's SuperDraft picks
The club selected 29 players via the SuperDraft over the years, signing 17 of them. Out of those, 10 made First Team appearances. Four SuperDraft picks are currently with the club: Nico Cavallo (2025), Malachi Jones (2024), Max Murray (2025), and Kevin O'Toole (2022).
Last year, New York City took five players in the SuperDraft, signing three of them: Cavallo, Collin McCamy, and Murray. Cavallo saw playing time with the First Team, while McCamy spent the year with NYCFC II but was released at the end of the season. Murray made his First Team debut in the US Open Cup, but has yet to appear in an MLS game.
| Year | Player | Pos | Rnd | Pick | Apps | Starts | Mins | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2022 | Kevin O'Toole* | F | 2 | #34 | 80 | 65 | 5,748 | 2 goals, 4 assists |
| 2. | 2016 | Jack Harrison | F | 1 | #1 | 55 | 50 | 4,361 | 15 goals, 9 assists |
| 3. | 2015 | Khiry Shelton | F | 1 | #2 | 54 | 23 | 2,503 | 6 goals, 6 assists |
| 4. | 2019 | Luis Barraza | GK | 1 | #12 | 30 | 29 | 2,678 | 8 clean sheets |
| 5. | 2017 | Jonathan Lewis | F | 1 | #3 | 31 | 6 | 793 | 3 goals, 4 assists |
| 6. | 2025 | Nico Cavallo* | D | 3 | #88 | 15 | 2 | 313 | |
| 7. | 2024 | Malachi Jones* | F | 1 | #8 | 14 | 4 | 483 | 1 goal, 3 assists |
| 8. | 2021 | Vuk Latinovich | D | 3 | #71 | 8 | 3 | 349 | |
| 9. | 2015 | Connor Brandt | M | 2 | #23 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
