It's draft week! The MLS SuperDraft 2025 takes place this Friday, Dec. 20. Here's everything you need to know for FC Dallas' SuperDraft.
Draft Overview
The MLS SuperDraft consists of three rounds with teams allowed four minutes per pick (unless they use their one three-minute timeout). FC Dallas owns the 11th, 41st and 71st overall picks (draft order is based on where the club finished in the previous season). Those picks can always change, of course, if the club's top brass decides to trade up or down on or before draft day. Last year, Dallas traded up to get the 3rd overall pick from Inter Miami and used it to select forward Logan Farrington. Considering his rookie success (4 goals, 8 assists), you can't rule out Dallas attempting a similar strategy this time around.
Unlike previous editions, this year's SuperDraft will not be streamed. To follow along, keep an eye on FC Dallas' social media channels to get the most up-to-date information.
General Draft Strategies
In most drafts – regardless of the sport or league – there’s the eternal question: Should you draft for your roster’s specific needs or draft based on the highest value pick left on the board?
North Texas SC head coach John Gall, who attends the annual MLS College Showcase to scout prospects, is heavily involved in the draft process and kindly shared his insight: "The strategy is going to be 'do we have positional needs?' And then obviously, we have talent needs too. It's going to come down to who's available at that time, whether it is going to be a specific position that we target, or whether it's going to be a kid that we've identified as a top talent. It's just like in a game, you have a strategy, you have a plan, and then all of a sudden, 20 minutes into the game, 'okay, I need to tweak this, I need to I need to change this.' It's going to be the same thing with the draft where we have a good idea of of which direction we want to go. But that direction can change really quickly, and we've got to be ready to pivot and put ourselves in the best spot."
North Texas SC's Draft Impact
The addition of North Texas SC in 2019 has also affected Dallas' draft strategy and how those picks develop. After being selected in the first round of the 2020 SuperDraft by FCD, defender Nkosi Tafari spent his rookie season playing exclusively for North Texas SC. With a year of pro development under his belt, Tafari was able to break into FCD's starting lineup in 2021 and has proved himself a strong MLS-level starter. Even third-overal pick Logan Farrington, earned MLS minutes from day one, still played sporadically for North Texas when he needed extra minutes to stay sharp. In essence, Dallas doesn't always expect its draft picks to make an immediate impact with the first team and North Texas SC allows them to develop until they're ready to be MLS contributors--hence why North Texas SC General Matt Denny and head coach John Gall are integral to FCD's draft process.
John Gall: "Players in the draft and around the country are starting to see that we do promote from within, we do have younger players who come through our framework at North Texas into the first team. It's a super important piece for us as we go down the pecking order in terms of draft picks and in the rounds. Our environment is a great environment for young players. It's an opportunity for us to work so closely with the first team, we're on the next training pitch."
Former Draft Picks
FC Dallas has four of its former SuperDraft picks on the roster for 2025: Nkosi Tafari (2020), Tsiki Ntsabeleng (2022), Herbert Endeley (2023) and Logan Farrington (2024). Defender Sam Junqua is also a product of the SuperDraft having been selected 8th overall by the Houston Dynamo in 2019.
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