SuperDraft regional rundown: FC Cincy, Crew, Fire

CHICAGO — FC Cincinnati stole the show at Friday’s Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The 24th club in MLS history made a trade Wednesday to secure two picks in the first round of the draft. Overall, they made five selections looking to get some competition for their first-year roster.

“We have maybe a little bit of an older roster,” FC Cincy technical director Luke Sassano said. “We’re looking to find winners. Any player, whether they’re 18 or 34, is still developing.”

With the first overall pick, Cincinnati selected Frankie Amaya. They added Logan Gdula with the No. 13 pick. In the second round, they kept it going by choosing Tommy McCabe with the 29th pick, and two of college’s top goalkeepers: Jimmy Hague with No. 30 and Ben Lundt at No. 37.

FC Cincinnati headed into the draft looking to add youth to the roster. As a first-year team with no academy players, they explored all of their options. With the first pick they selected UCLA midfielder Frankie Amaya. Amaya spent one season at UCLA before deciding it was time to move on. He signed a Generation Adidas (GA) contract and now will begin his professional career.

“Everyone in my family plays soccer, I’m the first to play professionally,” Amaya said. “My parents sacrificed so much for me. It was worth it. I won’t let them down. Nothing’s for sure. I’m going to keep pushing for my spot. I’m blessed to be No. 1.”

With the No. 13 pick, FC Cincinnati selected Wake Forest defender Logan Gdula. Gdula spent four years in back for the Demon Deacons, while sneaking in two goals and adding 14 assists. Gdula helped anchor a defense that secured seven shutouts in 2018, while allowing only 22 goals. Wake Forest’s 2018 senior class boasted a four-year record of 73-11-7, proving to be one of the top teams in the nation.

“It’s intriguing,” Gdula said. “I like making history and being a part of history. It’s exciting.”

At No. 29, FC Cincinnati chose Notre Dame defensive midfielder Tommy McCabe. A three-season player, McCabe played in 61 matches for the Fighting Irish, tallying four assists. McCabe was an anchor in the midfield that helped Notre Dame to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament in 2018, where UND dropped a 1-0 decision to Indiana.

Michigan State goalkeeper Jimmy Hague and Akron goalkeeper Ben Lundt last met on the pitch in the College Cup semifinals, where Akron topped Michigan State 5-1. Hague led the Spartans for three seasons, ending his career ranked second in shutouts (26) and wins (40) in 62 appearances. Lundt led Akron to back to back College Cups. He spent three seasons tending goal for the Zips, posting 27 shutouts in 64 appearances.

“It was always going to be goalkeepers with potential that we found in the draft,” FC Cincinnati goalkeeper coach Jack Stern said. “We’re really excited about both of them. They tick lots of boxes in terms of their physical profiles. They play with their feet, they’re good shot stoppers. I’m really excited about them coming in and playing with our two current goalkeepers.”

Now that the first two rounds are over, FC Cincinnati is excited to get to work both on and off the field in preparation for its first MLS season.

“We worked hard to come in MLS this year,” president and general manager Jeff Berding said. “To be out there we feel a lot of pride and gratitude. The way that greater Cincinnati has embraced us has been amazing. We’re here because of them and for them.”

COLUMBUS CREW SC ADDS ATTACKER

Columbus Crew SC has a lot to celebrate, with Crew fans packing the seats at the draft, chanting every opportunity they had. The Crew selected Generation Adidas forward JJ Williams from the University of Kentucky with the No. 18 overall draft pick. Williams played three seasons for the Wildcats, appearing in 57 games with 25 goals and 15 assists. His 2018 campaign caught the attention of the MAC Hermann Trophy selection committee, who named him a semifinalist. Williams led the attack in 2018 with 18 goals and eight assists, while Kentucky (19-2-1) made a historic run for the College Cup in 2018.

Crew SC (14-11-9) finished 2018 ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference. Columbus was led by forward Gyasi Zardes last season with 19 of the Club’s 43 goals. Federico Higuain was the second-highest scorer on the roster with six goals. Head coach Caleb Porter said it was a great pick for the club.

“We didn’t expect a GA striker that scored 18 goals to be around at that pick,” he said. “We were certainly pleased that he was. He fits a need. We targeted a few positions where we need some depth. We don’t have a target striker, a guy that can play with his back to the goal, get on the end of stuff. He’s a beast in the air. He’s young and he doesn’t count on the roster. It’s a great pick for us.”

Williams smiled from ear to ear as he talked about his next adventure.

“Hopefully I can make an impact and bring something to the club,” Williams said. “I’m really excited to see the success this team will have.”

The Crew had one pick in the first two rounds after trading their No. 42 pick to the Colorado Rapids. But the Crew have one pick in round three and two in round four.

CHICAGO FIRE WASTE OPPORTUNITY

With an 8-18-8 record, the Fire fell short of expectations in 2018 finishing second to last in the Eastern Conference, but apparently didn’t feel any college players would help the squad. Hence they had a quiet draft day, in terms of players.

Chicago traded its No. 5 pick to the Colorado Rapids for $100,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) and the No. 15 pick. The Fire then traded their No. 15 pick to Minnesota United FC for $50,000 in GAM. The Fire traded the No. 8 pick of the second round to the New York Red Bulls for a player to be named later. The Fire have three picks in the remaining two rounds of the draft.

HOOSIERS GOING PRO

After two years helping the Hoosiers to two College Cup appearances, playing in 42 games and tallying eight goals and four assists, forward Griffin Dorsey moved on. Toronto FC selected him with the No. 6 overall pick in the SuperDraft. 

“It is a hard decision,” Dorsey said. “I made family and friends that I’ll have forever. But I’m also excited for the next chapter to begin. I’m going to work as hard as I can and go from there. I’m ready to get to work.”

Defender Rece Buckmaster finished his four-year campaign with the Hoosiers with five goals and 12 assists in 82 matches. The New York Red Bulls traded with the Chicago Fire for the No. 32 pick. With that pick, they selected Buckmaster.

“I’m ready to get out there and start working,” Buckmaster said. “It’s a dream come true. Ever since I could walk I’ve wanted to play professional soccer.”

Follow Kathryn on Twitter: @Katknapp99.

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