Five years ago, the MLS welcomed newcomer Minnesota United to its SuperDraft tables. While they’ve all had their ups and downs, the players that Minnesota United have selected have been among the most successful in the league over that span. With the 2021 SuperDraft today, we wanted to take a look back at all the draftees and what they accomplished with their time at Minnesota United.
2017
Abu Danladi
The first overall pick for MNUFC made 27 appearances and 15 starts in his debut season, scoring a total of eight goals and notching three assists. The forward finished second in MLS Rookie of the Year voting, but struggled with injuries during his time with the Loons. Danladi currently plays for Nashville SC, who selected him in the Expansion Draft.
Alec Ferrell
The first pick of the second round was a highly-rated goalkeeper coming out of Wake Forest, despite previous injury issues. Following a career-ending injury, Ferrell retired, having never played a game in MLS.
Thomas de Villardi
The French native was selected as 42nd overall. Due to an Achilles injury in March 2017, de Villardi also retired.
Tanner Thompson
The 4th round pick had a strong college pedigree as an attacking midfielder at Indiana University and had a connection to Minnesota via his father, Gregg. He was ultimately not signed by the club but played in the NASL.
2018
Mason Toye
Mason Toye was selected eighth overall in the 2018 SuperDraft. He made his debut as a substitute against Orlando on March 10, 2018. The forward scored his first MNUFC goal in the Open Cup on June 18, 2019 and his first MLS goal against FC Cincinnati on June 29, 2020. Toye made 42 game appearances with Minnesota United across 1,604 minutes with seven goals and four assists. The Generation adidas forward was traded on October 1, 2020 and is now with CF Montréal.
Wyatt Omsberg
Wyatt Omsberg was selected 15th overall by MNUFC, making his debut on March 24 at New York Red Bulls. He was loaned to Tulsa Roughnecks FC, a USL team, on April 26. He then made 15 appearances and started with USL League One’s Forward Madison FC in 2019. The defender was traded on February 11, 2020 to Chicago Fire FC.
Carter Manley
Carter Manley was selected 23rd overall by MNUFC from Duke University. The defender made his debut on March 24, 2018 at New York Red Bulls and earned his first assist on April 14 against Portland. The defender currently plays with USL’s Rio Grande Valley FC Toros.
Xavier Gomez
Xavier Gomez was selected 41st overall by MNUFC. The midfielder had a successful career at the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO). He was a three-year starter for UNO, where he led the Mavericks to their first NCAA tournament in 2017. The Chicago native was named first-team All-Summit League that year and led the conference with eight assists and notched five goals. Gomez is not currently signed.
2019
Dayne St. Clair
Selected seventh overall, St. Clair made his debut, earned his first win and earned his first clean sheet on September 6, 2020 versus Real Salt Lake. He would then earn his second clean sheet on September 27, followed by his fourth, fifth, and sixth clean sheets of the 2020 season. From there, the Canadian native went on to earn his first win and clean sheet in the MLS Cup Playoffs on November 22 against Colorado, followed by his second win and a clean sheet against Sporting Kansas City on December 3.
Chase Gasper
Chase Gasper made his debut on June 8, 2019 against Colorado Rapids. On March 1, the defender made his first start against Portland. Gasper scored his first goal on September 6 against Real Salt Lake and provided his first assist on September 23 against Columbus.
Hassani Dotson
Hassani Dotson made his debut on March 2, 2019 against Vancouver. His first start was on March 25 against Houston. The midfielder assisted his first goal on June 2 against Philadelphia. He scored his first goal on August 29 against FC Dallas and provided a second assist on September 6 against Real Salt Lake. Dotson has become known for blasting long range goals during his time with the Loons.
2020
Noah Billingsley
Selected 18th overall in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft, this defender made his debut on November 8 against FC Dallas.
Matthew Bentley
Selected 88th overall, this forward came from Missouri State where he earned the Missouri Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Bentley is currently without a club.
Andrew Booth
Selected by MNUFC, the defender declined to sign with the club. He played for the Greenville Triumph of USL League One in 2020.
