Day one of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft has come to a close and Minnesota United is three players and $50k in allocation money stronger. MNUFC took UCLA forward Abu Danladi with the first pick of the draft, then selected Wake Forest goalkeeper Alec Ferrell with the twenty-third pick before trading its twenty-fifth pick to the Philadelphia Union in exchange for $50k in 2018 General Allocation Money and the twentieth pick in the second round of the SuperDraft. With that pick, Minnesota United selected University of Delaware defender Thomas De Villardi.
“I loved the day. I think it exceeded expectations, not just for how it went, but just the overall,” said Minnesota United Sporting Director Manny Lagos. “This is going to resonate for us as a club forever because it's historic, with the first ever MLS number one draft pick, first ever expansion team number one pick, we're drafting a special kid, there's no doubt about it, you know this is a kid that wants to be a part of this project, wants to be part of us and he brought a lot of the energy that we felt as a staff today.”
Danladi is a Ghanaian forward that has shown promise in each of his three seasons with the Bruins, improving upon his score total year after year and finishing his Junior season on a high note with seven goals in eleven matches. In total, Danladi leaves UCLA with 18 goals and 18 assists in 42 matches and joins Minnesota United as the top pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft. A player that is ready and willing to put in work day after day, Danladi has already bought into the hard working and determined mindset that Minnesota’s coaching and sporting staff have stressed since day one.
“Many players who had succeeded at that really high level just because they want to be where they want to be,” Danladi said. “Adrian asked me if I was where I wanted to be, and I really want to be in Minnesota.”
Joining Danladi is Wake Forest goalkeeper Alec Ferrell, a six-foot-four senior from Westlake, Ohio. Ferrell earned first team All-ACC honors in 2016, was an All-American and had one of the best goals against averages in Wake Forest history in 2016, conceding just nine goals in 16 games. He tallied 288 total saves in 63 matches with the Demon Deacons and 22 shutouts. MNUFC Goalkeeper Coach Marius Rovde praised Ferrell after the pick saying he has been a top prospect for the past two seasons and was Minnesota’s first choice at that position in the SuperDraft.
“I saw him last year with my previous club and he was the best goalkeeper of all of the goalkeepers last year, but I didn't need a goalkeeper,” Rovde said. “In 2015 he was the best goalkeeper in the league and now I saw him this year and he's still the best goalkeeper in the draft and he wasn't here – I was very happy he wasn't here because if he had been healthy he would have been a top ten pick, so now we have the best outfield player and the best goalkeeper in the draft so we're very pleased.”
Ferrell lead his team to an ACC Championship in 2016, the first for Wake Forest in 27 years. The ACC is consistently one of the best conferences in NCAA soccer, but Ferrell’s Demon Deacon defense was historically good, allowing one of the lowest goals against averages in all of college soccer.
“He looks the part, he's steady, he's six-foot-four, big boy, fit and likes to work really hard,” Rovde said. “It's just a minor injury, he'll be back on his feet in two months and ready to go. I had him on the phone before the draft started today, like two hours ago and the boy is delighted about coming to Minnesota.”
Minnesota United’s third pick in the draft came a little later than projected after MNUFC exchanged its twenty-fifth pick for the twentieth pick in the second round of the MLS SuperDraft and $50k in 2018 General Allocation Money. With the forty-second pick, Minnesota United selected University of Delaware defender Thomas De Villardi.
“Without a doubt we've got people that are embarking on their pro careers and they have an attitude, ready to take on the challenges that we're going to have in the next couple of months, next couple of years and the staff, particularly Adrian, is over the moon with how the day went and obviously just in a really good place about how we felt about how the draft of the young kids went and then as a club we're just over the moon because to me this is just a great day for us as we start to build our relevance globally as a soccer club professionally,” Lagos said. “I think the community is going to love this number one pick, he is going to resonate so well, not only on the field because he is such a great player, but off the field he is a kid who's ready to be a great role model for this community.”
De Villardi had four goals and 16 assists in his three years with the Blue Hens, including nine assists in 2015 in 19 games – good for the twenty-first best in the NCAA. He is the sixth defensive signing of Minnesota United so far ahead of its inaugural season in Major League Soccer, joining MNUFC veterans Justin Davis and Kevin Venegas.
“I think we got the best player in the draft, certainly the one with the most upside, got the best goalkeeper in the draft, and we've taken somebody that we were worried was going to get taken before because it's someone Amos has seen and likes a lot so it's we're really pleased with what we've done today,” said Minnesota United Head Coach Adrian Heath. “It's another step towards Jan. 23 when we start preseason, but you know, I'm delighted we resisted all of the temptations and offers we received to keep the kid and hopefully he can come in and be what we think he can.”
Minnesota United’s season officially kicks off on March 3 in Portland, but the Loons will be traveling around the country this preseason, with players checking in at the training grounds in Blaine this January. Now is a great time to join MNUFC in Major League Soccer. Season tickets and your place in the Itasca Society are available now at MNUFC.COM. Find your seat today and be part of a historic inaugural season in MLS. Single match tickets will be available on Feb. 9.
