Three-time state cup champion Josh Jones and former US Youth Soccer national champion Zach Barrett lead the list of players with local ties who are on the eligibility list for Tuesday’s MLS SuperDraft.
Jones, a Louisville junior from Hatfield, is a potential first round prospect in the annual draft. He won a state cup with Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals in 2016, 2017 and 2019 and a Class 4A high school state championship at North Penn in 2019.
Other local players eligible for the draft include Philadelphia natives Obafami Awodesu, Aboubacar Camara and Andrew Johnson, Bucks County natives Cole Sotack and Antek Sienkiel, Tyger Evans and Ian Graham from Central PA, Narberth native Jason Aoyama and Phoenixville native Zach Barrett, who won the US Youth Soccer McGuire Cup (U-19 national championship) with Lehigh Valley United in 2019. Former Nether United player Larsen Hackworth, who plays for St. Louis City SC, is also on the list.
Several other players who have played college soccer locally or spent time in the Philadelphia Union Academy are on the list of players eligible. The Philadelphia Union doesn’t have a selection until the second round (No. 53). They traded their first round pick to Inter Miami in a deal that brought veteran defender Damion Lowe to the team last winter.
The Union also has the 82nd pick. There are 390 players eligible this year for the three-round draft that will total 87 picks. The draft pool was expanded this year to include sophomores and juniors. Previously only players with Generation Adidas contracts could enter the draft prior to their senior season. Drafted players retaining college eligibility can opt to return to school for further development but will forfeit future draft eligibility.
The SuperDraft will be broadcast live beginning at 3 p.m. on Tuesday free on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
| Player | Hometown | Youth Club/s | ODP | College | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Aoyama | Narberth, Pa. | Lower Merion SC, FC Delco, Union Academy | ODP | Naval Academy | Sr. |
| Obafemi Awodesu | Philadelphia, Pa. | Germantown SC, FC Delco, Union Academy | Penn State | Sr. | |
| Zach Barrett | Phoenisville, Pa. | Lehigh Valley United | Vermont | Sr. | |
| Aboubacar Camara | Philadelphia, Pa. | Union Academy | Kentucky | Sr. | |
| Tyger Evans | Harrisburg, Pa. | Union Academy | n/a | ||
| Larsen Hackworth | Bradenton, Fla. | Nether United | |||
| Ian Graham | Columbia, Pa. | Penn Legacy, Union Academy | ODP | James Madison | Sr. |
| Andrew Johnson | Philadelphia, Pa. | Lower Merion SC, FC Delco, Union Academy | Cornell | So. | |
| Josh Jones | Hatboro, Pa. | Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals | Louisville | Jr. | |
| Antek Sienkiel | Newtown, Pa. | German American Kickers, PDA, Union Academy | St. John’s | Sr. | |
| Marco Silva | Coopersburg, Pa. | Lehigh Valley United, Union Academy | Marshall | So. | |
| Cole Sotack | Doylestown, Pa. | FC Delco, Union Academy | Rutgers | Sr. |