Whitecaps take Akron forward David Egbo ninth overall in MLS SuperDraft

Jan 21, 2021 | 12:33 PM

The Vancouver Whitecaps opted for offence in Thursday’s MLS SuperDraft, taking Akron forward David Egbo with the ninth overall pick.

The 22-year-old senior from Enugu, Nigeria, scored 21 goals and added 13 assists in three seasons with the Zips. In 2019, the six-foot-one 185-pounder led Akron in goals (7), assists (4), points (18), shots (49), while ranking second in shots on goal (19) en route to earning first-team all-Mid-American Conference honours.

Expansion Austin FC took Virginia Tech midfielder Daniel Pereira first overall.

The 20-year-old sophomore started all 26 games he played in for the Hokies with six goals and six assists. A native of Venezuela, Pereira was a teenager when his family came to the U.S. seeking asylum.

Pereira was one of five players signed to Generation Adidas contracts, which don’t count against the league’s salary cap. All five went in the top seven of the draft.

Toronto was slated to go 18th in the first round. CF Montreal, formerly known as the Montreal Impact, previously traded its first-round pick to Austin for Canadian defender Kamal Miller.

There were 12 Canadians among the 170-plus players available in the draft, which was reduced to three rounds from four this year.

Wake Forest and Clemson dominated picks No. 2 through 4.

FC Cincinnati used the second overall pick on Wake Forest forward Calvin Harris, another Generation Adidas player and the son of former Sheffield United player Terry Harris. The 20-year-old from England, who grew up in Hong Kong and New Zealand, had 16 goals and six assists as a sophomore in 2019, his last season.

Colorado traded up to get the third pick from Houston, using it to select Clemson midfielder Phil Mayaka. The 21-year-old, another GA player, was ACC Freshman of the Year and a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy in 2019.

Mayaka emigrated from Kenya to the U.S. as a teenager.

The pick cost Colorado $200,000 in general allocation money, with Houston possibly receiving another $50,000 of 2022 GAM as part of the deal.

C.C. United took Clemson forward Kimarni Smith with the fourth pick and then acquired the fifth overall selection from Atlanta, using it to select Wake Forest defender Michael DeShields.

D.C. also got the 32nd overall pick in the deal that sent Atlanta $125,000 in general allocation money and the 31st selection.

Houston took Washington centre back Ethan Bartlow with the sixth pick. Virginia midfielder Bret Halsey went seventh to Real Salt Lake. Both are Generation Adidas players.

Orlando City used the No. 8 selection on Georgetown’ forward Derek Dodson. The pick was acquired from Portland in exchange for $100,000 in general allocation money — $75,000 in 2021 and $25,000 in 2022.

Earlier Thursday, the Whitecaps flipped second-round draft picks with Nashville SC, acquiring a 2021 international roster slot in the process. Vancouver gave up the 36th overall pick, receiving the 46th overall selection.

The deal also involved an exchange of general allocation money. Vancouver sent $175,000 to Nashville with a promise of up to $75,000 in return based on “performance benchmarks” of the player selected by Nashville.

In other moves, Houston acquired former U.S. youth midfielder Derrick Jones from Nashville SC for $100,000 in general allocation money and $150,000 in 2022 GAM.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 21, 2021

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press