The 2016 MLS SuperDraft is almost upon us and you may have some questions about one of MLS' primary player acquisition mechanisms.
We are here to answer those questions.
Below are the answers to all of your burning questions about the SuperDraft.
When is the 2016 SuperDraft?
The 2016 MLS SuperDraft is on Thursday, January 14 at 1 pm ET. The draft will take place at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.
Who is available in the 2016 SuperDraft?
The majority of draft prospects are NCAA college seniors who have exhausted their college eligibility. Generation adidas players and non-collegiate international players are also eligible for selection in the SuperDraft. Clubs may nominate players for the League’s Draft-Eligible List, and only players from that list may be selected.
Many of the players that will be selected are currently participating in the adidas MLS Player Combine.
RELATED: 2016 MLSsoccer.com Almanac: From Combine to Cup, all the dates you need to know
How can I follow the 2016 SuperDraft?
There will be a livestream of the SuperDraft on MLSsoccer.com starting at 1 pm ET along with a draft tracker, where you can see all the draft picks as they are announced.
What is the format of the 2016 SuperDraft?
There are four rounds in the SuperDraft with each team entitled to one pick per round. The first pick went to the Chicago Fire, as they finished 2015 with the fewest amount of points. The first eight picks in each round were determined by each team's finish in the Supporters' Shield standings. The remaining positions were ranked by fewest regular season points among the teams that were eliminated in the same round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Many of the selections have already changed hands via trades and you can check out the updated order here.
What happens to the players after the draft?
Most picks will enter training camp with the clubs that drafted them but only about half of them will make an MLS roster.
A player who was drafted by a particular team through the SuperDraft and did not sign, is placed on that team’s “College Protected List” until December 31st of the year after the draft, after which the team loses the rights to the player.
