The first twist of the MLS SuperDraft happened at the first pick after the Chicago Fire surprised everyone by not picking consensus #1 pice, defender Josh Yaro from Georgetown and instead picked Wake Forest midfielder Jack Harrison. After trading with the Colorado Rapids, the Philadelphia Union got the #2 pick, as well as #3 and #6 and took Yaro for their second pick.
Harrison came to the United States from Stoke and was at one point in the Manchester United youth system. After coming to the U.S., he went to Wake Forest where he played in one season and became NSCAA First-Team All-American as a freshman.
While this may seem to be a surprise to many, this was all a plan for New York City FC to get their man. At the fourth pick, NYCFC couldn’t guarantee they could get Harrison so they struck a deal with Chicago to trade the pick and allocation money for a “player to be named later.” Harrison was that player. So it turned out, Harrison was a Chicago Fire player for about 45 minutes.
Philadelphia, on the other hand, had to have been thrilled Yaro fell to them. Supposed to be the #1 pick, Yaro is a great center back who can immediately provide coverage for a spot where Philadelphia was at its weakest. Not to mention, Philadelphia also got Yaro’s defensive teammate Keegan Rosenberry so the familiarity will be there and Philadelphia certainly sees big things from these two right away.
32 Flags will have more updates on social media @32flags on Twitter and search “32 Flags” on Facebook as well as a wrap up on here after the draft concludes at approximately 4:00 PM ET.
(photo by Berkshire School)
