There are plenty of factors that are purely unique to Major League Soccer in the global game. Chief among them: The MLS SuperDraft.
Although the SuperDraft is no longer vital to a team’s success and has shifted to a purely remote venture, away from the traditional in-person events, it remains a key part of roster building for several MLS clubs.
While the league’s stars may no longer come through the process, several players have used the opportunity to reach the heights of the global game, including Canadian and American 2026 World Cup hopefuls Moïse Bombito, Dayne St. Clair, Miles Robinson and Walker Zimmerman.
The 2026 SuperDraft saw selections primarily from those two countries, and several have the potential to become legitimate contributors in MLS in 2026.
But which teams can lay claimto winning the day?
Here, Sports Illustrated ranks the top five clubs that got the most out of 2026’s SuperDraft process.
5. Vancouver Whitecaps FC
As much as Austin FC can be happy with their fee and pick sent to Vancouver, the Whitecaps came away from the draft quite pleased as well, making four picks in the three rounds.
With the 17th pick, they selected Zach Ramsey out of the Washington Huskies. Known for his tenacious box-to-box play, he has been heralded as an MLS-ready player and could be in line to step into the squad for next season. Meanwhile, they also selected forward Daniel Lugo out of High Point University with the No. 29 pick, before rounding out the draft with Seattle University forward Yeider Zuluaga at No. 39 and Washington attacker Conor Lofy.
Given their selections and business with Austin (more on that in a moment), Vancouver should be pleased with his day. Now, they’ll hope at least one selection finds success like their 15th overall pick, Tate Johnson in 2025, who played 29 matches on the backline.
4. Austin FC
Austin FC only had two picks in the SuperDraft after pulling off a win-win trade earlier in the day, spending $1.25 million in GAM and sending their No. 17 overall pick to the Vancouver Whitecaps for Canada international winger Jayden Nelson.
While the fee is hefty, it was clear that Austin saw a void in their roster and the opportunity to use the pick to convince Vancouver to surrender Nelson, who will play significant minutes next season.
SuperDraft day trades have become less common, but this was a good deal for Austin.
3. Colorado Rapids
End to end ↔️
— Colorado Rapids 2 (@Rapids_2) July 7, 2025
Adam Beaudry finds Antony García who plays a long ball to Mamadou Billo Diop for an easy finish.#COLvHOU pic.twitter.com/cvWO3La2Mt
The Colorado Rapids made eight selections in the SuperDraft, including several initially assigned to the Philadelphia Union.
Over a year ago, the Rapids acquired eight natural SuperDraft picks from the Union, including their first and third-round picks in the 2025 Draft, as well as first, second and third-round picks in this year’s edition and next season’s, in exchange for $350,000 in GAM.
The Rapids’ first pick at No. 8 overall was Mamadou Billo Diop, a center back who played with Rapids II in 2025 but became draft-eligible and was therefore up for grabs by any team. At No. 10, they added a pure front striker in Mitchell Baker out of Georgetown University, after he scored 14 goals for the Hoyas.
Their last first-round pick, Wahabu Musah, stood out as a winger with Clemson University in 2025, and the club’s final selections in the second and third rounds will also get opportunities to crack a roster with several voids.
2. D.C. United
It was a good week for D.C. United, which started with signing MLS Golden Boot contender Tai Baribo from the Philadelphia Union for $4 million, and was topped with securing several talented players in the SuperDraft.
With the top selection in each round and additional picks, the club secured five players, including top center back prospect Nikola Markovic at first overall and highly-touted forward Richie Aman at eighth overall, after executing a trade with the New England Revolution in exchange for $200,000 in GAM.
Both top 10 picks were also among those who had pre-signed Generation Adidas contracts.
Markovic has made 27 appearances with NC State University, scoring two goals and three assists, earning a spot on the 2024 ACC All-Freshman team and turning heads in his native Québec.
Meanwhile, Aman had eight goals and 23 assists in 81 appearances through his time with the 2025 national champion University of Washington, earning Big Ten Midfielder of the Year honors in 2025.
Both top picks could play instant roles in the first team next season, especially given their Generation Adidas contracts and how they work into the salary cap.
1. FC Dallas
This was the moment @FortMyersHS grad and @GSAthletics_MSO All-American Ricky Louis found out he was being taken 2nd overall by @FCDallas in the @MLS #SuperDraft.
— Zach Oliveri (@Zach_Oliveri) December 18, 2025
Hear what Louis had to say after being drafted. @winknews
Link: https://t.co/vLnjjPZNWm pic.twitter.com/O7zYAObT6O
FC Dallas can be incredibly happy with their additions in the MLS SuperDraft, and these players could be legitimate contributors in their first few weeks in MLS. Dallas selected six names, including three in the top 20 of the draft, and used the tool to address potential roster voids.
With the second and third overall selections, they picked up pre-signed Generation Adidas players, in winger Ricky Louis out of Georgia Southern and striker Nicholas Simmonds, both of whom were among the standouts in college soccer this season.
After scoring nine goals and three assists for Georgia Southern, Louis comes into a retooling Dallas side that could have options for him to make his mark out wide as a more attacking option for the front two of Petar Musa and Logan Farrington.
At the same time, the club bolstered its depth with Simmonds, who scored 10 goals and five assists with Virginia, earning him ACC Freshman of the Year Honors.
Outside of picking two of the best players in the draft, they also came away with goalkeeper Niklas Herceg out of the University of Vermont, who helped capture NCAA and USL League 2 titles in 2024 and 2025. He could potentially be the backup if the club moves on from Indonesia international Maarten Paes, given Michael Collodi’s late-season success.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Clubs Who Won 2026 MLS SuperDraft Day—Ranked.
