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San Diego FC’s roster build continues with selecting UC Santa Barbra midfielder Manu Duah first overall in the MLS SuperDraft. As an expansion team who will become the 30th team in the league, San Diego was awarded the first overall pick in the draft using it to bolster their growing midfield with the Generation Adidas product.
Duah will join Alex Mighten, Anibal Godoy and Jeppe Tverskov as the midfielders currently under contract for Mikey Varas’ team, but with the offseason underway and more picks to come in the draft, that will continue to grow before San Diego takes the pitch for the first time facing the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday, Feb. 23.
“First and foremost Manu fits the profile of the club,” Varas said. “He’s a high talent young player with amazing character and value. He’s a mix between a ball ball-playing midfielder and a number six who is able to help us implement our style of play in terms of taking initiative with the ball but he’s also got a tremendous growth mindset and a winning mentality.”
Last season Duah started 14 matches, also netting his first college assist. A Ghana native, he joins Christian Ramirez, Michael Boxtall and Emmanuel Boateng as UCSB players currently in Major League soccer. Also spending time in MLS Next for Santa Barbara Soccer Club, Duah helped them reach the MLS Next Cup playoffs in the U19 age group. Modeling his game after Sergio Busquets, Duah wants to help his teams control the tempo of the match and he could have a chance to face his idol depending on how the schedule shakes out in cup competitions or the playoffs.
It will be a step up for the 19-year-old coming to Major Leauge Soccer but this is where San Diego’s youth focused approach comes in. As part of the Right to Dream network, San Diego FC is all about helping young players who have the tools to succeed reach their potential and that’s where Duah is in a great place to thrive.
Varas notes that it is a step up from college to performing at the pro ranks but that he won’t, “limit anyone’s story.” San Diego’s philosophy is to look to win with young players and by giving them support and that’s just what will happen with Duah.
San Diego also have raised their spending power making a trade with Charlotte FC to send the ninth overall pick in the draft away for the 17th overall pick and $100 thousand in General Allocation Money. That 17th overall pick became yet another trade to move down in the draft. San Diego collected another $75 thousand in GAM and the 24th overall pick by swapping with New York City FC.
GAM has many uses such as buying down a player’s cap charge including buying a designated player below a certain threshold to open the slot for a new one. It can be used to buy down a transfer fee, sign homegrown players or be traded to other clubs. With San Diego’s needs in multiple areas of the pitch, these trades will be important moving forward.
First round picks
PickClubPlayerPositionSchool/Club1
San Diego
Manu Duah
Midfielder
University of California Santa Barbara (Generation adidas Class)
2
San Jose
Max Floriani
Defender
Saint Louis University
3
Chicago
Dean Boltz
Forward
University of Wisconsin (Generation adidas Class)
4
Colorado
(from SKC)
Alex Harris
Forward
Cornell University (Generation adidas Class)
5
San Jose
(from NE)
Reid Roberts
Defender
University of San Francisco
6
Colorado
(from NSH)
Matthew Senanou
Defender
Xavier University
7
St. Louis
Emil Jaaskalainen
Forward
University of Akron
8
Kansas City
(from COL; from PHI)
Jansen Miller
Defender
Indiana University
9
Charlotte
(from SD; from TOR)
Mikah Thomas
Defender
University of Connecticut
10
D.C. United
Hakim Karamoko
Forward
North Carolina State University
11
Dallas
Enzo Newman
Defender
Oregon State University
12
Colorado
(from ATX)
Efetobo Aror
Midfielder
University of Portland
13
Montréal
Michael Adedokun
Forward
Ohio State University
14
Portland
Ian Smith
Defender
University of Denver
15
Vancouver
Tate Johnson
Defender
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (Generation adidas Class)
16
Colorado
Sydney Wathuta
Forward
University of Vermont
17
New York City
(from SD; from CLT)
Max Murray
Defender
University of Vermont
18
New England
(from HOU)
Donovan Parisian
Goalkeeper
University of San Diego
19
Salt Lake
Jesus Barea
Forward
Missouri State University
20
LA
(from CIN)
Jason Bucknor
Defender
University of Michigan
21
Salt Lake
(from CLB)
Max Kerkvliet
Goalkeeper
University of Connecticut
22
LAFC
(from MIA)
Alec Hughes
Forward
University of Massachusetts
23
Toronto
(from D.C.;
Reid Fisher
Defender
San Diego State University
24
San Diego
(from NYC)
Ian Pilcher
Defender
University of North Carolina Charlotte
25
Minnesota
Roman Torres
Midfielder
Creighton University
26
*Colorado
(from VAN; from LAFC)
Joshua Copeland
Forward
University of Detroit Mercy
27
Orlando
Joran Gerbet
Midfielder
Clemson University
28
Seattle
Ryan Baer
Midfielder
West Virginia University
29
RSL
Lineker Rodrigues Dos Santos
Forward
Marshall University
30
RSL
(from LA)
Sergi Solans
Forward
Oregon State University
