Forty-two players were off the board following the first and second rounds of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. However, in the final two rounds that took place on Tuesday, Sounders FC managed to land three of the top seniors in collegiate soccer.
Seattle drafted a pair of forwards – North Carolina’s Andy Craven and West Virginia’s Andy Bevin – as well as one goalkeeper in Marquette’s Charlie Lyon. Craven had 15 goals and five assists in 2014, while Bevin tallied 13 goals and eight assists. Lyon, the 2014 Co-Big East Goalkeeper of the Year, holds the Marquette records for shutouts and goals-against average.
“We are very pleased with all three of today’s selections and can’t wait to see what they can do on the field,” Sounders FC General Manager and President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey said. “These players, in addition to the three we drafted last week, bring together what we feel is a very strong 2015 SuperDraft class. I look forward to evaluating how each of them fits into our plans ahead of the upcoming season, whether it’s with the First Team or S2.”
READ: Sounders FC Selects Three Players in Second Day of 2015 MLS SuperDraft
The players Seattle picked in the final two rounds of last year’s draft are no longer with the team, but the 2015 draftees shouldn’t be discouraged. Many late-round picks from the last decade have gone on to have successful MLS careers.
At the forward position, Chicago Fire’s Quincy Amarikwa and Real Salt Lake’s Joao Plata were the top scorers on their respective teams in 2014. Both of those strikers are former third-round picks. Veteran goalkeeper Tally Hall, a Seattle-area native, was a fourth-round pick of the LA Galaxy in 2007. He went on to start four straight seasons in goal for the Houston Dynamo, earning a pair of All-Star honors as the Dynamo won consecutive Eastern Conference titles.
Craven, Lyon, and Bevin will compete for playing time with players who helped the Sounders win the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and the Supporters’ Shield in 2014. Along with Seattle’s first- and second-round picks, they could also have an opportunity to play for the club’s new USL PRO team.
Craven, who played two seasons at the College of Charleston before transferring to UNC, signed a contract with MLS prior to the SuperDraft. His 15 goals last year were tied for the most in the nation, and the 5-11 striker was a finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy.
“Craven we felt was certainly the best player left on the board. He was our pick,” Sounders FC Head Coach Sigi Schmid said. “He’s got good pace, he can play up front, and he can also play wide. We are looking forward for him to come and see what he can do.”
Lyon was twice a first-team All-Big East selection for the Golden Eagles. He owns the 10th-longest shutout streak in NCAA Division I history, keeping opponents off the board for nearly nine straight matches in 2014.
“Our goalkeeping crew was light with Marcus Hahnemann’s retirement and Josh Ford getting plucked from the roster in the Expansion Draft,” Schmid added. “We had Lyon at our Vegas combine and he did really well, and we think he’s a guy who can help us down the line.”
Bevin, a New Zealand native, finished third in West Virginia’s history with 19 career assists and seventh with 31 career goals. He and Craven will join a talented group of young forwards that includes Darwin Jones, the newest Homegrown Player who starred at the University of Washington.
