FanSided MLS
ยท18 Desember 2024
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ยท18 Desember 2024
With the 2024 MLS season wrapped up two weeks ago. Now, the first major event for the next season is already upon us. The 2025 MLS SuperDraft is Friday, December 20th at 2:00 p.m. (ET).
Some of the top talent from the collegiate ranks are hoping to take that next step in the professional soccer careers from the NCAA to Major League Soccer.
While it's hard to imagine a team like the Los Angeles Galaxy, who just won their sixth MLS Cup, having many needs to fill in the SuperDraft, there are a few positions worth looking at. With an aging defense and a hurt star midfielder, Will Kuntz and Greg Vanney would be wise to use the college prospects to further strengthen their roster ahead of free agency.
An expected focus on defense and perhaps midfield, here are five selections that the LA Galaxy should take on Friday.
Used sparingly in 2022, the native of Ballwin, Missouri really became a staple in the backfield for the Hoosiers. Miller started 17 of the 19 games he played in 2023. He also started all 20 games he appeared in this past season.
In 2024, Miller racked up four assists. In addition, he scored one goal. During his senior season, the 6'2'' defender played in 1,800 minutes, nearly matching his combined total from 2022 and 2023.
This right center back could pair nicely with Carlos Garces. It also gives the Los Angeles Galaxy another young defender should they move him elsewhere on the defensive line.
Maya Yoshida and Miki Yamane are both over 35 years old. Mauricio Cuevas, John Nelson and Jalen Neal are all under 30.
Current LA Galaxy defender Eriq Zavaleta is also a former Indiana Hoosier. As is former Galaxy-great Pat Noonan. Thus, Miller is sound selection in the MLS SuperDraft.
Hailing from Plano, Texas, this 6-foot-tall athlete is a left-center back. Ramsey is a viable candidate to take over for or back up Yoshida.
The Los Angeles Galaxy did make the captain available, among 10 other players, in the recent Expansion Draft. San Diego FC did not select Yoshida or anyone else from the Championship roster.
Ramsey is a former member of the US National U17 squad. He was also a part of the Fighting Irish's 12 clean sheets in 2023.
With that kind of resume, Ramsey could be another defensive star to shine for the Galaxy. He would add to an infusion of youth alongside Neal and Garces.
Before playing collegiate soccer for the Beavers, Newman played for the Murieta Soccer Academy. He was the leading scorer back-to-back years there.
In 2023, Newman only tallied two assists during the season. He did not become a primary player on the field until the late October game at San Diego State.
Newman started just half of the 18 games he appeared in that season. He played 47 minutes of 1,000 but his sophomore campaign was more productive.
In 2024, Newman racked up six assists in as many games as he played the year before. The only difference is he started all 18 this past season.
The right-back option was only issued three yellow cards during his two years for Oregon State. The Los Angeles would love to add another disciplined defender like Newman.
Another collegiate soccer player from the Pacific Northwest would serve as a wonderful new addition to a rather bright roster in Los Angeles. The Galaxy would benefit highly with this particular selection.
This athlete is a box-to-box midfielder and could help fill the void of Puig missing the 2025 MLS season. The ACL injury that he sustained during the 2024 MLS Western Conference Finals also kept the Spanish midfielder out of the LA Galaxy's tenth MLS Cup Finals appearance.
Fernandez will turn 23 before he would take the field and make his MLS debut if selected. Despite only having four goals and four assists in his 2024 season, he had three goals and three assists in his final five games for the Pilots.
Those kinds of offensive streaks we have seen from current-Galaxy stars like Puig, Dejan Jovelic and Gabriel Pec. Fernandez would fit in nicely for the six-time MLS Champions.
As a junior in 2024, he played and started all 19 matches while being named to the All-Big Ten Second Team. Griffth went on a tear at one point as he had a four-game scoring streak, the longest for Maryland since Ben Bender went five-straight games scoring in 2021.
Griffth had six goals in 2024. At 5'10'' and just 160 pounds, he may be a bit undersized. However, the product from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania is quick and has short his versatility while in the college ranks.
He would not be the first member of the Terrapins to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Former defender Robbie Rogers also played in Carson, California. He was a member of two championship squads (2008, Columbus Crew & 2014, LA Galaxy).