IRVING, Texas – The American Athletic Conference saw six men's soccer players selected during the 2023 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas on Wednesday. The six selected players is the most since 2017.
FIU's Stephen Afrifa was the 8
th overall pick by Sporting KC, making him the 5
th highest selected American Athletic Conference player. UCF's Gino Vivi will go across the country as the LA Galaxy selected with him with 23
rd overall pick. Charlotte's Sean Suber and Tulsa's Alex Meinhard will both be heading to Nashville as Nashville SC selected them in the second round with the 35
th and 49
th overall picks, respectively. South Florida's Salvatore Mazzafero was selected in the third round with the 72
nd pick by Austin FC, while Charlotte's Kameron Lacey was picked by FC Dallas ten picks later with the 82nd pick.
Dating back to 2014, 51 players representing The American have been drafted into MLS (19 first-round picks). There have been multiple conference players selected in each MLS SuperDraft since The American was reconstituted, with a record eight players chosen in the 2015 SuperDraft.
Afrifa was a unanimous first team all-conference selection for FIU, helping the Panthers to a conference title in their first year in The American. Vivi was a three-time all-conference selection, tallying 19 goals and 23 assists in his four seasons with UCF.
Suber was a second team all-conference selection in Charlotte's first year in the league, recording career-high's in goals (4), assists (2) and points (10). Meinhard was the 2021 American Offensive Player of the Year and has scored 29 goals in three seasons at Tulsa.
Mazzafero was a second team all-conference selection in 2022 and has started 59 games for the Bulls over his career. Lacey helped lead the nation's top offense as the first team all-conference selection scored nine goals and had seven assists in 2022.
MLS SuperDraft 2023 presented by adidas
American Athletic Conference Selections
First Round
8. Stephen Afrifa, FIU (Sporting KC)
23. Gino Vivi, UCF (LA Galaxy)
Second Round
35. Sean Suber, Charlotte (Nashville SC)
49. Alex Meinhard, Tulsa (Nashville SC)
Third Round
72. Salvatore Mazzaferro, South Florida (Austin FC)
82. Kameron Lacey, Charlotte (FC Dallas)