The San Jose Earthquakes have had success in recent years at the MLS SuperDraft, adding important pieces to the roster including midfielders Fatai Alashe (2015) and Jackson Yueill (2017), and goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell (2016). All three of the players were selected top-eight in their respective years, so the Quakes will have a new challenge when they choose at No. 12 later this month – assuming they do not trade up, down or out.
A quick examination of recent No. 12 picks shows that talent is certainly available in that position. Here are a few examples.
Jonathan Campbell
Defender
Jonathan Campbell
taken by Chicago in 2016 out of North Carolina quickly developed into an important First Team player for the Fire. He made 30 starts in 33 appearances for the club during his record-setting rookie season and appeared in another 24 matches in 2017.
Saad Abdul-Salaam
The year before Campbell’s draft, Sporting Kansas City selected Akron defender
Saad Abdul-Salaam
. Abdul-Salaam appeared in 64 games (46 starts) over his first three MLS seasons, tallying eight total assists, including six in 2016. He was recently traded to NYCFC for former No. 2 pick Khiry Shelton.
Marlon Hairston
In 2014, the Colorado Rapids selected midfielder Marlon Hairston out of Louisville. Despite four years of professional experience already under his belt, he is still just 23 years old. He has 80 appearances, 55 starts, seven goals and 11 assists to his credit.
