With match action at the 2019 adidas MLS Player Combine kicking off, Major League Soccer unveiled the crop of promising underclassmen who will be part of the draft class.
MLS announced the 2019 Generation adidas class on Friday morning, announcing seven players signed to contracts and eligible for the SuperDraft.
It's important to note that these Generation adidas players do not count towards their respective team's salary cap. This can give crucial wiggle room to bolster other parts of a roster while still adding a young prospect.
UCLA midfielder Frankie Amaya, Syracuse winger Tajon Buchanan, Indiana winger Griffin Dorsey, Virginia Commonwealth winger Siad Haji (pictured above), UNC defender John Nelson, Maryland goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair and Kentucky forward JJ Williams are the GA signings, confirming a report from Goal.com's Ives Galarcep. These players will be added to the initial list of players invited to the Combine, taking place in Orlando, Florida, pushing the total number of participants to over 70.
Generation adidas is a joint venture between MLS and adidas, designed to give select promising underclassmen and youth national team players a route to go professional. Players in the program are signed to MLS deals before the SuperDraft, do not count against MLS teams' salary budget and are provided additional incentives for their personal development outside the sport.
In addition, MLS announced that one senior draft prospect, University of Denver forward Andre Shinyashiki, has been signed to an MLS contract. They also announced the winner of the annual Caribbean Combine, Jamaican midfielder Peter-Lee Vassell, who has been invited to the MLS Combine.
The MLS SuperDraft will take place on Jan. 11 in Chicago.
