As LAFC approaches their inaugural season and participates in the 2017 MLS Expansion Draft, it’s hard to believe Atlanta United was in their shoes just a year ago. In the spirit of expansion and roster composition, let’s take a look back at last season’s Expansion Draft which involved both Atlanta and Minnesota who entered the league simultaneously. While this year LAFC will make five consecutive selections, Atlanta and Minnesota were required to alternate their picks with Atlanta kicking it off.
2016 MLS Expansion Draft Results
Atlanta United
- Round 1: Donny Toia, Defender (Montreal Impact)
- Round 2: Zach Loyd, Defender (FC Dallas)
- Round 3: Clint Irwin, Goalkeeper (Toronto FC)
- Round 4: Mikey Ambrose, Defender (Orlando City SC)
- Round 5: Alec Kann, Goalkeeper (Sporting KC)
Minnesota United
- Round 1: Chris Duvall, Defender (New York Red Bulls)
- Round 2: Collen Warner, Midfielder (Houston Dynamo)
- Round 3: Mohammed Saeid, Midfielder (Columbus Crew)
- Round 4: Jeff Attinella, Goalkeeper (Real Salt Lake)
- Round 5: Femi Hollinger-Janzen, Forward (New England Revolution)
These were the clubs’ ultimate selections in the 2016 Expansion Draft, however the day’s player movement didn’t halt at the ten picks above and fans shouldn’t expect it to stop this year either after LAFC makes their decisions. Immediately following the Expansion Draft, the full MLS offseason trade window commences. This allows all 23 teams to participate in player transactions, hence not all the draft selections from last year ended up officially joining the team’s roster by day’s end.
LAFC’s 2017 MLS Expansion Draft will begin at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Dec. 12th where they will make five consecutive selections from the league’s official list of unprotected players in order to build out their inaugural season roster. The club may only select a maximum of one player from a club. For more details on this year’s Expansion Draft, click here.
WATCH HERE: The 2017 MLS Expansion Draft LIVE (Dec. 12, 2 p.m. ET)
