2026 MLS SuperDraft Recap: Gilman, Jasinski among local players selected

Despite the absence of the Philadelphia Union in Thursday’s MLS SuperDraft, a couple Union Academy alums and several other players with local ties were selected.

But unlike other American professional sports, drafting a player in the MLS SuperDraft does not come with an obligation, or even an expectation, of a contract.

Players drafted by a club through the SuperDraft with remaining college eligibility may return to college and will not be draft-eligible afterward. Their MLS rights are then held by the team they are drafted by until the end of the following year (December 31, 2027). Underclassmen who were on the draft-eligible list who go unselected may return to college.

Graduating seniors who are selected will join their clubs for preseason. They can be offered an MLS contract, an MLS Next Pro contract, or no contract at all. If no contract is offered, players will enter the MLS waiver process or pursue other professional opportunities in USL or overseas. This same process is followed by undrafted college seniors, who will enter the MLS waiver process.

The Philadelphia Union’s three picks in the draft were all traded to the Colorado Rapids in December 2024. The Rapids selected Clemson forward Wahabu Musah with the first round pick (No. 26), Washington defender Asher Hestad with the second round pick (No. 56) and Xavier defender Jabari De Coteau with the third round pick (No. 86).

Round 1, Pick 24: LAFC
Giuliano Fravolini Whitchurch – Sr. Defender, Princeton
Princeton climbed the rankings to #3 in the country this season, good for the highest ranking in program history. Fravolini Whitchurch was a crucial component of Princeton’s historic team, leading a rock-solid defense. He was awarded United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-American honors, First Team All-Ivy, and was invited to the 2025 MLS College Showcase for his efforts.

Last summer, the southern California native played for West Chester United’s USL 2 and NPSL side and scored the third goal in West Chester’s victory in the USASA National Amateur Cup Final. Fravolini Whitchurch will now get a chance to prove himself with LAFC, a defense that includes NCAA products Aaron Long, Nkosi Tafari, and Ryan Hollingshead.

Round 2, Pick 2: Inter Miami
Kenan Hot – Sr. Midfielder, Duke
A New Jersey native, Hot was an All-ACC first teamer in 2025 and played for the Ocean City Nor’easters during the 2024 playoffs.

Round 2, Pick 3: Real Salt Lake
Tre Wright – Jr. Defender, UCLA
Wright helped lead the Bruins to a Big Ten tournament championship and an NCAA appearance. He made 9 appearances in USL 2 over two seasons with the Ocean City Nor’easters.

Round 2, Pick 36: Toronto FC
Jackson Gilman – Sr. Defender, Pitt
A graduate of the Union academy, Gilman made appearances in MLS Next Pro for Union II before heading west to Pitt. Despite a rough Pitt season in 2025, Gilman was a four-year starter in Pittsburgh where he was the leader of the back line for his entire career. Used mostly as a center back, Gilman, who played in the NPSL with Philadelphia Union III and USL 2 with West Chester United, played in every position along the back four during his time in Pittsburgh, possessing the ability to pass the ball confidently with both feet. Gilman earned Third Team All- ACC honors in 2023 and 2024, and will now follow former teammate Michael Sullivan to Toronto.

Round 2, Pick 41: San Jose Earthquakes
Jack Jasinski – Sr. Defender, Princeton
Another graduate of the Union academy, Jasinski stood out for Union II in USL as a central midfielder and at forward before converting to a fullback at the NCAA level. A true swiss army knife, Jasinski’s versatility caught the eye of MLS clubs, earning him an invite to the MLS College Showcase. Alongside Fravolini Whitchurch, Jasinski helped drive Princeton to a
successful season, winning the Ivy League. He earned 2025 First Team All-Ivy and First Team All-Region honors as well as being named a United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American.

Jasinski and Fravolini Whitchurch were also teammates at West Chester United, and Jasinski also claimed a goal in the USASA National Amateur Cup Final. San Jose are a club who are thin defensively, giving Jasinski a path to MLS opportunity sooner rather than later should he impress in preseason and receive a contract.

Round 2, Pick 45: Portland Timbers
Colin Griffith – Sr. Forward, Maryland
Griffith, a native of Stroudsburg, PA, was selected in the second round by the Timbers despite missing the entire 2025 season due to injury. His impressive CV at Maryland explains why, especially his 2024 season in which he received Second Team All-Big Ten honors after scoring 6 goals in 19 matches. Griffith was on the radar of MLS teams after 2024, but suffered his season-ending injury at the 2024 MLS College Showcase. Portland has given Griffith a chance to
bounce back and earn an MLS roster spot.

Round 3, Pick 9: Houston Dynamo
Agustin Resch – Sr. Defender, Seton Hall
Resch was named the Ocean City Nor’easters 2024 MVP and had a standout senior season with Seton Hall, earning First-Team All-American honors and was a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy. 

Round 3, Pick 77: Austin FC
Patrick Cayelli – Sr. Midfielder, Penn
Cayelli entered his senior season at Penn with a total of 2 goals. In 2025, he turned a corner, scoring 9 goals while claiming 8 assists in only 8 games. In a season in which the Ivy League was dominated by Princeton, the inventive Cayelli led the league in both goals and assists.

Cayelli’s stellar season earned him Unanimous First Team All-Ivy honors, as well as being named to the United Soccer Coaches’ Second Team All-Northeast Region team. Cayelli, who spent the summer of 2024 playing locally for West Chester United, is a creative, roaming attacking midfielder who also has a finishing instinct, and Austin could use his talents should they decide to sign him.

The 2026 SuperDraft was full of surprises, including FC Dallas trading up to the No. 2 overall pick to select Georgia Southern’s Ricky Louis. There were a few shocking omissions from the draft as well. Grand Canyon University striker Junior Diouf spent time at The Phelps School in Malvern before transferring to St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, NJ. Diouf had an incredible freshman season at GCU, scoring 18 goals in 21 games, the second most in NCAA Division I. Diouf
collected various accolades for his season, including All-WAC First Team, All-WAC Tournament Team, and WAC Offensive Player of the Year, scoring the winning goal in the conference title game. Recently, Diouf was named a MAC Hermann Trophy Finalist and was named TopDrawerSoccer National Player of the Year, becoming the first freshman ever to receive the honor.

Despite expectations that Diouf would be selected early in the draft or even offered a Generation Adidas contract, his name was absent from the draft eligible players list provided by MLS. The Athletic reporter Tom Bogert since reported that Diouf has an offer on the table from Belgian club R.S.C Anderlecht, explaining his omission from the draft eligible list.

Other surprise omissions include former Union II goalkeeper Mitch Budler, who had a stellar senior season for Akron in which he was named Big East Goalkeeper of the Year for the second year running. Budler went undrafted. The University of Delaware duo of Rich Monath and Marius Stenner both went unselected as well after highly productive seasons in the Summit League. Both players can return to NCAA, as Monath just finished his junior season and Stenner is a sophomore.

Penn defender Oliver Pratt had a strong senior year and was named First Team All-Ivy unanimously alongside his teammate Cayelli. A hard-nosed fullback, Pratt was a captain of Penn’s team and was second in the Ivy League in game-winning goals (3). Despite being passed on, Pratt may find a professional opportunity elsewhere after his successful NCAA career.