The momentum continues for Major League Soccer’s 2020 expansion clubs Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC, as MLS today announced that the 2019 MLS Expansion Draft will take place on Nov. 19. In addition, the 2019 MLS Expansion Priority Draft on Oct. 6 will kick off an intense final day of the regular season during MLSsoccer.com’s “Matchday Central: Decision Day presented by AT&T Pregame Show.”
The Expansion Draft provides an opportunity for Miami and Nashville to strengthen their MLS rosters by selecting up to five current players from other MLS teams. Each current MLS team may protect up to 12 rostered players (previously 11 in years past) from inclusion on the eligible players list.
The complete list of players eligible for selection in the 2019 MLS Expansion Draft will be released on Saturday, Nov. 16.
Exempt clubs with players selected by FC Cincinnati in the 2018 Expansion Draft are D.C. United, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, FC Dallas, the Houston Dynamo and the New York Red Bulls.
Notable former Expansion Draft picks include a pair of LAFC’s 2017 selections: Latif Blessing and Tyler Miller. Blessing has six goals and five assists alongside Miller’s nine shutouts for the top-ranked club in league standings. FC Cincinnati selected Darren Mattocks and Roland Lamah in 2018, and both became regular contributors for the club this season.
As a prelude to the Expansion Draft, live from midtown Manhattan on Oct. 6 at 2 p.m. CT, Inter Miami CF Managing Owner & CEO Jorge Mas with Sporting Director Paul McDonough will be front and center alongside Nashville SC CEO Ian Ayre and General Manager Mike Jacobs for the 2019 MLS Expansion Priority Draft.
The event will lead into an exciting day of MLS coverage during the “Matchday Central: Decision Day presented by AT&T Pregame Show,” which will stream live on MLSsoccer.com, and through the MLS app, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
An opening coin toss for the Expansion Priority Draft will determine which club receives the first pick among the five available player-acquisition methods. Following the first pick, teams will alternate through subsequent selections until all roster-building mechanisms have been chosen.
MLS Expansion Priority Draft
- No.1 pick in 2019 MLS Expansion Draft
- No.1 pick in 2020 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas
- No.1 position in Allocation Ranking Order
- Penultimate position in MLS Re-Entry and End-of-Year Waiver Order
- Penultimate position in Discovery Player Ranking
