Major League Soccer on Friday announced the Generation adidas class that will be available for selection in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft on Jan. 19 in Philadelphia. The league also announced that it has signed three college seniors ahead of the SuperDraft.
The six players that make up the 2018 Generation adidas class are below. Generation adidas is a joint program between MLS and adidas in which a handful of the top collegiate underclassmen and select youth national team players are signed to MLS contracts and made available in the SuperDraft. Generation adidas players do not count against an MLS team’s salary budget.
Whitecaps FC hold the 17th overall pick in the first round of this year's SuperDraft.
- Mo Adams, Midfielder, Syracuse – The Englishman captained Syracuse in his sophomore season in 2017, earning All-ACC Second Team honors.
- Francis Atuahene, Forward, Michigan – The Ghanaian recorded 24 goals and 11 assists in 49 career appearances in three seasons in Ann Arbor, earning All-Big Ten First Team honours in 2015 and 2016 and an All-Big Ten Second Team selection in 2017.
- Joao Moutinho, Defender, Akron – The product of Sporting Lisbon’s academy excelled in his only season in Akron, scoring three goals and notching five assists in 24 appearances to earn TopDrawerSoccer.com’s National Freshman of the Year award.
- Ema Twumasi, Forward, Wake Forest – Born in Ghana, Twumasi was a member of the Right to Dream program, through which he attended high school in Connecticut. He had a solid two years at Wake Forest, finishing his freshman year with four goals and six assists in 25 matches before recording 10 goals and seven helpers in 23 games to earn Second Team All-ACC honors in 2017.
- Mason Toye, Forward, Indiana – The Big Ten Freshman of the Year starred in his lone season at Indiana, recording 10 goals and two assists in 25 appearances for the Hoosiers.
- Gordon Wild (pictured), Forward, Maryland – The 2016 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year for his 17-goal season. Wild took a bit of a step back in 2017, but still had a productive year. The German recorded five goals and two assists in 19 matches for the Terps in 2017.
In addition to the six GA signings, the league announced that it has signed the following seniors:
- Jon Bakero, Forward, Wake Forest – The son of former Barcelona and Spain midfielder Jose Mari Bakero, the 6-foot-2 forward enjoyed a standout four-year career at Wake. He tallied 37 goals and 27 assists for the Deacs, including 16 strikes and 14 helpers in 23 games in 2017. He was named a MAC Hermann Award finalist and a First Team All-American his senior year.
- Tomas Hilliard-Arce, Defender, Stanford – A 2017 MAC Hermann Award finalist, First Team All-American, two-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and three-time NCAA champion, Hilliard-Arce had about as decorated a college career as possible at Stanford. The former Cardinal captain is a talented center back who should be a top-five pick in the SuperDraft.
- Chris Mueller, Midfielder, Wisconsin – One of the more technical players in college soccer, Mueller led the nation with 20 assists in 2017. The Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year picked up Second Team All-American honors and finished his Badgers career with 22 goals and 35 assists in 75 appearances, with nine goals and 20 helpers coming in 2017.
