Meet the Union's 1st Draft Pick

Philadelphia Union picks Mwanga No. 1 Overall

The Philadelphia Union have yet to play a game but they already have their first draft pick.

The Union selected Oregon State forward Danny Mwanga with the first overall selection in the Major League Soccer Super Draft on Thursday afternoon.

The Union will be the 16th franchise in the league beginning this season.

The team was busy this week making other moves as well.

On Wednesday, the Union sent their No. 1 allocation ranking to D.C. United, allowing D.C. to pick up Troy Perkins, the 2006 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.

In return, the Union got allocation money, D.C. United's seventh overall selection and Brazilian midfielder Fred. That’s right, the guy’s name is simply “Fred.”

The 6-foot-2 Mwanga scored 14 goals and had two assists in 18 games for Oregon State last season. The 18-year-old was the Pac-10 Player of the Year.

The rest of the Union's selections had a very Southern California feel as they picked three UCLA players.

The Union also selected UCLA midfielder Amobi Okugo (No. 6 overall) and 17-year-old club soccer forward Jack McInerney (No. 7)  in round one. They added UConn midfielder Toni Stahl (No. 17 overall) in the second round, UCLA midfielder Kyle Nakazawa (No. 33 overall) in the third round and UCLA goalkeeper Brian Perk (No. 49 overall) in the fourth round.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us