As FC Cincinnati moves to Major League Soccer (MLS), it would be nice to know how the team will draft current MLS players. Do they just appear in an FC Cincinnati uniform? No, although that would be cool to see. The MLS draft works in a different manner. The MLS holds an expansion draft when a new team is about to enter the league. At this rate, that will be every year. They just added LAFC this year, FC Cincinnati in 2019, and fellow USL team in Nashville for the 2020 season.

When a new team is introduced to Major League Soccer, a draft is held for the team to pick up new players. Prior to the draft, they release a list of eligible players. There are five rounds and each team can pick up to five players from the eligible pool and can only claim one player from any club. They allow teams three minutes per selection and no timeouts or trades during the draft.

In making up a roster, a general manager needs to pick players from around the league and not just draft from one team. This doesn’t include some of the guys who are on the team currently. As many as four or five players from FC Cincinnati could jump to the MLS with the team. The players that could potentially stay with FC Cincinnati include Corbin Bone, Emmanuel Ledesma, Blake Smith and Danni Kónig. Players from overseas are eligible for the draft and could become apart of the FCC team.

What about the current FC Cincinnati players?

The way I look at it, the players that are here for a year or more should be rewarded for their efforts. Although, I know that this isn’t how professional sports work anymore. The players who FC Cincinnati doesn’t keep will most likely fade away from fans’ memories. The shaping of the roster will be interesting to see as FCC takes the jump to the MLS. How many of MLS players and FC Cincinnati players do they want to take? We will find out what happens in the coming months. Whatever happens, I know it will be in the best interest of the team. As a fan that gives me hope and I am excited for what is next to come.

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