Syracuse, N.Y. — The Syracuse soccer program is losing one of its best players early to a pro career.

Defender Miles Robinson has agreed to a Generation adidas contract offer from Major League Soccer. Robinson will forego his final two years of college eligibility and enter the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, which will take place on Jan. 13 in Los Angeles.



"Miles has been terrific for us these past two years and he has played an integral role in leading our team to new heights," Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre said in a statement. "He is an outstanding, humble young man and a wonderful teammate. He has a very bright future ahead of him and we are all very excited for Miles as he embarks on the next stage of his career."



Robinson has been a two-year starter on defense for the Orange. He was honored as a first-team All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America after helping the Orange to 10 shutouts in 2016.

Robinson also recorded a career-high nine points on four goals and an assist this season. He was a semifinalist for the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy, which is the highest individual honor in collegiate soccer.

Robinson was voted the Atlantic Coast Conference defensive player of the year and was an All-ACC First Team selection. He was also named to the NSCAA All-South Region first team and the ECAC all-star team.

During his two seasons at Syracuse, Robinson started all 42 matches in which he played and helped the Orange to 19 shutouts. Robinson helped the Orange reach the College Cup for the first time in program history and claim the school's first ACC Championship in 2015.



Generation adidas is a joint program between MLS and adidas that is dedicated to developing exceptional domestic talent in the U.S. and Canada in a professional environment. Each year, a handful of top domestic collegiate underclassmen and youth national team players are signed by the league and placed in the SuperDraft. Generation adidas players do not count against an MLS team's salary budget.



Robinson is one of five players to agree to a Generation adidas deal this year, joining UCLA's Abu Danladi and Jackson Yueill as well as two players from Canada, Adonijah Reid (Canadian Youth National Team) and Shamit Shome (FC Edmonton).