With two teams entering MLS next season, the MLS expansion draft is coming up in a few days, December 13th to be exact. United FC 1 (Atlanta) and United FC 2 (Minnesota) will get to choose five players each from existing teams.

Current teams can protect 11 players and only lose a max of one. Full rules here.

SBNation is doing their mock draft and the results will be published soon. In order for the mock draft to be performed, we had to turn in the official The Blue Testament protected list. We did a post on this a while back but this list does vary a little bit.

Here is the list that we turned in and why:

Protected:

1. Benny Feilhaber – Benny has been the best SKC player over the last three years

2. Dom Dwyer – Can’t let a guy that scores 22, 12 and 16 goals over the last 3 go

3. Roger Espinoza – The engine in the mid

4. Jimmy Medranda (I) – great attacking option from the back for low $’s

5. Matt Besler – Off year but still a very good CB that any new team would want

6. Tim Melia – Solid keeper

7. Saad Abdul-Salaam – Six assists and low salary puts SAS on the list

8. Diego Rubio (I) – Would prob not be taken but must protect three internationals

9. Soni Mustivar (I) – The best d-mid on the roster and an international

10. Ike Opara – Stayed relatively healthy in 2016, too good to let go for free

11. Kevin Ellis – Out of contract but offer has been made, steps up to fill in when needed and not expensive for his versatility

Homegrown (Automatically protected):

Daniel Salloi

Erik Palmer-Brown

Jon Kempin (since his option was not picked up not sure of status)

Does not need to be protected (Contracts start after draft):

Tyler Pasher

Adrian Zendejas

Unprotected:

Alec Kann – good keeper but worth risking

Ever Alvarado (I) – will not be back

Nuno Andre Coelho (I) – Injuries, drop in play and $$ make him available

Chance Myers – Is in free agent status

Seth Sinovic – threatened to retire last time he was taken, might again

Emmanuel Appiah – not worth protecting yet

Brad Davis – will retire when contract officially done at end of year

Connor Hallisey – A change of scenery may be good for Connor

Benji Joya – Good pickup but not protected

Justin Mapp – Free agent or can enter the Re-Entry draft, in either case he is gone

Paulo Nagamura - Is in free agent status

Lawrence Olum – versatile but hopefully will not be taken

Cameron Porter – Would hate to lose but is a risk

Jacob Peterson - Is in free agent status

Graham Zusi – Big risk to expose the US DP level winger but has not been as productive lately and would be a large salary to unload

Disclaimer: This is not a prediction of what Peter Vermes will do, there are way too many unknown factors to do that. Vermes knows who is being signed and who is not and what deals have already been made.

We do not.

We will do another list before the draft with as much up-to-date info as possible.