With its first ever MLS SuperDraft selection and the 2017 draft’s No. 1 overall pick, Minnesota United surprised some when it chose the player with the highest ceiling by selecting UCLA’s Abu Danladi.
The 21-year-old attacker, who will likely start his MLS career on the wing, scored seven goals in 11 matches for the Bruins last season, but experts say his injury track record and best position are question marks, making him among the highest bust candidates of this draft class.
United passed on presumed top pick and seemingly safer selection Duke striker Jeremy Ebobisse, who eventually was taken at No. 4 overall to the Portland Timbers. You can see how the Loons came to the conclusion of passing on an out-and-out striker like Ebobisse, however, after the team secured two strikers earlier this preseason by resigning Christian Ramirez and selecting Femi Hollinger-Janzen in the expansion draft.
Ramirez, 25, has led United in goals for three consecutive seasons and 23-year-old Hollinger-Janzen is already seemingly locked in as the team’s top backup option at the position. This allows Danladi, who could eventually play through the middle, to hit the field earlier by potentially playing out on the wing, a position on the pitch with far less responsibility and nuance.
“Just huge potential, there were two or three kids that we thought were very good players, but we just feel that the upside on this kid, the sky’s the limit for him,” Minnesota United head coach Adrian Heath said in a release. “If we think he can do what he can do in the pro game and we think there is a lot of growth still in him as a player and as a person, then we could have a real special talent on our hands. I think the fact that nearly every club in MLS contacted us at some point too, talking about maybe wanting to trade for the pick tells us what everyone else thinks about him as well.”
The pick also may shed light on what type of system Heath will forge with United, at least early on. A lone-striker system via either a 4-3-3 or a 4-5-1 would now appear most likely. At his last post with Orlando City, Heath often left his No. 9s on their own.
The rest of the Loons’ brass also highlighted Danladi’s personality and acumen as a reason they felt the need to grab him right away.
“On the field we know this kid has got incredible potential and could be a superstar in the league, but he exploded in the interview off the field in terms of personality and what he brings to what I think is a special community,” Minnesota United Sporting Director Manny Lagos said in a release. “We’re a diverse community, I think Minnesotans are just going to be incredibly impressed by what type of person we’re drafting.”
Danladi played a large part in UCLA making a run to the 2014 NCAA National Championship and is a member of the 2017 Generation Adidas class, meaning his salary will not account against the team’s overall budget.
With their first pick in the second round, United added its first keeper to its MLS roster by selecting Wake Forest standout Alex Ferrell.
