Under the lights, potential draftees and supporters gathered as Major League Soccer teams made their selections in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft.  After two rounds and 38 selections, Andrew Wenger, from Duke University, emerged as the No. 1 overall draft pick for the Montreal Impact, an expansion team in 2012.

Wenger was awarded the 2011 M.A.C. Hermann Trophy and finished his collegiate career with 17 goals and eight assists as a Blue Devil. He is the first trophy winner to be coached by former Hermann Trophy winner John Kerr, who won the award in 1986 while playing with Duke. Wenger saw success in both the back field and attack by earned in the 2010 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and 2011 ACC Offensive Player of the Year.

After two years of college, Akron forward Darren Mattocks was picked second overall by the Vancouver Whitecaps. Mattocks scored 39 goals in 47 matches as a Zip and was named to the 2012 Generation adidas class. His attacking talent in the final third is combined with speed making him an exciting player to watch at the next level.

Kelyn Rowe of the UCLA Bruins will make a move to the east coast as the New England Revolution selected him with third overall pick. Named to the Generation adidas team, the midfielder scored 13 goals and tallied 20 assists during his two seasons. He was named 2010 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and 2011 Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year. Rowe took part in the U.S. U-23 camp in December as an Olympic hopeful.

Generation adidas players receive educational grants to further their college education and do not count against an MLS team’s salary budget. Other Generation adidas players include Dom Dwyer, Sam Garza, Chandler Hoffman, Enzo Martinez and Tyler Polak.

Although no trades occurred on the floor, draftees and coaches a alike can certainly agree on a memorable 2012 MLS season. Below is the entire first round.

Click here for more information on the rest of the draft.

2012 MLS SuperDraft
1-Andrew Wenger (Duke) - Montreal Impact
2- Darren Mattocks (Akron) - Vancouver Whitecaps
3- Kelyn Rowe (UCLA) - New England Revolution
4- Louis Silva (UC Santa Barbara) - Toronto FC
5- Casey Townsend (Maryland) - Chivas USA
6- Sam Garza (UC Santa Barbara) - Real Salt Lake
7- Nick Deleon (Louisville) - D.C. United
8- Andrew Jean-Baptiste (Connecticut) - Portland Timbers
9 Austin Berry (Louisville) - Chicago Fire
10- Ethan Finlay (Creighton) - Columbus Crew
11- Matt Hedges (North Carolina) - FC Dallas
12- Aaron Maund (Notre Dame) - Toronto FC
13- Chandler Hoffman (UCLA) - Phildalephia Union
14- Tony Cascio (Connecticut) - Colorado Rapids
15- Andrew Duran (Creighton) - Portland Timbres
16- Dom Dwyer (South Florida) - Sporting KC
17- Enzo Martinez (North Carolina) - Real Salt Lake
18- Colin Rolfe (Louisville) - Houston Dynamo
19- Tommy Meyer (Indiana) - LA Galaxy

NSCAA members log in to comment. Not a member? Learn more today.