Another piece in the roster build is set for 2020 MLS expansion sides Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC, as the league announced Thursday details for the 2019 MLS Expansion Draft on November 19.
Both clubs will each be able to select up to five players currently on MLS teams. All teams will now be able to protect 12 players after previously being allowed to place 11 on their protected lists.
A complete list of Expansion Draft-eligible players will be released November 16. After having players selected by FC Cincinnati in 2018, D.C. United, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, FC Dallas, the Houston Dynamo and the New York Red Bulls will be exempt from having anybody chosen this go-around. Eligible players from the league's other 18 teams, though, are fair game.
Expansion Priority Draft
The league has also announced procedures for the MLS Expansion Priority Draft, which will determine the order for the five available player-acquisition methods. After an opening coin toss to determine the first pick, teams will alternate through subsequent selections until all roster-building mechanisms have been chosen:
- No.1 pick in 2019 MLS Expansion Draft
- No.1 pick in 2020 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas
- No.1 position in Allocation Ranking Order
- Penultimate position in MLS Re-Entry and End-of-Year Waiver Order
- Penultimate position in Discovery Player Ranking
The order will be determined on MLSsoccer.com’s October 6 Matchday Central: Decision Day presented by AT&T Pregame Show.
The show, live from AT&T MLS Studios in midtown Manhattan at 3 pm ET, will see the participation of Miami managing owner & CEO Jorge Mas, Miami sporting director Paul McDonough, Nashville CEO Ian Ayre and Nashville general manager Mike Jacobs. The show will stream live on MLSsoccer.com, and through the MLS app, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
The last time an MLS Expansion Draft included two teams was in 2016, when Atlanta United and Minnesota United both prepared to enter the league.
The 2019 Expansion Draft will be the 13th held in the league's history.
