2004 MLS SuperDraft

2004 MLS SuperDraft
General information
SportSoccer
Date(s)January 16, 2004
Time10:00 am (EST)
LocationCharlotte, North Carolina
Network(s)Fox Sports World
Overview
60 total selections
First selectionFreddy Adu, D.C. United
Most selectionsChicago Fire
(10 selections)
Fewest selectionsD.C. United
New England Revolution
(4 selections)
← 2003
2005 →

The 2004 MLS SuperDraft, held in Charlotte, North Carolina on January 16, 2004, was the fifth incarnation of the annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The draft was most notable at the time for the selection of one of the youngest athletes in American sporting history, Freddy Adu, with the first pick by D.C. United after a trade from the Dallas Burn. The trade was initiated by the league after Adu had signed in November 2003 with the intent of playing for D.C., his local team.[1][2]

The draft also included Clint Dempsey (1st round), who later won MLS Rookie of the Year,[3] and teenager Michael Bradley (4th round), the son of MetroStars coach Bob Bradley.[4] Both players went on to earn over 120 caps with the U.S. national team and play overseas for European teams before returning to MLS.

  1. ^ Bell, Jack (November 18, 2003). "14-Year-Old Signs Contract With Major League Soccer". The New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  2. ^ DeSimone, Bonnie (May 30, 2004). "When you're Freddy Adu, everything is larger than life". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  3. ^ "Clint Dempsey, once overlooked, got his start with the Revolution". ProSoccerUSA. Orlando Sentinel. August 31, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  4. ^ Bell, Jack (April 14, 2004). "Father-and-Son Quality Time Comes to the MetroStars". The New York Times. p. D3. Retrieved January 16, 2024.