Orlando City selected Akron midfielder Richie Laryea in the MLS SuperDraft on Thursday.
Thrilled with our 7th pick from @ZipsMSoc! Welcome @RichieLaryea_! #LuckyNumber7 pic.twitter.com/gYOwaK8iPE
— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) January 14, 2016
Laryea is one of the youngest players in the MLS Draft, having just completed his sophomore season at Akron. He scored 11 goals and seven assists last year as Akron made the College Cup.
He landed a Generation adidas contract, meaning his salary will not count against Orlando City’s salary cap for his rookie year.
"I'm ready to work hard and show the fans a good time." –@RichieLaryea_ #LuckyNumber7 pic.twitter.com/fNJ8sDBjn4
— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) January 14, 2016
Laryea is continuing an interesting legacy getting established in MLS the last few years with young Canadian players making the MLS. Orlando City notably drafted Canadian standout Cyle Larin last year with the top overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft. Larin and Laryea came from the same soccer academy in Toronto and were teammates for a few years.
He will have to make up for his size and grow up a lot in the coming years. Orlando City certainly drafted him as a bit of a project to grow up with several more of their young players on the roster.
Laryea likely fills in behind Kaka and Carlos Rivas in the midfield. He is someone who can sit back a little bit, but likely will be used more moving forward and attacking.
There is going to have to be a lot of patience with him as he gets up to speed. But he can certainly score when given the opportunity.
The MLS broadcast for the SuperDraft was not particularly high on the pick. They certainly see him as a project and not someone who is going to contribute a ton this upcoming season.
Orlando City has always been good with building up young talent. There are still a lot of unproven players looking to make their name on the roster. Laryea adds to that group that is trying to grow together behind some of Orlando City’s more proven stars.
The Lions will still need to add some defensive depth and perhaps another veteran midfielder this offseason.
With its second pick, Orlando City traded their second round pick along with targeted allocation money to D.C. United and selected UCF’s Hadji Barry with the 13th overall pick.
With the 13th Pick overall, Orlando City Selects Hadji Barry in the #SuperDraft. #VamosOrlando pic.twitter.com/CV3fss9MS1
— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) January 14, 2016
Barry is one of the few seniors who was thought to be drafted high in this year’s SuperDraft. He was an All-American Conference first team selection last year at UCF. Despite having meager scoring stats, Barry is still considered a solid attacking midfielder prospect.
Again, Orlando City has bolstered its midfield with some young talent. The Lions will still need to add some veterans to supplement this group in order to compete for the Playoffs.
