Jack Harrison is the first No. 1 overall draft pick in Wake Foret men's soccer history.
BALTIMORE -- Wake Forest's Jack Harrison was selected No. 1 overall by the Chicago Fire in the MLS SuperDraft on Thursday. Following the Fire's pick, the organization later traded Harrison to New York City FC.
With Harrison being selected No. 1 overall, it marks the first time in men's soccer program history Wake Forest has had a player drafted No. 1 overall. Prior to Harrison's top-overall selection, Wake Forest's highest draft pick was Sam Cronin in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, when he was picked second overall by Toronto FC. Harrison is also the second No. 1 selection in Wake Forest University athletics history. He joins Tim Duncan as the only two players taken with the top-overall pick, as Duncan was taken No. 1 by the San Antonio Spurs in the 1997 NBA Draft.
"This has been a great day to cap off a great year for Wake Forest soccer," said head coach Bobby Muuss about the two players getting drafted. "I think it's a testament to not only these two young men, but to the team's accomplishments this year. We're excited to see what next season brings for the program, but this has definitely been one for the ages."
Harrison is also the ninth player out of Wake Forest to be selected in the top 10. Other top-10 draft picks out of Wake Forest are listed below. Overall, the Demon Deacons have now had 12 players picked in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft since Wake Forest's initial first-round pick when Michael Parkhurst was drafted ninth overall by the New England Revolution in the 2005 SuperDraft.
NYCFC tried to put a homegrown player claim on Harrison prior to the SuperDraft, but the claim was rejected by MLS.
"What an incredible year for the young man with all of the accolades and his great season," Muuss said of Harrison. "From being the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year and an All-American to now being the first-ever Wake Forest players taken No. 1 overall in the draft, it's a statement because of how much tradition we've had and we wish him the very best of luck moving forward."
Below is a summary of the first two rounds of the MLS Draft. The third and fourth rounds will be completed on Jan. 19 via conference call.
| Pick | Team | Player | Pos | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago Fire (traded to NYCFC) | Jack Harrison | M | Wake Forest |
| 2 | Philadelphia Union | Joshua Yaro | D | Georgetown |
| 3 | Philadelphia Union | Keegan Rosenberry | D | Georgetown |
| 4 | Chicago Fire | Brandon Vincent | D | Stanford |
| 5 | Real Salt Lake | Omar Holness | F | North Carolina |
| 6 | Philadelphia Union | Fabian Herbers | M | Creighton |
| 7 | Orlando City SC | Richmond Laryea | M | Akron |
| 8 | San Jose Earthquakes | Andrew Tarbell | G | Clemson |
| 9 | Toronto FC | Tsubasa Endoh | M | Maryland |
| 10 | New England Revolution | Jordan McCrary | D | North Carolina |
| 11 | D.C. United | Julian Buescher | D | Syracuse |
| 12 | Chicago Fire | Jonathan Campbell | D | North Carolina |
| 13 | Orlando City SC | Hadji Barry | F | Central Florida |
| 14 | Montreal Impact | Kyle Fisher | D | Clemson |
| 15 | Colorado Rapids | Emmanuel Appiah | M | Cincinnati |
| 16 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Cole Seiler | D | Georgetown |
| 17 | FC Dallas | Ryan Herman | G | Washington |
| 18 | New York Red Bulls | Justin Bilyeu | D | SIU-Edwardsville |
| 19 | Columbus Crew SC | Rodrigo Saravia | M | FGCU |
| 20 | Portland Timbers FC | Ben Polk | F | Syracuse |
| Round 2 | ||||
| Pick | Team | Player | Pos | College |
| 21 | Columbus Crew SC | Chase Minter | M | Cal Poly |
| 22 | Chicago Fire | Alex Morrell | F | North Florida |
| 23 | Philadelphia Union | Taylor Washington | D | George Mason |
| 24 | Montreal Impact | Michael Salazar | F | UC Riverside |
| 25 | Real Salt Lake | Max Lachowecki | D | Notre Dame |
| 26 | Houston Dynamo | Ivan Magalhaes | D | Maryland |
| 27 | Seattle Sounders FC | Tony Alfaro | D | Cal State Dominguez Hills |
| 28 | San Jose Earthquakes | Patrick Hodan | M | Notre Dame |
| 29 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Christopher Hellmann | F | Lynn |
| 30 | New England Revolution | Michael Gamble | F | Wake Forest |
| 31 | Columbus Crew SC | Kyle Parker | F | Charlotte |
| 32 | D.C. United | Paul Clowes | M | Clemson |
| 33 | FC Dallas | Timo Pitter | M | Creighton |
| 34 | Montreal Impact | Eric Verso | M | Stanford |
| 35 | Seattle Sounders FC | Zach Mathers | M | Duke |
| 36 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Thomas Sanner | F | Princeton |
| 37 | Colorado Rapids | Dennis Castillo | D | VCU |
| 38 | New York Red Bulls | Zach Carroll | D | Michigan State |
| 39 | Montreal Impact | Keegan Smith | F | San Diego |
| 40 | Portland Timbers FC | Neco Brett | M | Robert Morris |
| 41 | Columbus Crew SC | Marshall Hollingsworth | F | Wheaton (Ill.) |
