Orlando City
MLS Draft 2015: Orlando City Selects Conor Donovan with No. 22 Pick
Orlando City SC continued its strong inaugural MLS SuperDraft by taking North Carolina defender Conor Donovan, a standout Generation Adidas prospect at center back.
He’s the second youngest player in the draft pool, coming out of college after his freshman season. He is currently playing for the U-20 USMNT in Jamaica in the CONCACAF Championships, where he is teammates with Lions right back Tyler Turner.
Donovan made 15 appearances for North Carolina State in his freshman season, scoring one goal and adding an assist. A Fuquay-Varina, NC, native, the 6-foot-2, 176-pound Donovan trained with both the U.S. U-18 and U-20 youth national teams, scoring three international goals in more than 30 caps.
Orlando City Selects Cyle Larin No. 1 Overall
Orlando City has decided not to trade down from the top spot in the MLS SuperDraft and instead used the number one overall pick to select UConn forward Cyle Larin.
He is no stranger to Florida, having attended the U-17 USMNT Residency Program in Bradenton.
The Lions will be able to bring Donovan along slowly, develop his game, and get him to bulk up a little. As a center back, he fills an area of need, even though he probably won’t be able to contribute immediately. You can never have enough good center backs, so this was a solid selection.