Orlando City Signs Draft Pick Yutaro Tsukada to MLS NEXT Pro Contract

Orlando City SC has announced the signing of 2024 MLS SuperDraft pick Yutaro Tsukada to a one-year MLS NEXT Pro contract ahead of Orlando City B’s third season in the league. The club selected Tukada, a wing player out of West Virginia, in the first round with the No. 25 overall pick on Dec. 19 at the end of last year. He will be part of the 2024 OCB roster, which is expected to be released later today. Tsukada will wear No. 34.

“Yutaro is someone that we’re really excited to have join Orlando City B this year as the coaching staff and scouting teams were following intensely throughout his college career,” Orlando City SC Vice President of Soccer Operations and Technical Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “He has the flair and speed that fit the model we’ve built here. After spending preseason with the first team and showing what he could do in preseason camp in Mexico, we believe that his skills can be even further developed with a year at OCB and put himself in a good position to take the next step with the first team, as both teams work side-by-side with the same philosophy.”

Tsukada, 22 (he’ll turn 23 in July) made 40 appearances, with 31 starts, and recorded 2,624 minutes in two seasons with West Virginia. He had 13 goals and 14 assists, but the majority of his production with the Mountaineers came in 2023, when he scored 12 goals and added nine assists. This past season, he helped West Virginia make the College Cup for the first time in program history, falling 1-0 to Clemson in the semifinal.

Prior to attending West Virginia, the Tokyo native played at Daytona State College, starting in 22 of his 24 appearances and scoring 26 goals with 11 assists. He had a 20-goal season in 2021, recording a total of 46 points. Before coming to the United States, the Japanese winger played at Seibo High School and spent time with FC Tokyo of the J. League.

The Tokyo, Japan native’s breakout 2023 season resulted in several individual honors. He was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-America third team, College Soccer News All-America second team, Top Drawer Soccer Best XI second team, and United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region first team. For his conference play, he was named to the All-Sun Belt first team and Sun Belt All-Tournament team.

While at Daytona State College, Tsukada was a 2021 NJCAA and United Soccer Coaches All-America First Team selection in 2021 and was named that year’s NJCAA Region 8 Player of the Year. He helped the Falcons achieve a 13-2-1 record in 2021, compiling his 20 goals in just 15 games.

A player with good upside, Tsukada can grow and develop with OCB and provide depth, if needed, for the senior club. Orlando City is well stocked with wing players, including Facundo Torres, Martin Ojeda, and Ivan Angulo, while others such as Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Ramiro Enrique, and even Luis Muriel can play the position.

What It Means for Orlando City

There wasn’t room on the first-team roster to stash Tsukada, so it’s understandable that OCSC didn’t sign him to an MLS contract. He’d likely be seeing time with OCB anyway, as the young attacker must develop his game in order to compete at in the top flight. However, there’s plenty of raw material for the Orlando coaching staff to work with.

Tsukada finished 15th in the country in 2023 with nine assists, while his six game-winning goals placed him third nationally. Still, finishing at the professional level is different than at the collegiate level, and he’ll need to develop that part of his game, although this highlight video shows that, when given time, he seems adept at picking out the corners with his shots.

There is room to grow into Orlando City’s squad, as Tsukada is right-footed, whereas the team’s top wing players have a dominant left foot. A good year with OCB will be vital for Tsukada to show he can deal with the physicality of the pro game and earn another contract with the club. He should be able to help the Young Lions score goals and win games while learning his trade, much like previous draft picks Jack Lynn and Shak Mohammed have done in recent seasons.

[Editor’s Note: Some statistical and background information for this story originally appeared in Sean Rollins’ draft day post following Orlando City selecting Tsukada.]