Orlando City Adds Five Players In 2026 MLS SuperDraft

The Lions had five selections in today’s 2026 MLS SuperDraft, with four in the first round. Three of those four first-round picks were acquired via trade from the LA Galaxy (pick five), Houston Dynamo (pick nine), and Nashville SC (pick 20). The 14th pick was Orlando City’s natural selection.

The Lions selected forward Harvey Sarajian with the fifth overall pick, defender Nolan Miller at number nine, defender Jaylen Yearwood at number 14, and midfielder Issah Haruna at number 20. They finished the day by taking defender Mitch Ferguson in the third round. Orlando City also traded away a draft pick to St. Louis City.

Sarajian began his collegiate career at Georgia Southern in 2024. He played 17 games with 16 starts, recording 1,035 minutes. The attacker scored four goals and added six assists, earning Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and All-Southeast Region second team honors.

The Naples native transferred to Wake Forest for his sophomore season in 2025, playing 14 games with 12 starts and recording 739 minutes. He scored two goals and assisted one while putting six of his 19 shots on target. The forward entered the draft after his sophomore campaign and was taken fifth overall by the Lions.

Prior to college, Sarajian played at Naples High School, being named the 5A Player of the Year during his senior season. He was also named the Southwest Florida Player of the Year and a finalist for the Gatorade Player of the Year.

Orlando City used its second pick on Michigan center back Nolan Miller. Unlike Sarajian, the Troy, MI, native played all four years at the same school. He played in 75 games for the Wolverines (all starts) and recorded 6,497 minutes. He scored seven goals and added two assists.

Miller was named Second Team All-Big Ten twice (2023 and 2025), United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Third Team (2024), and Big Ten All-Freshman Team (2022). He was a mainstay on the back line, starting 16 games in 2022, all 18 games in 2023, and all 20 games in 2024 and 2025.

Prior to attentiing Michigan, Miller was in the Columbus Crew Development Academy, helping his team to the 2018 National Championship. He also played for Vadar U17 MLS Next Academy.

Orlando City’s third pick was 14th overall and used on right back Jaylen Yearwood from the University of North Florida. The Conyers, GA, native spent four years with the Ospreys, playing in 60 games with 48 starts, recording 4,114 minutes, and adding a goal and 11 assists.

Yearwood had a stellar senior year, being named 2025 ASUN Defensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-ASUN. He helped the Ospreys to NCAA Tournament berths in 2024 and 2025.

Prior to attending North Florida, Yearwood played for GSA ECNL in Atlanta, being named ECNL Southeast first-team all-conference. He was named MVP, All-Region, and All-State in ninth and 11th grades as a four-year varsity starter.

The final first-round pick for the Lions was midfielder Issah Haruna from UNC-Greensboro. The Bolgatanga, Ghana native played two years for the Spartans, playing 37 games with 33 starts and recording 2,661 minutes. He scored five goals and added eight assists during his collegiate career.

The central midfielder helped his team to become SoCon regular season co-champions in 2024 on his way to being named the SoCon Freshman of the year. He was also named to the All-SoCon Freshman Team and the All-Socon second team.

Prior to attending UNC-Greensboro, Haruna attended Prampram Senior High School in his home country. He played for Ghana Angels Soccer Academy from 2015-2024 and was named the best athlete.

The final pick of the day for the Lions came in the third round when they took Notre Dame center back Mitch Ferguson. In four yeras with the Fighting Irish, Ferguson played in 70 games with 57 starts, recording 5,472 minutes. He scored eight goals and added eight assists. Five of his goals came in his senior season.

A team captain, Ferguson notably scored a hat trick against Wright State during his senior season. He didn’t earn any season honors, but was named ACC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 2.

The Glen Carbon, IL, native attended Baker Web Academy and played for the Portland Timbers Academy, representing their U-17 and U-19 teams. He was invited to two U.S. U-16 national team camps and started two preseason games for the Timbers. He was also the youngest starter to play for Portland Timbers 2.

Orlando City traded the No. 43 overall selection to St. Louis City for $50,000 in 2026 General Allocation Money (GAM). St. Louis used the pick to select Cooper Forcellini from Xavier University.

The best chances to make the team are the first-round selections. Departures this off-season mean the Lions have little depth on the back line, something they’ve addressed in this draft. Miller and Yearwood, being the first-round defenders, are the most likely to at least make the bench for the first team.

We won’t know how well these players fit in until preseason begins, but Sarajian, Haruna, and Ferguson will most likely be exclusively with OCB this season. However, all five players will probably play with the second team as they adjust to the professional game.