1996 MLS Inaugural Player Draft
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The MLS Inaugural Player Draft, held before Major League Soccer's initial 1996 season, distributed players to the league's ten inaugural teams. The Inaugural Player Draft occurred on February 6 and 7, 1996 after each team was allocated four marquee players.
The Columbus Crew selected Brian McBride with the first overall pick.
| ^ | Denotes player who has been inducted to the US Soccer Hall of Fame |
| * | Denotes player who has been selected for an MLS Best XI team |
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Round 7
Round 8
Round 9
Round 10
Round 11
Round 12
| Pick # | MLS team | Player | Position | Previous Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 111 | Columbus Crew | Pete Marino | F | Bayer Leverkusen (Regionalliga) |
| 112 | Colorado Rapids | Eric Puls | F | St. Louis Knights |
| 113 | Dallas Burn | Richard Farrer | F | New Mexico Chiles |
| 114 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Adan Villalvazo | F | Cerritos Inter-America |
| 115 | New England Revolution | Jim Adams | GK | Cleveland Crunch |
| 116 | Kansas City Wiz | Kevin Koetters | M | Kansas City Attack |
| 117 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | Nelson Vargas | M | Florida Eagles |
| 118 | San Jose Clash | Gabe Garcia | F | Myrtle Beach Boyz |
| 119 | New York/New Jersey MetroStars | Khary Stockton | F | Richmond Kickers |
| 120 | D.C. United | Daniel de Oliveira | M | Firpo |
Round 13
Round 14
| Pick # | MLS team | Player | Position | Previous Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 131 | Columbus Crew | Laurence Piturro | D | Long Island Rough Riders |
| 132 | Colorado Rapids | Khalil Azmi | GK | New Hampshire Ramblers |
| 133 | Dallas Burn | Steve Keller | M | Rockford Raptors |
| 134 | Los Angeles Galaxy | David Beall | M | San Diego Sockers |
| 135 | New England Revolution | Antonio Superbia | M | Jersey Dragons |
| 136 | Kansas City Wiz | Terry Woodberry | D | Dallas Sidekicks |
| 137 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | Scott Budnick | GK | de:SSV Vorsfelde |
| 138 | San Jose Clash | Tom Liner | GK | P.S.V. Schwartz-Weiss |
| 139 | New York/New Jersey MetroStars | Nidal Baba | M | Clemson University |
| 140 | D.C. United | Sterling Wescott | F | Wichita Wings |
Round 15
| Pick # | MLS team | Player | Position | Previous Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 141 | Columbus Crew | Todd Haskins | M | Washington Warthogs |
| 142 | Colorado Rapids | Brian Hurley | M | Tampico |
| 143 | Dallas Burn | Ed Puskarich | D | Milwaukee Wave |
| 144 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Garfield Shaw | F | Washington Warthogs |
| 145 | New England Revolution | Derk Droze | F | Arica |
| 146 | Kansas City Wiz | Samuel Ekeme | D | Monterrey La Raza |
| 147 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | Goran Hunjak | F | Kansas City Attack |
| 148 | San Jose Clash | Carlos Farias | F | Unattached |
| 149 | New York/New Jersey MetroStars | Jorge Acosta | F | New York Fever |
| 150 | D.C. United | Garth Lagerwey | GK | Hampton Roads Mariners |
Round 16
| Pick # | MLS team | Player | Position | Previous Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 151 | Columbus Crew | Manny Catano | M | Des Moines Menace |
| 152 | Colorado Rapids | Joel Shanker | M | St. Louis Ambush |
| 153 | Dallas Burn | Gabe Gentile | M | Dallas Texans |
| 154 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Carlos Jaguande | M | Jersey Dragons |
| 155 | New England Revolution | Jorge Olamendi | M | Los Angeles Salsa |
| 156 | Kansas City Wiz | Ken Snow | F | Tampa Bay Terror |
| 157 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | Greg Lalas | M | Avenir Beggen |
| 158 | San Jose Clash | Kevin Grimes | M | Raleigh Flyers |
| 159 | New York/New Jersey MetroStars | Walter Bustamante | M | Jersey Dragons |
| 160 | D.C. United | Carlos Garcia | M | Myrtle Beach Boyz |