The 2004 MLS SuperDraft, held in Charlotte, North Carolina on January 16, 2004, was the fifth incarnation of the annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The draft was most notable at the time for the selection of one of the youngest athletes in American sporting history, Freddy Adu, with the first pick by D.C. United after a trade from the Dallas Burn. The trade was initiated by the league after Adu had signed in November 2003 with the intent of playing for D.C., his local team.

The draft also included Clint Dempsey (1st round), who later won MLS Rookie of the Year, and teenager Michael Bradley (4th round), the son of MetroStars coach Bob Bradley. Both players went on to earn over 120 caps with the U.S. national team and play overseas for European teams before returning to MLS.

Player selection

Columbus selected Chad Marshall 2nd overall. He is a 3x MLS Defender of the Year and 4x MLS Best XI selection. He earned 12 caps with the US Men's National Team.
New England selected Clint Dempsey 8th overall. The 2004 MLS Rookie of the Year is a 4x MLS All-Star, 3x U.S. Soccer Player of the Year, and the 2017 MLS Comeback Player of the Year. He earned 141 caps with he US Men's National Team, representing the United States at the 2006, 2010, and 2014 FIFA World Cup. With 57 goals, he and Landon Donovan are tied for most goals for the USMNT. He was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2022.

Key

*Denotes a player contracted under the Project-40 program
^Denotes player who has been selected to an MLS All-Star Game
§Denotes a player who won the MLS Rookie of the Year
†Denotes player who has been selected for an MLS Best XI team
~Denotes a player who won the MLS MVP

Round one

Pick #MLS TeamPlayerPositionAffiliation
1D.C. UnitedUnited States Freddy Adu*^FProject-40
2Columbus CrewUnited States Chad Marshall*†DStanford University
3Los Angeles GalaxyZimbabwe Joseph NgwenyaFCoastal Carolina University
4Kansas City WizardsUnited States Matt TaylorFUCLA
5San Jose EarthquakesUnited States Ryan Cochrane*DSanta Clara University
6Dallas BurnHonduras Ramón NúñezMSMU
7Dallas BurnUnited States Clarence Goodson*DUniversity of Maryland
8New England RevolutionUnited States Clint Dempsey*^§†MFurman University
9Chicago FireUnited States Scott BueteMUniversity of Maryland
10San Jose EarthquakesUnited States Steve Cronin*GKSanta Clara University

Round one trades

Round two

Pick #MLS TeamPlayerPositionAffiliation
11Chicago FireUnited States Leonard GriffinDUCLA
12Columbus CrewUnited States Chris WingertDSt. John's University
13Los Angeles GalaxyUnited States Josh Gardner*MUniversity of Cincinnati
14Los Angeles GalaxyUnited States Ned Grabavoy*MIndiana University
15Colorado RapidsUnited States Adolfo GregorioMUCLA
16Colorado RapidsCanada Adrian CannDUniversity of Louisville
17Kansas City WizardsUnited States Will HesmerGKWake Forest University
18MetroStarsUnited States Seth StammlerDUniversity of Maryland
19Chicago FireUnited States Matt PickensGKSMS (now Missouri State)
20Chicago FireGhana Sumed IbrahimMUniversity of Maryland

Round two trades

Round three

Pick #MLS TeamPlayerPositionAffiliation
21MetroStarsUnited States Zach WellsGKUCLA
22Los Angeles GalaxyUnited States Memo ArzateMUC Santa Barbara
23New England RevolutionUnited States Jeremiah WhiteFWake Forest University
24D.C. UnitedUnited States Kevin AraMHarvard University
25Colorado RapidsUnited States Kevin TaylorDUniversity of Michigan
26MetroStarsCanada Olivier OccéanFSo. Connecticut State University
27San Jose EarthquakesNew Zealand Mike WilsonMStanford University
28Chicago FireJamaica Khari StephensonMWilliams College
29Dallas BurnUnited States Ty MaurinMUCLA
30San Jose EarthquakesUnited States Lindon PecorelliMUniversity of Connecticut

Round three trades

Round four

The MetroStars selected Michael Bradley 36th overall. the 3x MLS All-Star, was named the 2015 U.S. Soccer Player of the Year. He's earned 151 caps with the US Men's National Team and was selected to the 2010, and 2014 FIFA World Cup squads.
Pick #MLS TeamPlayerPositionAffiliation
31Dallas BurnUnited States David WagenfuhrDCreighton University
32Columbus CrewUnited States Jamal SuttonFSMS (now Missouri State)
33Los Angeles GalaxyRepublic of Ireland David McGillMUC Santa Barbara
34D.C. UnitedUnited States Josh Gros^MRutgers University
35Colorado RapidsBermuda Kevin RichardsDUniversity of Notre Dame
36MetroStarsUnited States Michael Bradley*^MProject-40
37Kansas City WizardsUnited States Jay AlbertsMYale University
38Chicago FireUnited States Denny ClantonDUniversity of Dayton
39Chicago FireUnited States Phil HuclesDThe College of William & Mary
40San Jose EarthquakesCroatia Marin PusekMUAB

Round four trades

Round five

Pick #MLS TeamPlayerPositionAffiliation
41Columbus CrewUnited States Adom CrewMBrown University
42Columbus CrewUnited States Luke VercolloneMSeton Hall University
43Los Angeles GalaxyUnited States Jason PerryDOakland University
44D.C. UnitedUnited States Kevin HudsonMSMU
45Colorado RapidsUnited States Gary SullivanDAdelphi University
46MetroStarsUnited States Johnny DavidMFairleigh Dickinson University
47Kansas City WizardsUnited States Justin DetterFUniversity of Notre Dame
48Kansas City WizardsUnited States Ryan BarberDUMKC
49Chicago FireUnited States Ian PilarskiMCornell University
50San Jose EarthquakesUnited States Tighe DombrowskiMUW-Milwaukee

Round five trades

Round six

The LA Galaxy selected Alan Gordon 53rd overall. Gordon won 2 MLS Cups and a U.S. Open Cup with the Galaxy and a Supporters' Shield with the San Jose Earthquakes.
Pick #MLS TeamPlayerPositionAffiliation
51Chicago FireAustralia Ryan McGowanMSeton Hall University
52Columbus CrewUnited States Matthew HaefnerGKUniversity of Pennsylvania
53Los Angeles GalaxyUnited States Alan GordonFOregon State University
54Dallas BurnEl Salvador Edwin MirandaDCal State Northridge
55Colorado RapidsColombia John PulidoMFlorida International University
56New England RevolutionCanada Félix BrillantFFranklin Pierce College
57Los Angeles GalaxyUnited States Chris AloisiDSyracuse University
58New England RevolutionWales Andy DormanMBoston University
59Chicago FireUnited States Tony McManusDUAB
60MetroStarsUnited States Jeff ParkeDDrexel University

Round six trades

Trade Note

  • MetroStars received a conditional 2004 SuperDraft pick from Chicago Fire in exchange for the rights to midfielder Andy Williams on March 27, 2003. Instead of the conditional pick, MetroStars received defender Edgar Bartolomeu from Chicago on June 25, 2003, to complete the trade.

Notable undrafted players

See also