NASHVILLE, TN – Nashville SC selected three players in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft on Tuesday, as well as signing striker Forster Ajago.
Round 1, Pick 11
Wyatt Meyer
Defender, Cal-Berkeley
Nashville traded up to the 11th overall pick, sending $125,000 in General Allocation Money to Portland Timbers. With the pick, they selected defender Wyatt Meyer from Cal-Berkeley. Meyer, 22, is a 6’2″ left-footed center back who can also play as a holding midfielder. Meyer started all 18 games for the Golden Bears in his senior season, wracking up four goals and six assists in 58 matches in his four years at Cal.
Round 2, Pick 21
Kevin Carmichael
Defender, Cal-Berkeley
With the 50th overall pick, acquired in a trade with St. Louis City FC, Nashville selected Meyer’s center back partner at Cal-Berkeley, right footed defender Kevin Carmichael. Like Meyer, Carmichael started all 18 matches for Cal in 2023, contributing to a defense that allowed just 19 goals in 2023. After finishing his junior year, Carmichael will have to decide if he’ll return to school in 2024 or enter the professional ranks immediately.
Round 3, Pick 17
Bryce Boneau
Midfielder, Notre Dame
With their final pick, Nashville took Notre Dame midfielder Bryce Boneau. The 20-year-old redshirt sophomore was a crucial part of the Fighting Irish‘s stellar 2023 season, losing 2-1 to Clemson in the NCAA College Cup.
A product of the FC Dallas youth academy, Boneau started all 17 matches in both 2022 and 2023 after an injury kept him out for the whole of 2021. He scored four goals and added 10 assists for the Irish, a dynamic two-way midfielder with intriguing potential. Like Carmichael, Boneau has remaining college eligibility left, and could opt to return to school before joining Nashville.
Undrafted signing
Forster Ajago
Forward, Duke University
After the draft, Nashville signed Duke University forward Forster Ajago to an MLS contract in 2024, with additional options through the 2027 season. The 22-year-old native of Navrongo, Ghana, scored 28 goals and nine assists with the University of Delaware (2020), the Dayton Flyers (2021 and 2022) and the Duke Blue Devils.
In 2023, Ajago was the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and a Mac Herman Trophy semifinalist, scoring 14 goals in 18 matches. Additionally, Ajago spent several stints in the USL League 2, scoring three goals with Fort Wayne FC in 2022 and 11 goals in 13 games with Tobacco Road FC in 2023. While his international status may mean he’s destined for Huntsville City FC in 2024, Ajago is a fascinating name to watch down the road.
Additionally, Nashville confirmed that they retain the rights to defender Makel Rasheed, selected in the third round of last year’s SuperDraft. Rasheed opted not to go pro last season, instead returning to Xavier in 2023, where he played 18 matches for a top-10 defense in the country. Rasheed will join Nashville SC in preseason, and could factor into Huntsville City FC’s plans in 2024.
