Sporting KC picks goalkeeper in Round 1 of MLS Super Draft. Here are the selections

The Sporting KC offseason continued on Tuesday as the club added to its player pool in the MLS Super Draft.

The annual event did not lack activity. After Toronto FC took Lipscomb forward Tyrese Spicer with the No. 1 overall pick, the Colorado Rapids made multiple trades to ensure they landed three of the first five selections.

The Rapids took Duke’s Wayne Frederick with the No. 2 overall pick and Maryland’s Kimani Stewart-Baynes at No. 4 overall. Later, Colorado traded for Austin FC’s fifth overall selection, Washington’s Nate Jones, and acquired multiple picks in the second round via trade.

Meanwhile, Sporting KC selected Ryan Schewe, a goalkeeper out of Georgetown, with its first pick in the draft — No. 22 overall.

Schewe, a native of Marietta, Georgia, came up through the Atlanta United Academy before attending Georgetown. While not playing for the first two seasons of his collegiate career, Schewe starred in his final two years, only conceding 23 goals in 29 appearances. He made 86 saves, had 12 clean sheets, and posted a near-80% career save percentage.

A second-team All-Big East selection in 2022, Schewe was named Big East Goalkeeper of the Year in 2023.

With the departure of goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh this offseason, Sporting KC technical director and general manager Brian Bliss said that spot was an area of need. Sporting was enticed by Schewe’s physical attributes and made him the pick.

“Ryan, with the attributes he has ... you know, he’s 6-5, maybe even 6-6 with a long wingspan. (He) covers a lot of space in front of the goal,” Bliss said. “Very good on crosses and commanding the box.”

Bliss also compared Schewe to Columbus Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte and FC Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano for their shot-stopping ability, plus the path they took to get to the league.

While Tim Melia and John Pulskamp still lead the goalkeeper position, it seems Schewe is one the club will watch for the future.

Other Sporting KC picks in MLS Super Draft

Sporting selected midfielder Dyson Clapier in the second round (51st overall). Clapier played in 57 games over his college career at Akron University, scoring 14 goals and notching 12 assists.

While Clapier had a down year in 2023, he was named first-team All-MAC in 2022 and was a third-team All-American. TopDrawerSoccer.com listed him as a top-20 underclassman in NCAA soccer.

A native of Layton, Utah, Clapier played for the Portland Timbers Academy and with Timbers 2 in the USL. He made his USL debut at age 17 and scored at age 18.

According to Bliss, injuries hampered Clapier’s playing time and production during the 2023 season, but he was someone Sporting had its eye on since he was a freshman. Bliss said he continued to see those positive qualities when scouting him in person during a match between Akron and Creighton this year.

“He’s got a lot of tools,” Bliss said. “I think he was flying under the radar because he had a little bit of an injury history this year. But I think people forgot what he did during his freshman and sophomore years.”

With its third and final pick, 80th overall, Sporting KC selected Jonathan Robinson from Western Michigan. Robinson, a left back, hails from Gurnee, Illinois, and was named a third-team All-American from TopDrawerSoccer.com. The redshirt junior posted 13 assists, ranking second in the NCAA.

In two seasons at WMU, Robinson started in 44 games and scored three goals while providing 18 assists.

Elsewhere, Sporting KC academy product Tucker Lepley was selected in the third round (62nd overall) by the Los Angeles Galaxy.

This story was originally published December 19, 2023 at 5:34 PM.