FC Cincinnati defender John Nelson was selected by St. Louis CITY SC in the 2022 MLS Expansion Draft on Friday. He was the No. 4 pick in the draft.
Nelson made 24 regular season appearances, including 14 starts, for the Orange and Blue this season. The Medina, Ohio native underwent back surgery in September of 2021, a procedure which sidelined him until his FC Cincinnati debut in April, and returned to the field to set career-highs in appearances, starts and minutes played, and to notch two assists for FC Cincy.
Nelson was selected by FC Cincinnati in Stage 2 of the 2021 MLS Re-Entry Draft last December. He had previously made 30 MLS appearances with FC Dallas from 2019-21, and started two MLS Cup Playoff matches for Dallas in 2020.
The former 10th overall pick of the 2019 MLS SuperDraft played two seasons at the University of North Carolina, where he was named to the 2017 All-ACC Freshman team and named to the All-ACC second-team during his sophomore year.
Nelson is one of five players drafted by St. Louis CITY SC ahead of their inaugural season in 2022. By rule, only one player can be picked from a club’s unprotected roster, which makes Nelson the only selection from FCC in the 2022 Draft.
By rule, FC Cincinnati will receive $50,000 in General Allocation Money as a result of St. Louis CITY selecting Nelson.
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