Before looking ahead at the 2020 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas on Thursday, it’s worth reviewing FC Cincinnati’s first-ever draft class in 2019.
The Orange and Blue were league newcomers then and made five selections, including the No. 1 overall pick.
Here’s a review of the six players FCC added, and how they contributed last year:
No. 1 pick Frankie Amaya
Position: Midfield
MLS appearances: 19 games
MLS starts: 15
Amaya was Cincinnati’s first draft pick in club history and finished fourth in 2019 MLS Rookie of the Year voting.
The teenage midfielder provided a spark to FCC’s lineup, acting as an exciting attacking player who also excelled in his defensive duties.
As Amaya enters his second professional season, expect him to play a big role in the club’s future.
No. 13 pick Logan Gdula
Position: Defense
MLS appearances: 0
Gdula is still awaiting his first-tier debut after spending the majority of 2019 on loan in the USL Championship.
His rookie season saw him play on two teams across the second division. After joining Phoenix Rising FC on loan, he then went to Hartford Athletic before being recalled by FCC midyear. He made the matchday squad three times before returning to Hartford on loan for the rest of 2019.
Entering 2020, Gdula offers the flexibility bu playing both fullback and center back. He played on the outside in college, but the majority of his USL Championship minutes came as a center back for Hartford.
No. 29 pick Tommy McCabe
Position: Midfield
MLS appearances: 6
MLS starts: 2
Beginning 2019 on loan with North Carolina FC, McCabe was recalled and played in a rotational role for the Orange and Blue.
But with the midfield less crowded than it was a year ago, the 21-year-old midfielder could play more in 2020.
No. 30 pick Jimmy Hague
Position: Goalkeeper
MLS appearances: 0
Hague was a backup as a rookie and never saw game action, but he was in the matchday squad for 19 of the club’s 34 regular-season games last season.
While FC Cincinnati brought back every goalkeeper from 2019, his role could change as he develops in his second professional season.
No. 37 pick Ben Lundt
Position: Goalkeeper
MLS appearances: 0
Lundt spent 2019 on loan with Louisville City FC, but and ankle injury ended his season prematurely in mid-June. Before that, he was Louisville’s starting keeper and earned four clean sheets in 12 USL Championship appearances before being sidelined the rest of the season.
Similar to Hague, 2020 will be an important one for Lundt, and it’ll be equally as important that he remains healthy.
No. 49 Rashawn Dally
Position: forward
MLS appearances: 12
MLS starts: 8
Dally was the club’s only pick in the latter rounds of the SuperDraft (rounds three and four), but he delivered a respectable return despite being on loan at Memphis 901 FC in the first half of the season.
When he played, Dally showed bursts of quality and scored his first MLS goal on July 6 against the Houston Dynamo.
The forward could have a similar year in 2020, and enters the new campaign as the only active MLS player drafted in rounds three or four in 2019.
About FCC’s 2020 picks
Currently, Cincinnati has the No. 29 and 53 picks in the upcoming draft, which begins Thursday afternoon at 12:30 p.m.
This will be the second time in as many drafts that FCC select a player with the 29th pick. In addition, this is the second time FCC have the first pick in the third round, which continues on Monday. The club drafted Dally in that spot last season.
