Thursday saw the MLS SuperDraft take place in Baltimore, with the Chicago Fire shocking many by trading away their first overall pick, Jack Harrison, to New York City FC.
New York City FC were adamant that Jack Harrison was their guy. They tried to land him by surpassing the Major League Soccer SuperDraft and suggested he was a Homegrown Player. However, MLS denied the club’s claim and Harrison was placed into the SuperDraft.
The talented Wake Forest midfielder was expected to be selected with one of the top three picks, and with NYCFC selecting fourth overall on Wednesday, they knew they had to move up to get the 19-year-old. They were ultimately able to strike a deal with the Chicago Fire to secure Harrison’s services.
The Chicago Fire used the first overall pick of the 2016 SuperDraft to select Harrison before quickly shipping him off to NYCFC. In exchange, the Fire received allocation money and the fourth overall pick in which they used to pick Stanford defender Brandon Vincent.
“He’s a modern winger,” NYCFC head coach Patrick Vieira said, via ESPN. “He can come inside, he can go on the line, he can score goals, and he’s really good in the 1-v-1 situations. He’s the type of modern winger than you like to have in the team.
“He’s young, but I’m sure he will have a massive part to play in our squad. He’s enthusiastic, he’s full of energy, and this is what we want.”
Harrison was born in England, and was part of the Manchester United academy before playing high school soccer in Massachusetts. He only spent one year at Wake before opting to play professionally in MLS.
Ironically, NYCFC will kickoff their second season of play in Chicago against the Fire on March 6th, and will host Toronto FC for the home opener at Yankee Stadium on March 13th.