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Cory Burke, Stuart Findlay and Jesus Bueno are among the 10 players the Philadelphia Union have left unprotected for tomorrow’s MLS Expansion Draft.
Charlotte FC will have an opportunity to add five players to their inaugural roster via the draft tomorrow.
If they add a player from the Philadelphia Union it will be just the third time that has happened and the first since Pedro Ribeiro was drafted by Orlando City in 2014. Justin Mapp was taken in the 2011 MLS Expansion draft by Montreal.
Of the 10 players the Union left unprotected, Aurelien Collin, Alvas Powell and Ilsinho are out of contract and Davo had a purchase option declined. Matej Oravec is out on loan through July 2022. Gino Portella is a 20-year-old Italian center back who was never officially announced as a signing and was never on the first team roster but did have his salary listed on the salary guide provided by the MLSPA.
Union players eligible for MLS Expansion Draft:
- Matheus Davo
- Joe Bendik
- Jesus Bueno
- Cory Burke
- Aurelien Collin
- Stuart Findlay
- Ilsinho
- Matej Oravec
- Gino Portella
- Alvas Powell
Homegrown players are automatically protected and the Union were able to protect 12 total players on their 2021 roster. The dozen players they protected were: Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes, Daniel Gazdag, Jose Martinez, Jamiro Monteiro, Alejandro Bedoya, Andre Blake, Olivier Mbaizo, Sergio Santos, Kacper Przybylko, Leon Flach and Kai Wagner.
San Jose Earthquakes, New York Red Bulls, Nashville SC, LA Galaxy and Orlando City SC are all exempt from the draft since they had players taken by Austin FC in the 2020 draft.
The MLS website has the full list of players eligible for the draft.
2021 MLS Expansion Draft Process:
- Five Rounds: Charlotte FC may select up to five players from the eligible pool of players, claiming only a single player from any one club.
- Selection clock: Charlotte FC will be permitted three minutes for each selection.
- Timeouts: No timeouts
- Trades: No trades are permitted during the 2021 MLS Expansion Draft.