MLS announces 2017 Expansion Draft, LAFC will pick five players

Major League Soccer’s Expansion Draft will continue apace for at least one more year, with the league announcing the rules for the 2017 iteration with Los Angeles Football Club’s entry into the league.

Five players will be selected by LAFC under the draft, and each club will be able to select 11 players for protection. The rules around the protected list remain essentially unchanged, with Generation Adidas and off-budget Homegrown Players ineligible for selection. Only one player may be picked from a single club.

The draft will take place on Dec. 12 at 12 p.m. Mountain Standard Time.

The following players will be automatically ineligible for selection without protection, according to the latest MLS roster for Real Salt Lake.

• Danilo Acosta (HGP, Supplemental)
• Omar Holness (GA)
• Ricardo Velazco (HGP, Supplemental)
• Jordan Allen (HGP, Reserve)
• Jose Hernandez (HGP, Reserve)

If you were Real Salt Lake’s general manager, who would you protect?