The Seattle Sounders selected five players in Tuesday’s Major League Soccer supplemental draft, including F Will Bates of the University of Virginia, MF Kevin Durr of the Air Force Academy,University of South Florida MF Kevin Olali, MF Lebogang Moloto from Lindsey Wilson College, and University of North Carolina-Charlotte F Jennings Rex..
The Sounders took Bates fifth in the first round, Durr 16th in the first round, Olali 35th overall in the second round, Moloto 54th in the third round and Rex 73rd in the fourth.
“We feel very good about our selections,” said sporting director Chris Henderson. “We evaluated them at the MLS combine and our own combine in Las Vegas. They are all players that we ranked pretty high at their respective positions.”
Bates, 21, appeared in 77 matches over four seasons at Virginia, tallying 46 goals with 10 assists. He finished his collegiate career as the seventh-leading goal scorer in school history, tied for third with 15 game-winning goals and finished ninth in career points (102). Bates was a member of the U.S. U-20 National Team.
Durr, 21, was a first-team All-Mountain Pacific Sports Foundation selection in his final three years at the Air Force Academy. He started all 77 matches in his four-year collegiate career, scoring 18 goals with 19 assists.
Olali, 22, played four seasons at South Florida where he recorded four goals and eight assists in 76 appearances. Olali was a member of the U.S. U-17 National Team.
Moloto, 20, played two seasons at Wilson in Kentucky. He scored 15 goals with seven assists in 39 career games, including six game-winning goals. Moloto was named the NAIA National Championship Most Outstanding Offensive Player as a freshman, and earned NAIA All-America honors each season.
Prior to the supplemental draft, the Sounders selected two players in the MLS SuperDraft Jan. 17.
The Sounders begin their fifth season March 2 at CenturyLink Field against the Montreal Impact.
The Sounders changed start times for three home matches — March 2 against the Montreal Impact, May 18 against FC Dallas, and Aug. 3 against FC Dallas. All were moved to 7:30 p.m. PT and will be televised live on KING 5.
