The Sporting Kansas City technical staff visited Orlando for five days last week, watching the top college soccer prospects compete in the MLS combine in preparation for the draft.
And then on Friday, they went off script.
Sporting KC picked Florida Gulf Coast defender Kamar Marriott with the 21st overall pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft.
Marriott, 22, was not invited to the MLS combine. Rather, he was identified by Sporting KC goalkeeper coach Alec Dufty beforehand as a potential fit. Sporting KC was impressed by Marriott’s ability to play with the ball along the back line and in the defensive midfield, a top priority for a club that ranks among the league’s elite possession teams.