CHICAGO — Kamar Marriott, Sporting Kansas City’s first pick in the 2019 MLS Superdraft, was not even in attendance in Chicago as SKC selected him with the 21st pick in the first round. The 6-foot-4 defender/defensive midfielder out of Florida Gulf Coast University did not attend the MLS Combine and did not appear on many mock draft lists. But Sporting KC’s pick reflects the changing landscape of roster construction.
“I think there was a time when the combine and the draft were an incredibly important aspect of building a roster every year and I think those times have changed,” Sporting KC head coach and technical director Peter Vermes said.