ORLANDO, Fla. -- Orlando City will pick first in the MLS expansion draft as well as the SuperDraft after winning a draw on Wednesday.
The new club beat New York City FC to get first choice from various MLS player-acquisition mechanisms. Orlando won the first pick from among players left unprotected by current MLS clubs, as well as the first choice of U.S. college players.
NYCFC chose to get the first allocation ranking, meaning it gets priority for a member of the US men's national team who signs with MLS after playing abroad. The teams alternated choosing priority in eight mechanisms in total.
Orlando also picked priority for players coming from two other U.S. pro leagues, and in weighting in lottery for undrafted players. NYCFC gets a leg up on Orlando in the Discovery ranking and the Designated Player ranking.