The 2018 MLS expansion draft was held in New York City on Tuesday, December 11th at 2 PM Eastern. FC Cincinnati selected five players from the eligible pool. They could only claim a single player from any one club and had three minutes for each selection, with no timeouts or trades during the draft.
The five teams LAFC chose from during the 2017 expansion draft are off-limits for FC Cincinnati. Those included the Seattle Sounders, San Jose Earthquakes, Sporting Kansas City, Columbus Crew SC, and Toronto FC.
Player profiles (linked in names) and values below are via Tranfermarkt.
Round 1 – Darren Mattocks
Age: 28
Position: Center forward
From: Portmore, Jamaica (Domestic – U.S. Green Card)
Former Team: DC United
Market Value: $900K
#FCCincy looks to add some speed up front 🏃♂️💨!
— FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) December 11, 2018
Welcome to Cincinnati, @DarrenMattocks! pic.twitter.com/A6Ga3fm8J6
Round 2 – Kei Kamara – traded to Colorado Rapids for an International Roster spot
Age: 34
Position: Center forward
From: Sierra Leone
Former team: Vancouver Whitecaps
Market Value: $900K
FC Cincinnati select forward Kei Kamara from Vancouver Whitecaps FC with the second pick in the MLS Expansion Draft and trade to the Colorado Rapids pic.twitter.com/GmhAeabUjC
— FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) December 11, 2018
Round 3 – Roland Lamah
Age: 30
Position: Left winger
From: Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire (international spot)
Former team: FC Dallas
Market Value: $1.42M
FC Cincinnati select winger Roland Lamah from FC Dallas with the third pick in the MLS Expansion Draft.
— FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) December 11, 2018
Welcome to FC Cincinnati! pic.twitter.com/kQVDWhMfFv
Round 4 – Eric Alexander
Age: 30
Position: Center midfield
From: Portage, Michigan
Former team: Houston Dynamo
Market Value: $677K
FC Cincinnati select Eric Alexander from Houston Dynamo with the fourth pick in the MLS Expansion Draft.
— FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) December 11, 2018
Welcome to the 🔶& 🔷! pic.twitter.com/yV7gBnTZCX
Round 5 – Hassan Ndam
Age: 20
Position: Center Back
From: Foumban, Cameroon (international spot)
Former Team: New York Red Bulls
Market Value: $395K
I am very excited at the opportunity to wear the colors 🔸🔹 & the badge 🦁🗡 in our first season in @MLS! We will make the city proud! #FCCincy #IgniteUnite pic.twitter.com/cLxwGmsFD9
— Hassan Ndam (@Hassanndam47) December 11, 2018
TRADE: Greg Garza acquired from Atlanta United
Age: 27
Position: Defender/Left back
From: Grapevine, Texas
Former Team: Atlanta United
Value: $900K
Deal: Traded in exchange for $200K of General Allocation Money and $250K of Targeted Allocation Money
#FCCincy adds MLS Cup Champion defender, @gmgarza4, to backline.
— FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) December 11, 2018
📰: https://t.co/SoDbaApRbD pic.twitter.com/b88bwxPo3H
TRADE: Kendall Waston acquired from Vancouver Whitecaps
Age: 30
Position: Center back
From: Limón, Costa Rica (domestic – U.S. Permanent Resident)
Former Team: Vancouver Whitecaps
Value: $1.1M
Deal: Traded in exchange for $450K of General Allocation Money, $300K of Targeted Allocation Money and a 2019 international roster spot
#FCCincy acquire two-time MLS Best XI selection, @kwaston88, from @WhitecapsFC
— FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) December 11, 2018
📰: https://t.co/1AdfbfJ8Pj pic.twitter.com/Ldf6zxTz5d
Make sure to check out and comment in our discussion forum on FC Cincinnati’s picks. How did they do?
Discuss: What Do You Think about FC Cincinnati’s Draft Picks?
Stay tuned to Orange & Blue Press for more analysis of FC Cincinnati’s MLS expansion draft.