Loons draft scorer, keeper
No. 1 pick: Minnesota United used the first overall pick in the draft to select forward Abu Danladi of UCLA. The 21-year-old Ghana native is a former All-Pac 12 Conference forward who scored seven goals in 11 matches last season.
A keeper at last: The Loons had two picks in the second round. They used the first of them — the 23rd overall in the draft — to take goalkeeper Alec Ferrell, who played at Wake Forest. Of the team’s 12 announced signings to date, not one is a goalkeeper. Later in the round, they chose midfielder Thomas de Villardi of Delaware.
Minnesotan selected: Bloomington native Jackson Yueill, a teammate of Danladi’s at UCLA, was the sixth overall pick, selected by San Jose Earthquakes. Edina native Evan Panken, a midfielder for Notre Dame, was not selected Friday.
Rest of the draft: Rounds 3-4 on Tuesday will proceed via a 1 p.m. conference call. The Loons previously traded their third-round pick and have only a fourth-round selection.
Megan Ryan
