Indiana Soccer's Hugo Bacharach Taken No. 9 Overall in MLS SuperDraft

The MLS SuperDraft was held Tuesday evening and Indiana senior transfer Hugo Bacharach was taken in the first round. Two more Hoosiers, senior captain Joey Maher and junior Patrick McDonald, were chosen by the same club in the second and third rounds.

Indiana men’s soccer senior Hugo Bacharach was selected with the No. 9 overall pick in 2024 MLS SuperDraft by Minnesota United on Tuesday evening. It clinched seven straight top-10 draft picks for Indiana’s program, the nation’s longest active streak.

Bacharach, who transferred to Indiana following three seasons at Fairleigh Dickinson, started the 2023 season in August on the backline. Midway through October, Bacharach was moved to the central midfield and tallied four goals and assists following the position change, as the Hoosiers won 12 of their last 14 matches.

“One of the more versatile, smarter, defenders I’ve coached,” Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley said on the Apple TV broadcast. “The defenders translate really well to the MLS from college. We used him in midfield, which I think helped his development, and I think he can play in there. But more often than not, he’ll be moved back a line." 

Defender Joey Maher barely slipped the cutoff for the first round. Toronto FC took the Hoosier captain with the No. 30 overall pick to open the second round. Maher will go pro, and started 83 of the program’s 87 matches in his four seasons in Bloomington. He scored two goals in each of his last three years, assisted 40 shutouts, and helped command the backline this season which ranked top-10 nationally in goals against.

Both Bacharach and Maher were invited to the MLS College Showcase in Arizona.  

Toronto, which had the first pick in each of the three rounds, selected Indiana teammate Patrick McDonald with the No. 59 pick in the draft. This isn't unheard of. In last year’s SuperDraft, FC Dallas took Hoosier teammates Herbert Endeley and Ryan Wittenbrink in back-to-back rounds. McDonald was named to the All-Big Ten first team this season, scoring three goals with five assists. Prior to Tuesday, the North Carolina native was likely return to Indiana for his senior season, per source. Once he was chosen Tuesday, the same source said the Toronto link shouldn't alter that plan.  

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