The Union take a goalkeeper, while Charlotte FC makes Hamady Diop the first pick in the MLS SuperDraft

The Union, who had the 28th pick in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft on Wednesday, broke with their recent tradition of trading away their pick. Instead, they chose a goalkeeper, Holden Trent, out of High Point (N.C.) University.

Considering the Union just signed their third goalkeeper, Joe Bendik, to a new contract, the draft pick may be a hint that one of the team’s top two choices in the position, Matthew Freese or perhaps even club stalwart Andre Blake, is in line for an offseason move.

Kicking things off with the first overall pick in the draft, Charlotte FC selected centerback Hamady Diop.

“The league is growing; it’s improving,” Diop said after his selection. “They’re selling players to leagues around the world, and they’re also keeping and developing some great players.”

Penn State defender Jalen Watson was a second-round pick for Toronto FC, and 32nd overall in the draft.

The Union used their second-round pick (57th overall) on forward Stefan Stojanovic, knowing him quite well from his time with Union II.

In the third round of the draft, the Union simply passed. Forward Mathew Meyers, out of Rutgers University and formerly of the Union Academy team, was picked in that round, 66th overall, by New York City FC.

Union sporting director Ernst Tanner has not relied on the draft and started dealing the Union’s draft picks in 2019, when he sent all five slots that year to FC Cincinnati for $150,000 up front and $50,000 in incentives.

No MLS team had walked out of the draft that dramatically before. Tanner embraced going against the grain, and multiple rival executives in the league expressed admiration for the move. Even commissioner Don Garber said at the time that he was “very intrigued by it.”

In 2020, Tanner traded the Union’s top pick to D.C. United for next to nothing. He had already dealt his second-round pick to Columbus for Bendik in the summer of 2019. The Union had one pick late in the third round and two late in the fourth, and passed on them all.

Ahead of the 2021 draft, the Union dealt their first-round pick to Orlando City for the right to sign Nathan Harriel, who played in the Union’s youth academy but didn’t qualify as a homegrown player because he grew up in the Orlando area. It was a technicality, but Harriel proved well worth the price.

Then Tanner struck a deal with Nashville, sending the Union’s second- and third-round picks in 2021 plus their first pick in 2022 for $225,000.

The Union traded their second-round pick in the 2022 draft to Inter Miami in the deal to take Julián Carranza on loan. The only time the Union were on the board in that draft was late in the third round, and they passed. Six month later, the Union toasted one of the great heists in MLS history.

Wednesday’s draft was officially called the 2023 edition even though it was being held in December, because it’s for the 2023 season.

While Tanner’s moves have earned him some fame, the Union’s habit of trading away draft picks started before his arrival in late 2018. His predecessor, Earnie Stewart, did so twice.

Five months before the 2017 draft, Stewart traded the Union’s first-round pick to Chicago in a move that cleared the way to sign Alejandro Bedoya. The Union had later-round picks in 2017, and one of them became among the most famous late-round picks in MLS history: Jack Elliott.

Stewart traded the Union’s 2018 first- and second-round selections at various times before then, in deals for Charlie Davies and Adam Najem.

The last Union draft pick to be called from the podium was their 2018 fourth-round pick, No. 77 overall, Matt Danilack. He never played a minute for the team.

Until Wednesday, the last time the Union had used a first-round draft pick was 2016, when they held three: No. 3 as their natural spot, and Nos. 2 and 6 by trades. They used all three picks, acquiring Josh Yaro, Keegan Rosenberry, and Fabian Herbers.

These days, the podium is virtual. The 2019 draft in Chicago was the last one held in-person, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been an online show since then.

But MLS knew the draft was already decreasing in relevance. The draft has stayed an online event and seems likely to remain one going forward.