Among the multiple ways a player can end up playing in Major League Soccer, the supplemental draft is more of a back door.
But that doesn’t mean it can’t be a valuable path for both players and teams.
On Tuesday, the Portland Timbers drafted goalkeeper David Meves from Akron and midfielder Chris Hegngi from Ohio State in the supplemental draft, which is essentially an extension of last week’s two-round SuperDraft.
Meves, who set the NCAA record with 54 career shutouts playing for new Timbers coach Caleb Porter at Akron, was selected with the No. 3 pick in the supplemental draft.
Hegngi was taken with the third pick of Tuesday’s second round, 22nd overall.
Portland did not make a selection in the third or fourth rounds of the supplemental draft.
Meves plays a crowded position on the Portland roster. The Timbers have three active goalkeepers — Donovan Ricketts, Milos Kocic and Jake Gleeson — plus former Stanford goalkeeper Jason Dodson in camp as a trialist.
Hegngi was the Big Ten offensive player of the year in as a junior in 2011, scoring nine goals in 19 games.
While Meves and Hengi join SuperDraft second-round pick Dylan Tucker-Gangnes as rookies who will compete for a spot on the roster, it appears midfielder Franck Songo’o will not return to the Timbers.
A tweet from Songo’o’s Twitter account on Tuesday indicated he wanted to play for Portland but that it isn’t going to happen. Bringing in several MLS veterans during the offseason added some larger salaries to the Portland roster that count against the salary cap.
Porter said on Monday only that the Timbers are “working through” the Songo’o situation, as well as that of striker Kris Boyd who is not expected to return to Portland.
The Timbers train three more times in Portland before departing for Tucson, Ariz. The Timbers will practice in Tucson Jan. 28 to Feb. 8 and play four preseason matches while in Arizona.
