NEW YORK. N.Y. – Portland Pilots midfielder Nick Fernandez was one of 44 invitees selected for the 2024 adidas MLS College Showcase. It's the second year in a row the Pilots have had a player represented at the showcase.
The MLS College Showcase is a closed-door four-day scouting event that allows technical staffs for each MLS club to evaluate some of the best players in college soccer ahead of MLS SuperDraft 2025, which takes place on Friday, Dec. 20 at 11 a.m. PST. The showcase runs from Dec. 11 through Dec. 14.
Fernandez had a stellar year with the Pilots, making the All-WCC First Team for the third year in a row, becoming the first Pilot to accomplish that feat since 2018. He had four goals and four assists on the season, with his goal total being a career high. Three of his goals were game-winners, which ranked third in the conference. Fernandez also earned All-West Region Second Team honors this season. Previously, Fernandez was named the WCC Midfielder of the Year in 2023 and also earned United Soccer Coaches All-American honors that same year.
The Pilots have had nine players earn a chance at the next level in MLS since Nick Carlin-Voigt took over as head coach in 2016. Five players have been drafted, with Paul Christensen, Rey Ortiz, Kevin Bonilla, Jacob Babalai and Buba Fofanah all being taken in the MLS SuperDraft. Bonilla, Babalai and Fofanah were all taken in last year's draft, the most the Pilots have had taken in a single draft in program history. Babalai and Bonilla were both invited to the showcase last year. Benji Michel and Kris Reaves each signed homegrown contracts with Orlando SC and FC Dallas respectively back in 2018 while Delentz Pierre and Brandon Cambridge each signed with Real Salt Lake and Charlotte FC in 2022.
The Pilots finished the season at 7-4-7 overall and 4-0-4 in WCC play, ending the year on a 10-game unbeaten streak that was the longest on the West Coast and the third longest in the country. They earned four wins over teams that finished in the top 35 in RPI this season as well.
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