NEW YORK – Portland Pilots midfielder Nick Fernandez was the second Pilot taken in the MLS SuperDraft on Friday, going in the second round to the San Jose Earthquakes with the 32nd overall pick. He joins Efetobo Aror as one of two Pilots taken in the draft.
Fernandez is the 13
th Pilot to be taken in the MLS SuperDraft since 2000. Fernandez put together a stellar career with the Pilots, eight goals and 19 assists in 60 matches (52 starts) for Portland. The box-to-box threat scored four goals and added four assists this past season, with his four goals being a career high.
The Downer's Grove, Ill. native has accumulated numerous accolades since 2021. He is the first Pilot since Benji Michel in 2018 to make the All-WCC First Team three times and the first Pilot since Rey Ortiz in 2019 to have earned All-West Region honors three times. He was an All-WCC First Team selection this past season and an All-West Region Second Team selection as well. Last season, he became the first Pilot to win the WCC Midfielder of the Year award and was a United Soccer Coaches All-American, making the third team.
With his selection, Fernandez makes it 11 players that have earned their chance at MLS since Nick Carlin-Voigt took over as head coach in 2016. Seven players have been drafted, with Paul Christensen, Rey Ortiz, Kevin Bonilla, Jacob Babalai and Buba Fofanah all being taken in the MLS SuperDraft prior to Fernandez. 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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