NEW YORK – Portland Pilots Men's Soccer had seven players named to the eligible player draft pool for the 2026 MLS SuperDraft: Nikos Clark-Tosczak, Micaah Garnette, Miguel-Angel Hernandez, Joe Highfield, Anton Hjalmarsson, Wylie Trujillo and Alex Waggoner. The MLS SuperDraft takes place tomorrow, Dec. 18 at 11 a.m. Draft coverage can be found on MLSsoccer.com.
The Pilots have numerous homegrown players from MLS Academies as well, including David Ajagbe (Vancouver Whitecaps), Ayo Akintobi (Atlanta United), Julian Bretous (Atlanta United), Nicky Dunbar (LA Galaxy), Maddox Findlay (Houston Dynamo), Christian Mendoza (Portland Timbers), Angel Martinez (Seattle Sounders), Diego Rosas (Houston Dynamo) and Ethan Zamora (Real Salt Lake).
The Pilots have also had 12 players move on to play in MLS since Carlin-Voigt took over as head coach in 2016. Eight players have been drafted, with Paul Christensen (2018), Rey Ortiz (2020), Kevin Bonilla (2024), Jacob Babalai (2024) and Buba Fofanah (2024) all being taken in the MLS SuperDraft. Efetobo Aror (2025) and Nick Fernandez (2025) were taken in the first and second round in last year's SuperDraft as well, with Fernandez signing with the San Jose Earthquakes in February. 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 and Tommy Musto signed with LAFC in 2024.
Clarke-Tosczak was one of two Pilots selected for the 2025 MLS Showcase along with Highfield, who did not participate due to injury. Clarke-Tosczak was stellar for Portland in his first year with the team. He played all 20 matches and logged the most minutes for Portland at 1,643 minutes, posting four assists starting at left back. He earned All-WCC Honorable Mention in his first year with Portland, helping guide a defense that allowed just 12 goals, the fewest since 1988 for a Pilot squad and tied for the sixth fewest in the nation.
Garnette was highly important to the Pilots' success this season as a spot starter and off the bench. Garnette played in all 20 games this year with nine starts, posting a goal and five assists. His five assists are a career high and also are tied for second on the team. Garnette earned WCC All-Academic honorable mention this season and was also a CSC Academic All-District selection.
Hernandez was a fortress in goal, posting nine shutouts with a .624 goals-against average and a .786 save percentage. His save percentage ranks first in the WCC and 26
th nationally and his goals-against average ranks second in the conference and seventh nationally. He was an All-WCC Second Team selection and All-West Region First Team pick as well.
Highfield led the offense for Portland, scoring a team-high 11 goals with five assists for 27 points. He ranked second in the conference this year in both goals and points, ranking 19
th and 18
th nationally in those respective categories. His four game-winning goals also ranked 15
th nationally. He's posted 18 goals in two years with the Pilots, the most in the first two years of play for a Portland player since Benji Michel (2016-17). He was named to the All-WCC First Team, the United Soccer Coaches All-West Region First Team and the United Soccer Coaches All-American Third Team.
Hjalmarsson performed well in his first year with Portland, scoring four goals and adding three assists. He had two game-winning goals against the Kansas City Roos and San Francisco Dons. Hjalmarsson also posted goals in a tie against the Oregon State Beavers and a win over the FIU Panthers.
Trujillo was one of just six Pilots to play all 20 matches this season, adding 18 starts as well. He posted two assists on the year and was a crucial part of the midfield for Portland. He earned All-WCC Honorable Mention this season, the first All-WCC honors of his career.
Waggoner rounds out the eligible players for the Pilots. The strikers played all 20 matches with six starts, recording three goals and an assist. Two of those goals were game winners, helping the Pilots beat the Lewis & Clark Pioneers and the then-No. 12 San Diego Torreros.
The Pilots put together one of the best seasons in program history this year. Their 14-2-4 record gave them their best winning percentage since 1988 (.800) and helped them earn the 8-seed in the NCAA Tournament. It's the third time in program history the Pilots have earned the first-round bye and the second time under Carlin-Voigt. They advanced to the Elite Eight for the second time under Carlin-Voigt and third time since 1995.
They were one of the best teams statistically this season, third in assists (56), fourth in assists per game (2.75), fifth in goal differential (31), sixth in win-lost-tied percentage (.800) and team goals-against average (.624), seventh in points (142) and points per game (7.05), 12
th in total goals (43) and 13
th in goals per game (2.15). Their 56 assists broke a program record set two years prior.
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