https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/mls/2024/12/20/emil-jaaskelainen-mls-superdraft-pick-st-louis-sc-akron-zips-soccer/76945512007/
Incidentally, Akron has had at least one player chosen in the SuperDraft in 16 of the last 17 seasons.
“A lot of players coming into their senior year of high school have aspirations of going pro,” Zips coach Jared Embick said. “To continue to get the good players, you have to show you can get guys to the next level. To have the continuity to do that every year is extremely important to the program and our ability to track players.”
“In their(St. L) system of play, they need a target,” Embick said. “They need a guy that can get on the end of things and score. When you look at St. Louis last year, they lacked a goal scorer that stepped up and helped carry the team. I think it’s smart of them to take the best goal scorer eligible in the draft.”