Trinidad and Tobago's Tyrese Spicer named top MLS draft pick

FORMER Secondary Schools Football League’s (SSFL) top goal-scorer Tyrese Spicer on Tuesday became the Major League Soccer (MLS) draft’s top pick as he was selected first overall by Toronto FC (TFC) in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft. He played for St Mary's College and St Augustine Secondary in the SSFL.

Spicer, 23, joins Toronto after a season in which he scored 14 goals and provided three assists in just 16 games for Lipscomb University.

Spicer earned First Team All-American, Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year and MAC Hermann Trophy semi-finalist honours.

His form at SSFL level continued with him to university as he managed 29 goals and 18 assists through 57 overall appearances for Lipscomb.

Spicer is Toronto's first addition for 2024 under general manager Jason Hernandez and head coach John Herdman, their new regime that's hoping to improve on a bottom-of-the-league table finish that led to Bob Bradley's departure midway through the 2023 season. The Reds scored just 26 goals last year, tied for the fewest in MLS.

According to the MLS, Hernandez said, "Tyrese possesses a unique combination of technical and physical qualities that align with our player profile and tactical blueprint.

"He also has a resilient mindset and a drive to improve, which makes him a great fit for TFC. We look forward to working with Tyrese to accelerate his growth as a player and person while helping us achieve our goals as a club.”

Toronto also had the number one pick before their 2007 expansion season, when they picked former US men's national team midfielder Maurice Edu. Spicer is the first-ever number-one SuperDraft pick from TT.

Duke University midfielder Wayne Frederick II, 19, the son of TT's Wayne Frederick, was drafted second overall by Colorado Rapids. The older Frederick is a former St Mary's College student and the former president of Howard University in Washington DC in the US.