LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Portland Timbers selected forward Jeremy Ebobisse and defender Michael Amick in the first two rounds of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft today at the LA Convention Center in Los Angeles, Calif.
Portland selected Ebobisse with the No. 4 overall pick in the first round, the team’s highest draft pick since taking midfielder Darlington Nagbe with the second overall pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft. The Timbers acquired the No. 4 pick in a trade with the Houston Dynamo in exchange for $100,000 of General Allocation Money, one international roster spot through Dec. 31, 2017, and Portland’s 10th overall pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft. Amick, a defender from UCLA, was selected No. 32 overall in the second round. The final two rounds – three and four – of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft will be held Tuesday, Jan. 17, via conference call.
Ebobisse, 19, played two seasons with Duke University (2014-2015) before signing a contract with MLS in 2016. In two years at Duke University (2014-15), Ebobisse tallied nine goals and seven assists in 38 games played (30 starts). In his final campaign with the Blue Devils, Ebobisse claimed NSCAA All-South Region second-team and All-ACC third-team honors. Additionally, Ebobisse captained the Blue Devils in the 2015 campaign, earning Duke’s Co-Offensive MVP honors after finishing the season with the second-most points (18) on the team. Following two seasons with Duke, Ebobisse joined the Charleston Battery on loan in 2016, scoring against FC Montreal in his first start with the team on Sept. 7. Internationally, the Bethesda, Md., native has represented the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team, scoring nine goals in eight appearances in 2016. Additionally, Ebobisse was named to the U.S. U-20 Men’s squad that competed at the 2016 Dallas Cup. At the club level, Ebobisse played for the Bethesda-Olney SC Academy, leading all USSDA players with 38 goals in 24 games in 2014.
Amick, 21, spent four seasons with UCLA (2013-2016), logging 73 games played (68 starts). A three-time team captain for UCLA (2014-2016), Amick earned first-team NSCAA All-Far West Region and third-team NSCAA All-America honors (2014), along with honorable mention All-Pacific 12 Conference honors Â(2015 and 2016), while also being named to the College Cup All-Tournament Team (2014). At the international level, Amick was a member of the U.S. U-18 Men’s National Team through 2012, competing for the U.S. at the 2012 Lisbon International Tournament in Lisbon, Portugal. Additionally, Amick has represented the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team, helping to lead the team to a runner-up finish at the 2014 Dallas Cup.
Jeremy Ebobisse (EE-BO-bis-see)
Position: Forward
Height: 6-0
Weight: 175
Born: Feb. 14, 1997, in Bethesda, Md.
College: Duke University
Citizenship: United States
Michael Amick
Position: Defender
Height: 6-0
Weight: 175
Born: April 3, 1995, in Sunnyvale, Calif.
College: UCLA
Citizenship: United States
