San Diego FC Makes the Right Call with Hamady Diop in the MLS Draft

San Diego FC didn’t quietly tiptoe into the MLS scene, they made some noise. With their picks in the 2024 Expansion Draft, the club sent a clear message: they’re here to compete, not just participate. In a single night, they selected five players, three to form the core of their inaugural roster and two to use as trade chips. Sound simple? Far from it.

Take Hamady Diop, for instance. This 22-year-old Senegalese center-back, who’s had stints with Charlotte FC and even played in Serbia’s top flight, isn’t just another name on the roster. He’s versatile, quick, and oozes potential, the kind of player who could anchor a defense for years to come.

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San Diego didn’t stop there. They used the draft to flex their strategic muscle. Two of their picks? They’re not even sticking around. Instead, the club flipped them for assets. And for those who aren’t fluent in MLS lingo, “assets” usually means General Allocation Money (GAM). Think of it as budget flexibility, extra cash to play with in the transfer market.

Now, $50,000 in GAM per player might not sound like much if you’re used to the jaw-dropping transfer fees in European soccer. But in MLS, that money counts. It’s the kind of funding that can tip the scales when it comes to signing key players or balancing the books. Want to land a marquee signing? GAM could be the ticket. Need to keep salary cap issues in check? Yep, GAM again.

As for Diop, he’s like a rough diamond waiting to be polished. His time at FK Čukarički in Serbia proved he’s not afraid of tough challenges. He’s been through the grind of Eastern European soccer, where the play is physical, and the atmosphere is nothing short of intense.

Here’s the thing, though, Diop isn’t arriving with a “finished product” label. With just four MLS appearances under his belt at Charlotte FC, he’s still got a lot to prove. Is it a gamble? Maybe. But it’s also a massive opportunity. San Diego clearly sees themselves as the club that can mold this young talent into something extraordinary. It’s a calculated risk, and honestly, the kind of bold move you want from a team aiming to make waves right out of the gate.

What stands out most is San Diego’s strategic brilliance. They’re not just drafting players to fill spots; they’re thinking about the bigger picture. The two players they traded? They were essentially pawns sacrificed to secure resources for the team’s future.

The choice to use two picks as bargaining chips raises an interesting point, it shows San Diego’s thinking ahead. Not just for 2025, but for the long haul. And we can’t overlook what this means for the teams that lost players in the draft. Getting $50,000 in GAM as compensation per player might not seem like a big deal, but it’s part of the system that keeps things balanced in the league.