SAN BRUNO, Calif. - West Coast Conference men's soccer heard its name called seven times during the 2026 Major League Soccer SuperDraft on Thursday with two Portland Pilots getting drafted in the first round.
The seven overall draft selections rank third in conference history after the nine overall selections the conference accured twice (1996 and 2205). The West Coast Conference also garnered eight draft picks in 2008. The two first-round draft picks are second to the conference-record five first-round picks set in 2025. The conference also boasted two first round selections in 2024, 2022 and 2004.
Portland boasted two first round picks in Joe Highfield (11th to Houston) and Nikos Clarke-Tomsczak (19th to Sporting Kansas City). The conference has boasted two first round draft picks from the same team on two other occasions - Oregon State in 2025 and Santa Clara in 2004. Highfield scored the game-winning goal over Grand Canyon in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. He and Clarke-Tomsczak led the No. 8 seed Pilots to the national quarterfinals.
The lone draft pick in the second round was Yeider Zuluaga from Seattle U going to Vancouver with the 59th overall pick.
Two San Diego players went in the third round - Noah James (62nd to Atlanta United) and Iain Wagner (84th to LAFC). James and Wagner were part of a San Diego squad that won the West Coast Conference championship for a conference-record fourth consecutive year. The Toreros entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 9 national seed.
Also in the third round, San Francisco's Brayden Beason went 73rd overall to Real Salt Lake and Lucas Fernandez-Kim from Oregon State was selected two picks later by Portland.
West Coast Conference Men's Soccer In The 2026 MLS SuperDraft
Round 1
Joe Highfield (Portland) - pick 11, Houston
Nikos Clarke-Tomsczak (Portland) - pick 19, Sporting Kansas City
Round 2
Yeider Zuluaga (Seattle U) - pick 59, Vancouver
Round 3
Noah James (San Diego) - pick 62, Atlanta United
Brayden Beason (San Francisco) - pick 73, Real Salt Lake
Lucas Fernandez-Kim (Oregon State) - pick 75, Portland
Iain Wagner (San Diego) - pick 84, LAFC