LAFC selected two players in the first two rounds of the 2020 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas. The Club picked goalkeeper Paulo Pita in the first round (24th overall) and forward Jack Hallahan in the second round (50th overall).
LAFC still holds selections in each of the final two rounds of the SuperDraft – the 74th and 102nd picks. Rounds three and four will be held on Monday, January 13.
In two years at Marshall University, Pita posted a 23-10-6 record, while starting all 37 matches he appeared in. He recorded 145 saves and 11 shutouts, and finished with a 1.1 goals against average and a 0.77 save percentage. Pita was a three-time C-USA Defensive Player of the Week, co-winner of the C-USA Golden Glove Award, and selected to the All-Conference USA Second Team.
Prior to Marshall, Pita played two seasons at the University of Charleston and backstopped the Eagles to the Division II National Championship in 2017. As a sophomore, he registered a 20-1-2 record, including 16 shutouts in 2,097 minutes, and would be named a First Team NCAA All-American, the Most Outstanding Defensive Player, and to the NCAA All-Tournament Team.
A four-year starter for powerhouse University of Michigan, Hallahan finished his collegiate career with 26 goals and 21 assists in 79 matches (70 starts). In 2019, he tallied five goals and six assists, and was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Tournament.
Hallahan, 23, was a three-time United Soccer Coaches All-North Region and All-Big Ten First Team (2017-19). The 6-foot forward was also named to the 2018 All-American Second Team and was a 2018 MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist. Hallahan helped the Wolverines to three consecutive NCAA berths and to the B1G Championship the past two years.
VITALS
Full Name: Paulo Pita
Position: Goalkeeper
Born: 06/03/1994
Height: 6-3
Weight: 200 lbs.
Hometown: São Paulo, Brazil
Last Team: Marshall University (NCAA)
Citizenship: Brazil
Instagram: @paulopitagk
VITALS
Full Name: Jack Hallahan
Position: Forward
Born: 11/17/1996
Height: 6-0
Weight: 175 lbs.
Hometown: Redditch, England
Last Team: University of Michicagn (NCAA)
Citizenship: United Kingdom
Instagram: @jackhallahn_
TRANSACTION: Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) selects goalkeeper Paulo Pita in the first round (24th overall) and forward Jack Hallahan in the second round (50th overall) of the 2020 MLS SuperDraft.
