Dylan Nealis played a vital role in helping Georgetown to the NCAA D-I men’s title. (Photo courtesy of Georgetown’s SID)

Georgetown University defender and Massapequa, N.Y. resident Dylan Nealis has signed as a 2020 Generation adidas player as he is eligible for selection for the MLS SuperDraft on Jan. 9.

Nealis, a MAC Hermann Trophy finalist, recorded four goals and five assists for the Hoyas, who captured their first NCAA Division I men’s soccer championship.

Stanford University defender Tanner Beason is a three-time national champion (2015, 2016, 2017) and a 2019 first team All-American with a career 20 goals and 11 assists in 81 games.

Featured among the top underclassmen preparing for the professional ranks are four Generation adidas signees, including Clemson University junior forward Robbie Robinson, also a MAC Hermann Trophy finalist who registered 18 goals and nine assists to finish the regular season tied as the No. 1 Division I goalscorer. Robinson secured multiple hat-tricks over the season and became the 2019 Atlantic Coast Conference offensive player of the year.

Also joining the Generation adidas class was Indiana University sophomore defender Jack Maher, the Big Ten defensive player of the year who converted three game-winning goals in 2019 after anchoring the Indiana backline to an NCAA Division I-leading 15 shutouts as a freshman.

University of Virginia junior Henry Kessler, a 6-4 stalwart center back, steadied the Cavaliers backline with 90 minutes played in all 24 games (21-2-1) that featured a nation-leading 15 shutouts. Rounding out the signings was Syracuse University sophomore midfielder Ryan Raposo, who recorded 15 goals and seven assists in 20 starts.

Generation adidas is a joint program between MLS and adidas which sees a handful of top collegiate underclassmen and youth national team players signed by MLS to Generation adidas contracts and made available in the SuperDraft. More information on Generation adidas is available here.

Expansion clubs Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC will have the first opportunities to select from this crop. Miami holds the first and third overall picks, and Nashville SC will have the second overall pick.

The complete list of players available for selection in the draft presented will be available within 48 hours prior to the event.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.