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Josh Drack was drafted in the first round of the 2021 MLS SuperDraft out of the University of Denver by the LA Galaxy, and all in all, had a very modern rookie season at the pro level.
A forward who was converted to left back, Drack got plenty of run at USL Championship level with LA Galaxy II, making 29 appearances (25 starts). He led Los Dos with nine assists, and showed he more than belonged at that level to kick off his pro career. He was also named the Los Dos Defender of the Year.
While he wasn’t signed to an MLS contract, Drack did make one appearance at MLS level in 2021, coming off the bench for a cameo as a hardship call-up while the Galaxy played through the Concacaf Gold Cup.
Here is Drack’s MLS statistics in 2021:
Josh Drack 2021 LA Galaxy Statistics
| 2021 | Games Played | Games Started | Minutes | Goals | Assists | Shots | SOG | Yellow Cards | Red Cards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Games Played | Games Started | Minutes | Goals | Assists | Shots | SOG | Yellow Cards | Red Cards |
| MLS | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Obviously, not much to see here. Drack got to do the run onto the field under the bright lights in a win over FC Dallas in July, and he’s got his MLS debut behind him.
What’s next? We’ll see. I think Drack looked very good at left back in the USL Championship and I think that’s a position in which players converted to fullback can make the jump up to MLS. But still, the jump is real, and it’s not a given that players will be able to step up at the next level.
Still, I think Drack can definitely be a pro at this position, and I think he has a shot at getting a first-team contract with the Galaxy, considering I expect the club to clear out the ranks at left back this offseason. His game is a modern, attacking fullback and shows he could be an auxiliary playmaker, which is certainly not a bad thing. But he remains untested on the defensive side at MLS level, and we’ll have to see if he gets more run in 2022 to answer that part of the question one way or another.
What do you think? Leave a comment below.