SAN DIEGO – On Thursday afternoon, a pair of San Diego men's soccer student-athletes were selected in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft. USD junior midfielder Noah James was taken in the third round at 62nd overall by Atlanta FC, while sophomore midfielder Iain Wagner was drafted in the third round at 84th overall by LAFC.
James, had a fantastic junior season in his first year at USD as he earned a spot on the All-WCC Second Team after starting all 19 matches for the Toreros. He helped San Diego author one of the program's most impressive comeback victories when he scored two late goals including the game winner in the final seconds as USD took down California Baptist at Torero Stadium.
Noah totaled eight points during the 2025 campaign as he scored a pair of goals and accumulated four assists in his 1,653 minutes on the pitch.
Wagner, put together a breakout season in his second collegiate campaign as he led San Diego in both goals (9) and points (22) as he found the back of the net in each of the Toreros' final four games of the season.
Playing in all 19 matches and making 15 starts in 2025, Iain was named to the All-WCC First Team as well as the WCC All-Academic Team after excelling both on the pitch and the classroom.
Both Torero student-athletes are San Diego area natives as James starred at Poway High School, while Wagner prepped at Saint Augustine before making his way to USD.
This year's draft marks the second consecutive season that multiple San Diego student-athletes were selected in the MLS SuperDraft as Donovan Parisian went in the first round last season, and Samy Kanaan was picked in the second round during the 2025 SuperDraft.
In total, the West Coast Conference had six student-athletes selected during Thursday's draft, with Portland and USD the lone programs to have multiple players selected in the 90 athlete draft.
San Diego men's soccer team will enter the 2026 season seeking their fifth straight West Coast Conference title after making history in 2025 by winning their fourth consecutive conference championship. Stay tuned to the team's website for more updates ahead of the fall season.
