PHILADELPHIA – In a draft class littered with talented young players, Oregon State forward Khiry Shelton was perhaps the best upperclassmen of the bunch.
New York City FC made him theirs with the second overall pick of the MLS SuperDraft and the first draft pick in their franchise's history, giving the 2015 MLS expansion side a talented striker prospect out of the Pac-12 heading into the preseason.
A 6-foot-3, 175-pound prospect originally from Texas who has played for the Portland Timbers Under-23 team, Shelton was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year as a senior last season and led the Beavers to the NCAA tournament for the first time in over a decade.
Shelton scored 10 goals and added 12 assists during his last year on campus in Corvallis, and joins a group of former Beavers forwards who made their way to MLS, including Alan Gordon, Robbie Findley, Danny Mwanga and Ryan Johnson.
Although hounded by injuries during his time in college, Shelton was fully healthy as a senior and considered one of the top forwards in the draft class when he arrived at the 2015 adidas MLS Player Combine last weekend in Florida.
San Jose Earthquakes head coach Dominic Kinnear told SixiusXM FC on Thursday that the Quakes tried to deal allocation money to NYCFC for the second overall pick, but no deal could be reached.
Shelton joins Designated Player and former Spanish international David Villa and MLS youngster Patrick Mullins as the top attacking threats for NYCFC, who also added USMNT international Mix Diskerud earlier this week.
