Four players have officially graduated from the Generation adidas program ahead of the 2015 season.
Vancouver Whitecaps forward tandem Kekuta Manneh (pictured above) and Omar Salgado, as well as San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper David Bingham and Seattle Sounders forward/defender Eriq Zavaleta, have all graduated from the program.
Manneh scored four goals and added two assists in 29 league appearances in 2014, his second season in MLS, while Zavaleta made 15 MLS appearances this year in defense on loan with Chivas USA. It was also his second season in the league.
Bingham didn't make a league appearance for the Quakes in 2014, his fourth season as a pro, and was loaned to Norwegian club Strommen IF in August.
Salgado, the No. 1 overall MLS SuperDraft pick in 2011, made eight league appearances in 2014, and spent part of the season on loan with Vancouver's USL PRO affiliate Charleston Battery.
If teams wish to ensure the players who have graduated from Generation adidas will not be picked in the Expansion Draft next month, they must include them on their lists of 11 protected players.
The following players will comprise the Generation adidas class for 2015 and will be automatically protected as part of the Expansion Draft process:
Andre Blake (Philadelphia Union)
AJ Cochran (Houston Dynamo)
Christian Dean (Vancouver Whitecaps)
Marlon Hairston (Colorado Rapids)
Mike Lopez (Sporting Kansas City)
Damion Lowe (Seattle Sounders)
Jason Johnson (Houston Dynamo)
Eric Miller (Montreal Impact)
Schillo Tshuma (Portland Timbers)
Walker Zimmerman (FC Dallas)
Additionally, more players could be added to the Generation adidas program ahead of the 2015 season, as part of the incoming 2015 draft class.
