The Los Angeles Football Club selected forward Alec Hughes on Friday after trading for the 22nd pick in the first round of the 2025 MLS SuperDraft.

Hughes led the Atlantic 10 Conference with 16 goals in 2024, good for third in the nation while helping the University of Massachusetts advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship.

The Glastonbury, Connecticut product was the Atlantic 10 offensive player of the year for the third season in a row, the first person to do so. He departs UMass as the program leader in goals scored with 51, and is the only Atlantic 10 player to be recognized as the rookie of the year and an offensive player of the year.

Following his recently completed graduate season, his fifth as a Minuteman after taking advantage of an extra year of college eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 6-foot-4 Hughes was named a second team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches.

Hughes was one of 44 invitees for the 2024 Adidas MLS College Showcase, a four-day combine for collegiate prospects, earlier this month in San Diego. He is the first UMass player selected in the MLS SuperDraft.

LAFC began the day without a pick but they jumped into the first round, sending $50,000 in general allocation money (GAM) and a 2026 second-round pick to Inter Miami CF.

The Black & Gold previously traded away their natural selections in three separate deals: their first-rounder to Vancouver for Maxime Crepeau; their second-round spot to San Diego as part of a move that included forward Tomás Ángel for $200,000 in GAM; and a third-round pick along with $50,000 in GAM to D.C. United for the rights of first refusal on Lewis O’Brien.