Syracuse lost two of its biggest offensive threats in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft on Thursday, with both midfielder Julian Buescher and forward Ben Polk selected to go pro.

Buescher accepted a Generation Adidas contract to become eligible for the draft as an underclassman. He was drafted No. 11 overall by D.C. United. Polk was taken 20th by the Portland Timbers with the last pick of the first round. Syracuse announced in a press release on Jan. 7 that Polk, a junior, had exhausted his NCAA eligibility after his one Division I season.

So lucky to start my career with @dcunited ! The journey begins now #SuperDraft #bethedifference

A photo posted by Julian Büscher (@julbue) on Jan 14, 2016 at 1:07pm PST

Buescher had a breakout campaign after a lackluster freshman season to help SU reach the College Cup for the first time in program history. The sophomore midfielder’s 11 assists tied him for the most in the Atlantic Coast Conference and he finished second on the Orange with 27 points.

Polk’s Syracuse career lasted only one season after transferring from Herkimer Community College, where he scored an astounding 33 goals in 19 games in 2014.

The junior forward spearheaded Syracuse’s offense and scored a conference-leading 12 goals. Five of his scores came in the ACC and NCAA tournaments, including a 79th-minute header against Boston College on Dec. 5 to launch Syracuse into the Final Four.

Five former Syracuse players have been selected in the MLS SuperDraft in the past two years, with Alex Bono, Skylar Thomas and Jordan Murrell getting the call last year.

Published on January 14, 2016 at 2:52 pm

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