Philadelphia moves up to select Joshua Yaro 2nd overall in SuperDraft

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The prospect of selecting a defender who may anchor a club for years to come was enough to persuade Jim Curtin to make a move.

The Philadelphia Union, after trading away allocation money to the Colorado Rapids to acquire a higher draft pick, selected versatile Georgetown defender Joshua Yaro second overall in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft on Thursday.

Related: Colorado Rapids trade 2nd overall SuperDraft pick to Philadelphia Union

The Generation Adidas signing, who'd long been pegged as the consensus No. 1 selection, has the ability to play in both central defense and at right-back, and will be expected to start on opening day for a Philadelphia side that conceded a league-worst 58 goals last season.

Though he struggled somewhat at the combine in South Florida - some have expressed concerns about his ability to be a commanding central defender given his relatively modest 5-foot-11 frame - his combination of sheer athleticism and blistering pace left many coaches enamored with the Big East's 2015 Defensive Player of the Year.

Related - Georgetown's Joshua Yaro: Meet the best defender in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft

A supremely gifted athlete, Yaro has all the physical tools to become a cornerstone of Philadelphia's backline - regardless of where he plays - for the foreseeable future, and will likely see plenty of the pitch during his inaugural season at Talen Energy Stadium.