Indiana men’s soccer senior defender Hugo Bacharach was drafted ninth overall by Minnesota United FC in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft this Tuesday.
Bacharach becomes the seventh consecutive player from the Hoosiers to be selected in the top 10, dating back to 2018 when Mason Toye was also selected by Minnesota United.
“I’m feeling very, very good,” Bacharach said in an interview on Apple TV. “This is a dream come true.”
In 2023, Bacharach was third on the team in goal involvements with four goals and four assists, behind only senior forward Maouloune Goumballe and junior forward Sam Sarver.
Bacharach started the season as a defender, playing alongside senior defender Joey Maher, but he showed skill with the ball and good vision, which encouraged Indiana head coach Todd Yeagley to bump him to midfield in a game against Penn State on Oct. 7.
The switch yielded immediate results as Bacharach had a pair of assists and led Indiana to its first Big Ten win of the season.
From there, Yeagley opted to play Maher and senior defender Jansen Miller in the back and move Bacharach to the midfield permanently.
The Hoosiers started to play better once Bacharach was given a new role and won 12 out of their last 14 games in the season. In that stretch, Bacharach had a goal and assist against Rutgers on Oct. 29, a goal and assist against Michigan on Nov. 8, and two goals against Wake Forest University on Nov. 19.
Bacharach was also part of six clean sheets this season — three as a defender and three as a midfielder. Beyond the scoring statistics, Bacharach dominated the midfield, helping Indiana impose its style of play and control the game. The now-midfielder dictated rhythm, broke defense lines with vertical passes and most duels – both aerial and on the ground.
Bacharach made an impact in his lone year playing for the Hoosiers, but his fluid soccer is not a recent phenomenon. Before transferring to Indiana, the then-defender from Benicassim, Spain, played three seasons at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
For the Knights, Bacharach made the All-Northeast Conference first-team three seasons in a row. In the same span, he played 38 games and had seven goals, two assists, and helped attain 15 clean sheets.
“I spent three great years at FDU, where I met incredible people,” Bacharach said Tuesday. “We were very successful in our league.”
At the conclusion of the season the Spaniard made the Top Drawer Soccer third-team Best XI and was ranked No. 30 in the Top Drawer Soccer Postseason Top 100.
“Hugo has some special skillsets,” Yeagley said after the game against DePaul University on Aug. 29. “He can surge forward, you saw him get in the final third and he has really good feet. Very rare player for that size with agility with the ball, and that’s why he’ll translate to the next level.”
