ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis defender Max Floriani was selected second overall by the San Jose Earthquakes in today's Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft. He is the highest Billiken taken in the draft since Brian McBride and Matt McKeon went first in the MLS Inaugural Player Draft and MLS College Draft, respectively, in 1996.
"Max has set an amazing example for all future Billikens. His dedication to the process of getting better each day and becoming an elite player is remarkable," SLU head coach Kevin Kalish said. "Max chose the hard route to get to where he is today. We first saw him at our Prospect Camp, then he came in and red-shirted his freshmen season while learning and working under Kipp Keller and Chase Niece. Then each year after he played different roles, being a right back on our 2022 Championship team, to leading the team at center back the last two years. It is a great story to remind players to just focus on daily improvement and to be a great team player. Everything else will take care of itself.
"When you look at some of the best defenders we have produced, Max has all the same qualities – he is unbelievably competitive, tough, strong, intelligent, comfortable on the ball, and most importantly, a great teammate and leader."
Floriani appeared in 56 matches (53 starts) over three seasons with the Bills. In 2024, he drew first-team All-Conference honors while anchoring the Billiken back line that led the league in goals against average and shutouts percentage. Offensively, Floriani contributed seven points (3G, 1A), including a pair of game-winning goals.
Floriani helped the Billikens to NCAA Men's Soccer Championship appearances in 2022 and 2024. He was a redshirt on the Bills' 2021 squad that reached the NCAA quarterfinals.
A native of Gurnee, Illinois, Floriani was the 2020 Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year and 2020 IHSSCA Player of the Year after a standout prep career at Warren Township.
Saint Louis men's soccer has a long history of sending players to Major League Soccer. A total of 39 Billikens have been drafted in MLS, including nine who have been coached by Kalish at SLU.
Additionally, the Billiken program has had unparalleled success developing elite defensive players under Kalish. Since 2019, Kalish has coached four defenders selected in the MLS SuperDraft: Floriani, Kipp Keller (Austin FC), Chase Niece (FC Dallas) and Chandler Vaughn (LA Galaxy). Another defender, Mujeeb Murana, signed a homegrown contract with Houston Dynamo FC.
Kalish has also coached two A-10 Defenders of the Year in Diego Koninkcs (who is currently playing with Chicago Fire II) and Alberto Suarez.