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SANDY — Real Salt Lake went to the midfield with its first selection of the 2016 MLS SuperDraft last week in North Carolina box-to-box possessor Omar Holness, then bolstered the defense with Notre Dame defender Max Lachowecki.
They followed the same script in Tuesday's later stages.
RSL selected Dayton midfielder Amass Amankona and Creighton goalkeeper Connor Sparrow in the third and fourth rounds of the MLS SuperDraft, held Tuesday via conference call.
RSL owned the fifth pick in the third round of the draft and used it to pick up Amankona, who earned 2015 Atlantic 10 most valuable player and midfielder of the year as a senior at Dayton. He had 13 goals and five assists and led the Flyers to a 13-5-5 record and a spot in the NCAA Tournament's second round.
The 5-foot-7 native of Kumasi, Ghana was a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann trophy given to the top player in the nation and second-team All-American.
But perhaps he was best known for a pair of dizzying goals in the postseason.
Amankona played briefly with the Ghanaian U-17 national team, when he was called into camp with the Black Stars' youth program during high school at Prempeh High School. He also played one year at the University of Ghana before transferring to Dayton and playing three seasons, including as a graduate student last year.
"Amass is a guy we've been watching for quite a while at Dayton," RSL general manager Craig Waibel said in a statement. "He's a creative midfielder who we think can develop into a No. 10 at the pro level."
Amankona becomes the seventh midfielder on RSL's official roster, per the team website. A source close to the RSL front office said Amankona will also be available for Real Monarchs SLC, as well as regular training sessions with the first team.
Most of Amankona's family lives in Ghana, but he has an aunt who lives in the United States — specifically, in Salt Lake City, making Real Salt Lake and its affiliates an attractive option for the aspiring pro.
With the fifth selection in the fourth round, RSL took Sparrow, a 6-foot-2 goalkeeper from St. Louis, led the Blue Jays posted a 32-10 record and 0.46 goals-against average as a senior in Omaha. A two-year starter, he allowed 32 goals during his college career at Creighton, making 126 saves at a 0.797 save percentage and helped the Jays to an Elite Eight appearance.
"Connor is a technically sound goalkeeper who fits the mold at RSL because he can make saves, but also can play with the ball at his feet," Waibel said.
Congratulations to Connor Sparrow on being selected in the 4th Round by @RealSaltLake in the 2016 @MLS#SuperDraft! pic.twitter.com/v5tMxiSCG8
— Creighton Soccer (@creightonmsoc) January 19, 2016
As a junior, Sparrow backstopped the Blue Jays' first-ever Big East title in 2014 with a 7-1-1 mark in conference play. He finished second nationally in goals-against average with 0.49 as a junior and took over the top spot on Creighton's all-time GAA list.
RSL also passed on one selection in the SuperDraft, its second fourth-round pick at No. 66 overall. RSL acquired an extra selection from New York City FC last August via trade on Aug. 11, 2014.
Sparrow would join RSL as the club's fourth goalkeeper, behind incumbent starter Nick Rimando, Jeff Attinella and Lalo Fernandez. RSL's third-division affiliate Real Monarchs currently only has two goalkeepers on roster, though Fernandez spent significant time on loan to the USL club in 2015.
Both draft picks are expected to join RSL when the club opens training camp next week in Oceanside, California.
