Monday MLS Breakdown: Draft Grades

By Kyle McCarthy

How do you grade teams on potential?

That's the question I always fight as I try to evaluate teams in the aftermath of the MLS SuperDraft. Teams won't know for a couple of years whether they had a successful draft or whether they struck out. But the luxury of time isn't afforded to those who need an instantaneous way to distinguish the haves from the have nots without a game being played by any of these rookies.

The uncertainty forces the grading curve northwards. There isn't a D or F in the bunch because there simply aren't any results to judge and saddling a team with a scarlet letter isn't appropriate. Instead, this grading system relies on the median (15 teams on a B-median means no more than seven teams can grade higher than a B) and the criteria to dish out its marks from A to C.

What are the criteria? There are three: (1) the players acquired, (2) the team's needs and (3) the team's ability to use the picks on hand to improve the team through trade or selection.

Without any further ado, let's check the instant report cards:

* - denotes Generation adidas player

Toronto – A

Sam Cronin (2), O'Brian White (4), Stefan Frei* (13), Mike Grella (34), Kyle Hall (39)

Forget about the top three picks. Anyone could have made those picks and any team would love to have those three players. TFC earned the A for its last two selections. Grella may just end up back in MLS if his European trials don't pan out; if he does, it will make anyone who passed on him from the second round onwards look foolish. Hall is a tricky little Canadian winger who might be able to make the team with Johann Smith examining European options in Croatia and with wide play not a team strength.

Houston – A-

Daniel Cruz* (41), Marcus Tracy (56)

The Dynamo accomplished a lot with very little. Taking Cruz was a no-brainer. In the third round of the SuperDraft, grabbing a roster protected player makes sense, especially when most players at that stage washout on the team's dime. Picking Tracy is a better gamble than any player left on the board at that point. At least if Tracy returns, the Dynamo can bank on him being worth a roster spot.

Los Angeles – A-

Omar Gonzalez* (3), A.J. Delagarza (19), Josh Boateng (33), Kyle Patterson (48)

In Gonzalez and Delagarza, Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena acquired two players who want to defend. There weren't many of those on the roster last season. Boateng and Patterson are two players who will give Arena training camp options in the wide areas, another sore spot. Note that Dema Kovalenko isn't listed here because his deal didn't involve a draft pick, but that's another good pickup for Los Angeles to help fill that holding midfield role.

D.C. United – B+

Rodney Wallace* (6), Chris Pontius (7), Milos Kocic (21), Lyle Adams (26), Brandon Barklage (36)

I remain perplexed as to why United would go with Wallace instead of Kevin Alston or Stefan Frei. Apparently, United deemed its left back need too pressing to go with a right back or a goalkeeper. Pontius should give United decent cover in a couple of spots. I'm not sold on Kocic, but others are and he can't be appreciably worse than the second and third options already in house. Adams could make the team, but Barklage likely won't. All in all, not a bad effort.

Seattle – B+

Steve Zakuani* (1), Evan Brown (16), Jared Karkas (31), Michael Fucito (46)

Here's the message I get from this draft if I'm Khano Smith: rent, don't buy. Zakuani might see more time out wide left this season than he will straight through the middle. Fucito is also a left-sided player, though one wonders about his MLS potential since New England has seen him frequently at Harvard and passed on him six times before Seattle swooped. Brown and Karkas give the team some needed fullback depth.

Colorado – B+

Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe (28), Steward Ceus (37), Ross Schunk (47), Jordan Seabrook (51), Henry Kalungi (53), Michael Holody (59), Matt Pickens (trade), Ty Harden (trade)

Put aside the boatload of mediocrity the Rapids hauled in with their six late-round selections. In Pickens and Harden, the Rapids acquired two potential starters. How many other teams can put that on their ledger? Aside from Pickens and Harden, Colorado went for speed and generally found it.

Chicago – B

Baggio Husidic* (20), David Sias (43), Jokull Elisbetarson (52), Richard Jata (58), allocation money (trade)

Husidic is good value for the money in the second round. He's a local boy who won't count against the salary budget, but he might not have a position in MLS either. Elisbetarson could stick, though that pesky Icelandic passport won't help him much. Perhaps the best take from the draft is the allocation money; the Fire can use it to pay down some of the inevitable spillover on the salary budget or acquire yet another attacking option.

New England – B

Kevin Alston* (10), Ryan Maxwell (15), Andrei Gotsmanov (24), Denaldin Hamzagic (25), Chris Salvaggione (38), Darrius Barnes (40), Tyrel Lacey (55)

Picking up Alston at ten is a steal considering many had him in the top five or six. Maxwell has tons of pace. Aside from that, the rest of the draft is take it or leave it for me. With the large number of picks, the Revs should have taken more risks (Grella and Tracy to name two) and left their own risks (Hamzagic) to later in the draft.

New York – B

Jeremy Hall* (11), Babajide Ogunbiyi (18), Jack Traynor (29), Nick Zimmerman (44)

Given the need for players who can step in and contribute this season, this draft haul leaves something wanting. Hall will need to ease into MLS play, while Ogunbiyi screams raw and unpolished defensive prospect. Traynor's a nice enough player at the end of the second round. He might end up as the one guy who can give the Red Bulls some minutes this year.

San Jose – B

Brad Ring (17), Quincy Amarikwa (32)

The Earthquakes had two picks and made them count. Ring's a decent central midfield option in an area where San Jose could use some depth. Amarikwa is a feisty, undersized forward who might have to switch out wide in the pros. Considering the circumstances, this isn't a bad group.

Chivas USA – B-

Michael Lahoud (9), Kyle Christensen (35), Jamie Franks (49), Ante Jazic (trade)

If I were to make a list of needs for the Goats, central midfielder would rank somewhere behind goalkeeper, left wing, right wing, striker and central defender. So imagine my surprise when Chivas tabbed Lahoud – who impressed in a holding midfield role at the combine but can play anywhere across the midfield four – instead of the roster-protected goalkeeper Frei. It didn't make a ton of sense then and it still doesn't now. Grabbing Jazic for some defensive depth is a nice move if the Goats can get him to take a salary cut.

FC Dallas – B-

Peri Marosevic* (5), George John (14), Brian Shriver (27)

FCD likely left better players on the board with each of its three selections. Marosevic turned a nice combine into a higher draft spot than he likely deserved. His ample ground game won't replace the change of pace Dominic Oduro provided. Central defender John has heart, soul and a balky knee. Shriver is the typical outstanding college midfielder/forward who struggles to make the adjustment to the next level. The two first-round picks FCD possessed required a more significant haul.

Kansas City – B-

Matt Besler (8), Doug DeMartin (22), Graham Zusi (23), Neal Kitson (42), Akeem Priestley (50)

Let's deal with the good first. Besler is a nice pick who fills a glaring central defensive need, even if he might have gone a bit higher than expected. Aside from Besler, it's difficult to get excited about this crop. DeMartin and Zusi are attacking tweeners joining a team full of them already. In Kitson and Priestley, the Wizards tabbed guys who are longshots to make it in MLS. With five picks and three in the top 23, the total draft class fell short of expectations.

Columbus – C+

Paul Gerstenberger (30), Alex Grendi (45), Chris Clements (60)

It seems like the Crew took one big pass on this draft. Gerstenberger plays a heady left back, so there's a chance he might stick. The Grendi pick is the one that sticks in my craw. There were better players available with this pick. Clements didn't bathe himself in combine glory either.

Real Salt Lake – C

Jean Alexandre (12), Raphael Cox (54), Futhi Bhembe (57)

When I asked RSL general manager Garth Lagerwey about his surprising selection of Alexandre at number 12, he said the team tracked him for a year and loved his athleticism. He also called him one of the best players at the combine, which is peculiar considering I wouldn't have put him in the top 20 and few others had positive things to say about his performance either. Even conceding the point, Alexandre's probably a guy RSL could have had in the second round if it traded down to a team looking for a back-end first round pick. In a draft where a few teams did a good job of maximizing their intake, RSL squandered a chance to do more.

Kyle McCarthy writes the Monday MLS Breakdown and frequently writes opinion pieces during the week for Goal.com. Contact him with your questions or comments at kylemccarthy@gmail.com.