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College Soccer Professor: Mock 2010 MLS SuperDraft Rounds 1 & 2
Goal.com's College Professor J.R. Eskilson likes Ike in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft.
Dec 18, 2009 1:03:44 AM
By J.R. Eskilson
This is part one of Goal.com's 2010 MLS SuperDraft. Part two, featuring the third and fourth rounds, can be found here.
This is an early attempt at a mock (or projected) draft. All selections are educated guesses based on talent of the player and the needs of teams. In certain circumstances, the mental fortitude of coaches and general mangers were factored in.
Before we begin, four things to keep in mind (please read these four points first):
First, I assumed that both the U-17 stars (Luis Gil and Jack McInerney) would end up with a contract overseas instead of MLS. Don't fret, American soccer fans, it is better for their development. Plus, while we don't see them play for a few months, we can always follow their twitters for updates. Also, I assumed that Gale Agbossoumonde would be better off in Europe than MLS too. (Update: Dartmouth’s Craig Henderson signed a professional contract in Sweden, so he is out of the draft too.)
Second, an asterisk denotes a Generation adidas player. These are players that have left school early and fall under a special roster category. They are very valuable players because their salaries don’t count against the cap. The actual list of Generation adidas players has not been made yet, so the players used for this mock draft are informed guesses (with some help from Buzz Carrick's published list on 3rddegree.net).
Third, the announcement that Caleb Porter is going to stay as head coach at the University of Akron will likely influence Teal Bunbury's decision to enter the draft. I can't see him leaving early after his coach turned down a deal with MLS. This is a major hit to this draft class. (EDIT: Bunbury declared himself eligible for the draft. Expect him to go in the first five picks.)
Fourth, Division II, III, and NAIA players have been left off the original version of the draft because it is very hard to predict those players. When more information is available, those players will be added.
First Round
Lots of familiar names in this list; let's begin our dissection with the first pick. Ike Opara has been leading on MLS for three years now. (Don Garber has not been teased this much since that night he spent in Vegas evaluating their expansion team bid.) For Opara, it is time the Wake Forest star defender tested his skills at the professional level. I talked to Opara during the season and he mentioned the only thing he had left to do in college was win the treble (ACC league, tourney, and NCAA title). When Opara fell to the ground at the end of the semifinal defeat against Virginia, the look on his face was not an exasperation that said, "I am coming back next year." It was a look of, "Brian freaking Ownby just beat me in a foot race on a bad groin." That is not a memory that makes a player want a return trip. Corben Bone will follow Opara out the door. Bone is very technically gifted center midfielder that should be able to open up the San Jose attack and give it another dimension. I am not going to talk about the possibilities of a Bone to Johnson partnership in the Bay Area. Nope, not going to touch that with a ten foot pole.
As for FC Dallas' selection, google Arthur Ivo. Check the first link (thank you, dallas.soccerxpert.com), Schellas Hyndman circa 2008: "Arthur is one of the top recruits in the country. He's a left-sided player who could play in the midfield or at forward. He's a very talented, skillful player. We're very glad he's with us, because he certainly is not someone we would want to play against." Okay, good talk, Hyndman. But is Ivo really better than the other GAs? No. Dallas, we have a problem. (Wait, that is Houston's phrase. Damn it! How come Houston got the sweet movie phrase?) Until Hyndman grows up from the SMU pacifier, the influx of talent into this team will be limited.
Moving onto the mid-first round picks, Tony Tchani is an absolute steal at this point. He is among the top players on every club's draft board. For people who have not seen Tchani in action, he plays like Shalrie Joseph and looks like Avon Barksdale (shame on you if you haven’t seen The Wire). Then how could he fall to the seventh spot? All of the picks before him make too much sense to change. The only one that was a possibility of being reworked would be Akpan. However, he is from Dallas and they need a forward who can play right now. They only have two true forwards on their roster. Akpan is a polished player who could step into their line up tomorrow. So, where does this leave Tchani? Does this mean he should stick around in Virginia for another year? Maybe, but for now he stays in the draft until we hear otherwise.
Where to begin with Ofori Sarkodie? I spent two hours trying to convince myself that Sarkodie was a first round player. And while that may be true, he was awful this year. I am not saying that to be harsh, he just did not have a good year. Leaving him in the first round came down to his past performances outweighing his current form. I am going to speculate that he was burnt out with college. Hopefully, he will return to his former levels once he reaches MLS.
Probably the most shocking name on that list is Amobi Okugo. He is a freshman midfielder who had a stellar introductory season for UCLA. He was the number one high school prospect coming into the season, and by the end of the year he reinforced that with countless outstanding performances. He was so good that UCLA head coach Jorge Salcedo, to accommodate Okurgo, moved U.S. U-20 player Michael Stephens from center midfield to outside mid. Okugo has the motor that goes box to box and he can command the game. He is still really young but is a star in the making.
Second Round
The first pick of the second round is probably not where Michael Stephens thought he would end up when this season started. He was on the Generation adidas wish list last year, but a push to outside midfield put a huge damper on his game. The extra year he spent baking (no pun intended) in college cost him some serious (MLS) cash. He may have to pick up an extra shift at Home Depot now.
New York's selection of Nelson Becerra is an apology to their fans for not protecting Nick Zimmerman in the expansion draft. Becerra is an up and down type of player; when he is on, he can beat his man down the wing with ease. When he is off, he is a black hole. He played this season without any other attacking options around him, maybe when he is in an environment with other skillful players, he will shine. However, an important piece of knowledge to remember with all of New York's choices, Jeff Agoos may be in charge of these decisions. That is the equivalent of giving a lighter to a baby and not expecting the house to be on fire five minutes later. Seriously, New York? You didn't your lesson with Isaiah Thomas? At least draft day will be entertaining thanks to the Big Apple.
We go on a goalkeeper run here in the second round. Honestly, I don't think any other 'keepers will make a roster besides the three taken in this round. Perk leads the way with the national team exposure, but Bubonja has been no stiff for UIC. All three of these 'keepers are excellent prospects but most MLS Clubs are set at this position. Perk ends up in the Bay Area because Joe Cannon cannot play forever. Bubonja to Kansas City for the same reason -- Kevin Hartman is getting up there in years and dye jobs. New England just lost their reserve 'keeper to the expansion draft, they are on the prowl too.
Sheanon Williams is a talented outside back who took some bad advice and left school too early. If he had stuck around and been part of the College Cup run this season, he would be a first round choice. He is going to need a combine performance that shines above the rest in order to restore his first round value.
Villanueva? In the second round?! Without a combine! This is madness. Maybe, but I have yet to hear one person who did not absolutely glow when he or she spoke about his College Cup performance. That is the biggest stage for NCAA, and he was the best player at that event. If that does not garner a shot-in-the-dark second round pick, then this draft is heading up crap creek without a paddle. Doubt his size and his regular season statistics all you want, because when the season was on the line and Villanueva faced the toughest defenses in the country, he shined the brightest. That is the type of player that I want in my corner.
With David Walker coming off the board, it gives me the perfect opportunity to talk about the Big West. We all know the story of Chris Pontius, but how about some of the other players from that conference recently drafted? Last two years: Sean Franklin, Ciaran O’Brien, Andy Iro, Eric Avila, Brennan Tennelle, David Sias, and Quincy Amarikwa. Right, so six out of the eight (Pontius included) players are still with their teams. While two of them have been stellar, the jury is still out on the other four. Even though that does not seem overwhelming, the odds on a Big West player turning into a solid professional is better than any other league besides ACC. Oh, Walker is a small forward that plays hard and has a nose for the goal. He could be an excellent forward off the bench. Don't expect him to be the next Pontius, though, he is a different type of player.
Follow the College Soccer Professor at twitter.com/NCAAsoccer
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page
This is part one of Goal.com's 2010 MLS SuperDraft. Part two, featuring the third and fourth rounds, can be found here.
This is an early attempt at a mock (or projected) draft. All selections are educated guesses based on talent of the player and the needs of teams. In certain circumstances, the mental fortitude of coaches and general mangers were factored in.
Before we begin, four things to keep in mind (please read these four points first):
First, I assumed that both the U-17 stars (Luis Gil and Jack McInerney) would end up with a contract overseas instead of MLS. Don't fret, American soccer fans, it is better for their development. Plus, while we don't see them play for a few months, we can always follow their twitters for updates. Also, I assumed that Gale Agbossoumonde would be better off in Europe than MLS too. (Update: Dartmouth’s Craig Henderson signed a professional contract in Sweden, so he is out of the draft too.)
Second, an asterisk denotes a Generation adidas player. These are players that have left school early and fall under a special roster category. They are very valuable players because their salaries don’t count against the cap. The actual list of Generation adidas players has not been made yet, so the players used for this mock draft are informed guesses (with some help from Buzz Carrick's published list on 3rddegree.net).
Third, the announcement that Caleb Porter is going to stay as head coach at the University of Akron will likely influence Teal Bunbury's decision to enter the draft. I can't see him leaving early after his coach turned down a deal with MLS. This is a major hit to this draft class. (EDIT: Bunbury declared himself eligible for the draft. Expect him to go in the first five picks.)
Fourth, Division II, III, and NAIA players have been left off the original version of the draft because it is very hard to predict those players. When more information is available, those players will be added.
First Round
| Pick # | Team | Selection | Pos. | Previous Team |
| 1 | Philadelphia Union | Ike Opara* | D | Wake Forest |
| 2 | New York Red Bulls | Dilly Duka* | M | U-20s |
| 3 | San Jose Earthquakes | Corben Bone* | M | Wake Forest |
| 4 | Kansas City Wizards | Danny Mwanga* | F | Oregon State |
| 5 | FC Dallas | Arthur Ivo* | M | SMU |
| 6 | FC Dallas | Andre Akpan | F | Harvard |
| 7 | DC United | Tony Tchani* | M | Virginia |
| 8 | Columbus Crew | Ofori Sarkodie | D | Indiana |
| 9 | New England Revolution | Toni Stahl | M | UCONN |
| 10 | Chivas USA | Kyle Nakazawa | F | UCLA |
| 11 | Seattle Sounders | Andrew Wiedeman* | F | Cal |
| 12 | Columbus Crew | Austin da Luz | M | Wake Forest |
| 13 | Chicago Fire | Kwame Watson-Siriboe | D | UCONN |
| 14 | New York Red Bulls | Zack Schilawski | F | Wake Forest |
| 15 | Los Angeles Galaxy | Amobi Okugo* | M | UCLA |
| 16 | Real Salt Lake | Zach Loyd | D | North Carolina |
Lots of familiar names in this list; let's begin our dissection with the first pick. Ike Opara has been leading on MLS for three years now. (Don Garber has not been teased this much since that night he spent in Vegas evaluating their expansion team bid.) For Opara, it is time the Wake Forest star defender tested his skills at the professional level. I talked to Opara during the season and he mentioned the only thing he had left to do in college was win the treble (ACC league, tourney, and NCAA title). When Opara fell to the ground at the end of the semifinal defeat against Virginia, the look on his face was not an exasperation that said, "I am coming back next year." It was a look of, "Brian freaking Ownby just beat me in a foot race on a bad groin." That is not a memory that makes a player want a return trip. Corben Bone will follow Opara out the door. Bone is very technically gifted center midfielder that should be able to open up the San Jose attack and give it another dimension. I am not going to talk about the possibilities of a Bone to Johnson partnership in the Bay Area. Nope, not going to touch that with a ten foot pole.
As for FC Dallas' selection, google Arthur Ivo. Check the first link (thank you, dallas.soccerxpert.com), Schellas Hyndman circa 2008: "Arthur is one of the top recruits in the country. He's a left-sided player who could play in the midfield or at forward. He's a very talented, skillful player. We're very glad he's with us, because he certainly is not someone we would want to play against." Okay, good talk, Hyndman. But is Ivo really better than the other GAs? No. Dallas, we have a problem. (Wait, that is Houston's phrase. Damn it! How come Houston got the sweet movie phrase?) Until Hyndman grows up from the SMU pacifier, the influx of talent into this team will be limited.
Moving onto the mid-first round picks, Tony Tchani is an absolute steal at this point. He is among the top players on every club's draft board. For people who have not seen Tchani in action, he plays like Shalrie Joseph and looks like Avon Barksdale (shame on you if you haven’t seen The Wire). Then how could he fall to the seventh spot? All of the picks before him make too much sense to change. The only one that was a possibility of being reworked would be Akpan. However, he is from Dallas and they need a forward who can play right now. They only have two true forwards on their roster. Akpan is a polished player who could step into their line up tomorrow. So, where does this leave Tchani? Does this mean he should stick around in Virginia for another year? Maybe, but for now he stays in the draft until we hear otherwise.
Where to begin with Ofori Sarkodie? I spent two hours trying to convince myself that Sarkodie was a first round player. And while that may be true, he was awful this year. I am not saying that to be harsh, he just did not have a good year. Leaving him in the first round came down to his past performances outweighing his current form. I am going to speculate that he was burnt out with college. Hopefully, he will return to his former levels once he reaches MLS.
Probably the most shocking name on that list is Amobi Okugo. He is a freshman midfielder who had a stellar introductory season for UCLA. He was the number one high school prospect coming into the season, and by the end of the year he reinforced that with countless outstanding performances. He was so good that UCLA head coach Jorge Salcedo, to accommodate Okurgo, moved U.S. U-20 player Michael Stephens from center midfield to outside mid. Okugo has the motor that goes box to box and he can command the game. He is still really young but is a star in the making.
Second Round
| # | Team | Selection | Pos. | Previous Team |
| 17 | Philadelphia Union | Michael Stephens | M | UCLA |
| 18 | Red Bull New York | Nelson Becerra | M | St. John’s |
| 19 | San Jose Earthquakes | Brian Perk | G | UCLA |
| 20 | Kansas City Wizards | Jovan Bubonja | G | UIC |
| 21 | FC Dallas | Paulo da Silva | M | SMU |
| 22 | Colorado Rapids | Sheanon Williams* | D | U-20s |
| 23 | Colorado Rapids | Conor O’Brien | M | Bucknell |
| 24 | Toronto FC | Phil Edginton | D | Louisville |
| 25 | New England Revolution | Sean Johnson* | G | U-20s |
| 26 | Chivas USA | Nick Cardenas | D | San Diego State |
| 27 | Seattle Sounders | Mauro Fuzetti | M | Michgan |
| 28 | San Jose Earthquakes | Justin Davis | F | New Mexico |
| 29 | Chicago Fire | Jonathan Villanueva | M | Virginia |
| 30 | Red Bull New York | Tim Ream | D | St. Louis |
| 31 | Los Angeles Galaxy | David Walker | F | UCSB |
| 32 | Real Salt Lake | Eric Alexander | M | Indiana |
The first pick of the second round is probably not where Michael Stephens thought he would end up when this season started. He was on the Generation adidas wish list last year, but a push to outside midfield put a huge damper on his game. The extra year he spent baking (no pun intended) in college cost him some serious (MLS) cash. He may have to pick up an extra shift at Home Depot now.
New York's selection of Nelson Becerra is an apology to their fans for not protecting Nick Zimmerman in the expansion draft. Becerra is an up and down type of player; when he is on, he can beat his man down the wing with ease. When he is off, he is a black hole. He played this season without any other attacking options around him, maybe when he is in an environment with other skillful players, he will shine. However, an important piece of knowledge to remember with all of New York's choices, Jeff Agoos may be in charge of these decisions. That is the equivalent of giving a lighter to a baby and not expecting the house to be on fire five minutes later. Seriously, New York? You didn't your lesson with Isaiah Thomas? At least draft day will be entertaining thanks to the Big Apple.
We go on a goalkeeper run here in the second round. Honestly, I don't think any other 'keepers will make a roster besides the three taken in this round. Perk leads the way with the national team exposure, but Bubonja has been no stiff for UIC. All three of these 'keepers are excellent prospects but most MLS Clubs are set at this position. Perk ends up in the Bay Area because Joe Cannon cannot play forever. Bubonja to Kansas City for the same reason -- Kevin Hartman is getting up there in years and dye jobs. New England just lost their reserve 'keeper to the expansion draft, they are on the prowl too.
Sheanon Williams is a talented outside back who took some bad advice and left school too early. If he had stuck around and been part of the College Cup run this season, he would be a first round choice. He is going to need a combine performance that shines above the rest in order to restore his first round value.
Villanueva? In the second round?! Without a combine! This is madness. Maybe, but I have yet to hear one person who did not absolutely glow when he or she spoke about his College Cup performance. That is the biggest stage for NCAA, and he was the best player at that event. If that does not garner a shot-in-the-dark second round pick, then this draft is heading up crap creek without a paddle. Doubt his size and his regular season statistics all you want, because when the season was on the line and Villanueva faced the toughest defenses in the country, he shined the brightest. That is the type of player that I want in my corner.
With David Walker coming off the board, it gives me the perfect opportunity to talk about the Big West. We all know the story of Chris Pontius, but how about some of the other players from that conference recently drafted? Last two years: Sean Franklin, Ciaran O’Brien, Andy Iro, Eric Avila, Brennan Tennelle, David Sias, and Quincy Amarikwa. Right, so six out of the eight (Pontius included) players are still with their teams. While two of them have been stellar, the jury is still out on the other four. Even though that does not seem overwhelming, the odds on a Big West player turning into a solid professional is better than any other league besides ACC. Oh, Walker is a small forward that plays hard and has a nose for the goal. He could be an excellent forward off the bench. Don't expect him to be the next Pontius, though, he is a different type of player.
Follow the College Soccer Professor at twitter.com/NCAAsoccer
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page
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