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College Soccer Professor: Mock 2010 MLS SuperDraft Rounds 3 & 4
Rounds 3 and 4 of Goal.com's mock 2010 MLS SuperDraft.
Dec 18, 2009 3:48:12 AM
By J.R. Eskilson
This is part two of Goal.com's 2010 MLS SuperDraft. Part one, featuring the first two rounds, can be found here.
Third Round
The theme of the third round is to improve your bench and find a hidden gem. It is difficult to project careers with the vast difference between these players in terms of quality of opponent. A lot of the players taken in this round are either ones who did not perform well at the combine or players with huge question marks surrounding their ceiling.
I am not going beat around the bush; I like Irving Garcia's game. The first word on every scouts' description will be "small" but that should not distract from a very skillful player. I have seen Garcia slice and dice through defenses like Sigi Schmid through a buffet. When I witnessed him play in the Big West final against UCSB, I wrote after the first half, "That was the best performance I have seen in college soccer this year." I stick to that statement. Garcia is a difference maker. Maybe you are thinking he won't be able to work his magic against bigger and stronger defenders at the next level. People have been saying that same thing since high school to Garcia. It hasn't stopped him yet.
Conor Chinn plied his college trade in the Bay Area, so he should be familiar with the Earthquakes staff. He has been a consistent scorer for a team that does not provide him with any service at all. It just would be great to hear him give a speech after he is selected, "I would like to thank Star Kick."
Neither Barry Rice nor Alan Sanchez were invited to the combine so why are they included in the draft? Well, the combine spurn is not the death notice for their professional career. Rice was a crucial part of the Chicago Fire's PDL team and was excellent on their run to the final last summer. I would find it incredibly hard to believe if Fire did not reward one of their own with a chance to make the real team. Sanchez is a great midfielder who many thought would be among the top twenty players. Bruce Arena loves his ACC players so I think he will take a chance here, even if Sanchez has other plans.
Bright Dike (his name is pronounced Dee-KAY. Confusion can get you in trouble here.) is a big powerful forward that can take over a game and run over defenders like a freight train. Jason Kreis could be the right motivation for him. He has sculpted a few good forwards in his time with RSL.
Fourth Round
There was no way I was only going to do three quarters of the work. So I decided on some hard hitting guess work for my fourth round picks. There is no certainty or logic in the this round. If you are an MLS scout, you are looking for a player that could turn into something in the right situation or you are drafting a player who decided to go to Europe. The point of selecting a player who has signed a contract in Europe is to hold onto his MLS rights for a couple seasons in case things don't work out in the land of the Euro. A lot of teams do not have the roster space to sign these guys.
Philly goes with in-state college stud, Jason Yeisley. He is a crafty forward who has netted quite a few goals in his days with the Nittany Lions. I am not sure his game will translate to the professional level, but it would be a nice selection for the local fans to rally behind.
Ross LaBauex was an unsung hero at the College Cup. He is not going to be noticed much, but he is going to do everything the coach tells him to. A couple questions remain about his abilities, though: does he have the motor to play this position in MLS? Virginia held him back a lot to protect their back four, but most MLS teams require box-to-box players. Is he strong enough in the tackle to be effective against MLS midfielders? We will know the answer for this one at the combine, so stay tuned.
Jordan Graye was part of the D.C. United Academy so it makes sense that he lands with his youth club. He is a tall outside back with decent wheels. He could be a good professional in a couple years as long as he does not have to take a penalty kick. (What? Too Soon?)
Martin Hedevag is a tall utility player who could develop into a less skilled Geoff Cameron, but he is European. I am banking on the fact he returns across the pond to earn a bigger paycheck.
Sixty-four picks later and we are done with our first attempt at a mock draft. Look for the reworked/updated version in a couple weeks.
Follow the College Soccer Professor at twitter.com/NCAAsoccer
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page
This is part two of Goal.com's 2010 MLS SuperDraft. Part one, featuring the first two rounds, can be found here.
Third Round
|
# |
Team |
Selection |
Pos. |
Previous Team |
|
33 |
Philadelphia Union |
Ronnie Bouemboue |
F |
N.C. State |
|
34 |
New York Red Bulls |
Drew Yates |
M |
Maryland |
|
35 |
Chivas USA |
Irving Garcia |
F |
UC Irvine |
|
36 |
Kansas City Wizards |
Stephen McCarthy |
M |
North Carolina |
|
37 |
San Jose Earthquakes |
Conor Chinn |
F |
San Francisco |
|
38 |
FC Dallas |
Mike Pezza |
M |
UCONN |
|
39 |
DC United |
Chris Schuler |
D |
Creighton |
|
40 |
Colorado Rapids |
Collen Warner |
F |
Portland |
|
41 |
Kansas City Wizards |
Freddie Braun |
F |
Louisville |
|
42 |
Chivas USA |
Ryan Peterman |
D |
San Diego |
|
43 |
Houston Dynamo |
Two-Boys Gumede |
M/F |
UAB |
|
44 |
FC Dallas |
Kevin Tangney |
D |
Maryland |
|
45 |
Chicago Fire |
Barry Rice |
D |
Kentucky |
|
46 |
Houston Dynamo |
Andrew Hoxie |
F |
William and Mary |
|
47 |
Los Angeles Galaxy |
Alan Sanchez |
M |
N.C. State |
|
48 |
Real Salt Lake |
Bright Dike |
F |
Notre Dame |
The theme of the third round is to improve your bench and find a hidden gem. It is difficult to project careers with the vast difference between these players in terms of quality of opponent. A lot of the players taken in this round are either ones who did not perform well at the combine or players with huge question marks surrounding their ceiling.
I am not going beat around the bush; I like Irving Garcia's game. The first word on every scouts' description will be "small" but that should not distract from a very skillful player. I have seen Garcia slice and dice through defenses like Sigi Schmid through a buffet. When I witnessed him play in the Big West final against UCSB, I wrote after the first half, "That was the best performance I have seen in college soccer this year." I stick to that statement. Garcia is a difference maker. Maybe you are thinking he won't be able to work his magic against bigger and stronger defenders at the next level. People have been saying that same thing since high school to Garcia. It hasn't stopped him yet.
Conor Chinn plied his college trade in the Bay Area, so he should be familiar with the Earthquakes staff. He has been a consistent scorer for a team that does not provide him with any service at all. It just would be great to hear him give a speech after he is selected, "I would like to thank Star Kick."
Neither Barry Rice nor Alan Sanchez were invited to the combine so why are they included in the draft? Well, the combine spurn is not the death notice for their professional career. Rice was a crucial part of the Chicago Fire's PDL team and was excellent on their run to the final last summer. I would find it incredibly hard to believe if Fire did not reward one of their own with a chance to make the real team. Sanchez is a great midfielder who many thought would be among the top twenty players. Bruce Arena loves his ACC players so I think he will take a chance here, even if Sanchez has other plans.
Bright Dike (his name is pronounced Dee-KAY. Confusion can get you in trouble here.) is a big powerful forward that can take over a game and run over defenders like a freight train. Jason Kreis could be the right motivation for him. He has sculpted a few good forwards in his time with RSL.
Fourth Round
|
# |
Team |
Selection |
Pos. |
Previous Team |
|
49 |
Philadelphia Union |
Jason Yeisley |
F |
Penn State |
|
50 |
New York Red Bulls |
Mark Blades |
D |
Northwestern |
|
51 |
San Jose Earthquakes |
Ross LaBauex |
M |
Virginia |
|
52 |
Kansas City Wizards |
Joseph Nane |
M |
Old Dominion |
|
53 |
Toronto FC |
Isaac Kissi |
M |
University of Dayton |
|
54 |
FC Dallas |
Michael Thomas |
M |
Notre Dame |
|
55 |
DC United |
Jordan Graye |
D |
UNC |
|
56 |
Colorado Rapids |
Adam Welch |
D |
Lehigh |
|
57 |
New England Revolution |
Nick Elenz-Martin |
M |
Brown |
|
58 |
Chivas USA |
David Estrada |
F |
UCLA |
|
59 |
Seattle Sounders |
Rich Martinez |
D |
Hofstra |
|
60 |
Columbus Crew |
Carlos Villa |
F |
Hartford |
|
61 |
Columbus Crew |
Justin Murrow |
D |
Notre Dame |
|
62 |
Houston Dynamo |
Samuel Appiah |
M |
Boston University |
|
63 |
Columbus Crew |
Seth Sinovic |
M |
Creighton |
|
64 |
Los Angeles Galaxy |
Martin Hedevag |
D/M |
UCSB |
There was no way I was only going to do three quarters of the work. So I decided on some hard hitting guess work for my fourth round picks. There is no certainty or logic in the this round. If you are an MLS scout, you are looking for a player that could turn into something in the right situation or you are drafting a player who decided to go to Europe. The point of selecting a player who has signed a contract in Europe is to hold onto his MLS rights for a couple seasons in case things don't work out in the land of the Euro. A lot of teams do not have the roster space to sign these guys.
Philly goes with in-state college stud, Jason Yeisley. He is a crafty forward who has netted quite a few goals in his days with the Nittany Lions. I am not sure his game will translate to the professional level, but it would be a nice selection for the local fans to rally behind.
Ross LaBauex was an unsung hero at the College Cup. He is not going to be noticed much, but he is going to do everything the coach tells him to. A couple questions remain about his abilities, though: does he have the motor to play this position in MLS? Virginia held him back a lot to protect their back four, but most MLS teams require box-to-box players. Is he strong enough in the tackle to be effective against MLS midfielders? We will know the answer for this one at the combine, so stay tuned.
Jordan Graye was part of the D.C. United Academy so it makes sense that he lands with his youth club. He is a tall outside back with decent wheels. He could be a good professional in a couple years as long as he does not have to take a penalty kick. (What? Too Soon?)
Martin Hedevag is a tall utility player who could develop into a less skilled Geoff Cameron, but he is European. I am banking on the fact he returns across the pond to earn a bigger paycheck.
Sixty-four picks later and we are done with our first attempt at a mock draft. Look for the reworked/updated version in a couple weeks.
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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