Updated MLS Draft Resources

Updated draft resources (below).  Added new mock drafts for MLSDraft.net and Goal.com.  Also included some older versions of the mock drafts for this who might be interested.  Still no forward rankings from Buzz, but hopefully that will come out in the next couple of days.

Coming up I intend to give my thoughts on RSL draft strategy based on my knowledge of RSL needs, philosophy, and players available.  Also, I’ll pass along some of the MLS Combine info as soon as it starts to come out from this weekend’s action – the schedule of games is as follows, and you can find the rosters here:

Saturday, January 9
3:00 p.m.   Predator X vs. Jabulani 4:45 p.m.   Condivo vs. F50i

Sunday, January 10
2:00 p.m.   Predator X vs. Condivo 3:45p.m.   F50i vs. Jabulani

Tuesday, January 12
9:30 a.m.   Jabulani vs. Condivo 11:15 a.m.   Predator X vs. F50i

 

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ESPN, Buzz Carrick: Goalkeeper Rankings, Defender Rankings, Midfielder Rankings, Forward Rankings

Pro Player Pipeline, Joe Mauceri: Overall Rankings, Goalkeeper Rankings, Defender Rankings, Midfielder Rankings, Forward Rankings

Soccer By Ives, Ives Galarcep: Mock Draft 2.0, Draft Big Board

MLSDraft.net, Sean Keay: Mock Draft 3.0, Mock Draft 2.0, Mock Draft 1.0

WVHooligan, Drew Epperley: Mock Draft 3.0, Mock Draft 2.0, Mock Draft 1.0

Goal.com, J.R. Eskilson: Mock Draft 2.0, College Soccer Professor: 2010 Mock Draft

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Some Worthwhile Reading

Four interesting articles:

First article is very enlightening on Mwanga's thought process relative to MLS.

I thought the second one was a joke at first, but read it through – he’s serious.

The third shows the positioning that’s starting to go on between the two sides in the CBA negotiations, with FIFPro as an ally to the players union.

The final article tries to clarify some of the assertions that FIFPro is trying to make. It’s becoming more clear that this is (at least partially) a clash between the traditional structure of American sports and the structure of international club sports. Of course, the single-entity structure is somewhat unique to both cultures.

OSU's Danny Mwanga: No. 1 pick in MLS SuperDraft?: Toshio Suzuki, OregonLive.com

"I wanted to go to Europe," he said, "and I didn't want to be in the MLS for that long."

"One week after meeting with Nowak, Mwanga changed his mind about the MLS. His contract includes a marketing aspect from Adidas and performance incentives from the league."

"Both of Mwanga's former coaches agree that Nowak's willingness to fly to Portland and make a personal appeal is a strong indication Mwanga could be the No. 1 pick in the draft."

A birth certificate worth questioning: Mark Zeigler, The San Diego Union-Tribune

"He is 20 now and headed for his sixth pro club in seven years, meaning we can no longer pass off his rapidly spiraling career to mere youth and inexperience. Instead, we are left with two basic explanations:

1. He has crumbled under the weight of unrealistic expectations.

2. He’s not how old he says he is."

Updated: Donovan, Keller Blast League Over CBA Talks: TJ, MLS Daily

• Player contracts are routinely terminated by the league during their term, as almost 80% of players in MLS do not have guaranteed contracts;
• MLS operates as a cartel in that every player’s contract must be entered into with the league instead of his club;
• The contract of virtually every player in the league contains multiple unilateral one-year options that may only be exercised by the league;
• Virtually any player in the league can be transferred to another club within the league without his consent even if such transfer is international, such as a transfer from an MLS club in the United States to or from an MLS club in Canada;
• There is no freedom of movement for any MLS player to any other MLS clubs when his contract expires – in fact, even if a player’s contract is unilaterally terminated by a club during its term, that club continues to hold such player’s rights and he is prohibited from signing with another club in the league.

FIFPro's latest salvo: fact and fiction: Ridge Mahoney, Soccer America Daily

"Stalemated in its efforts to spark momentum in the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations with MLS, the players' union is rallying more support overseas. FIFPro, the international players' union, has fired another salvo to apply pressure on MLS as well as FIFA. Without taking sides, Soccer America is presenting FIFPro's statement in its entirety in italics, along with clarifications or counterpoints marked in bold letters following each issue of contention."

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MLS Draft: A Real Crapshoot

 

The MLS Draft is coming up next week.  Real Salt Lake holds three picks in the draft, picking last in the first, second and fourth rounds (Note: some sources have indicated RSL has a 3rd, but not a 4th, but this contradicts the info from Garth Lagerwey).  What can they expect?  The answer is probably not alot. 

I pulled out some of the noteworthy picks through the last decade (avoiding the temptation to list all of the flops).  In many cases these are the better players that have shown their worth in MLS, on the US international team and playing abroad.  I have left off some equally deserving players in some cases in the the interest of brevity. 

So what does it show?  Well to be honest the jury is still out on 2008 & 2009.  Generally speaking, however, there are between 3-5 above average players that come through the draft annually.  That’s it.  A few other decent players sprinkled in that aren’t listed, and you hardly have the talent to field a viable team from each years selections in the draft.   

2009
Steve Zakuani (1)
Sam Cronin (2)
AJ DeLaGarza (19)

2008
Brek Shea (2)
Tony Beltran (3)
Geoff Cameron (42)

2007
Maurice Edu (1)
Bakary Soumare (2)
Robbie Findley (16)
Omar Cummings (31)

2006
Marvell Wynne (1)
Yura Movsisyan (4)
Sacha Kljestan (5)
Josy Altidore (17)
Jonathon Bornstein (37)

2005
Brad Guzan (2)
Chris Rolfe (29)
Gonzo Segares (35)

2004
Freddy Adu (1)
Chad Marshall (2)
Joseph Ngwenya (3)
Clarence Goodson (7)
Clint Dempsey (8)
Matt Pickens (19)
Zach Wells (20)
Jeremiah White (23)
Michael Bradley (36)

2003
Ricardo Clark (2)
Pat Noonan (9)
Arturo Alvarez (13)

2002
Taylor Twellman (2)
Brad Davis (3)
Shalrie Joseph (14)
Alejandro Moreno (27)

2001
Brian Ching (16)
Eddie Johnson (19)

2000
Nick Garcia (2)
Carlos Bocanegra (4)
Danny Califf (6)
Bobby Convey (12)
Nick Rimando (35)

 

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With Real Salt Lake holding picks #16 and #32 for their first two picks, I thought I would focus on those two selections to see what those picks would normally yield (see charts below).

There is some good news.  Pick #16 has brought Brian Ching and Robbie Findley into the league.  As would be expected, over the last 12 years Pick #32 has not led to any players yielding significant dividends. So while there is hope, it’s very slim.  Hopefully RSL can find this years Geoff Cameron, or Omar Cummings – but don’t count on it. 

Generally speaking, there have been very few picks below #15 that have produced significant dividends.  Some would argue that there are too few worthwhile picks ABOVE #15 to make the draft meaningful. 

As an RSL fan – put all your stock in the open transfer market, but hope for a minor miracle from the draft.

History of Pick #16

Year	Rd	Pick	Team	Player	Previous Team
2009	2	16	Seattle Sounders	Evan Brown	Wake Forest University
2008	2	16	New York Red Bull	Eric Brunner	Ohio State University
2007	2	16	Los Angeles Galaxy	Robbie Findley	Oregon State University
2006	2	16	Kansas City Wizards	Lance Watson	University of New Mexico
2005	2	16	Kansas City Wizards	Ryan Pore	University of Tulsa
2004	2	16	Colorado Rapids	Adrian Cann	University of Louisville
2003	2	16	Los Angeles Galaxy	Scot Thompson	UCLA
2002	2	16	Colorado Rapids	Danny Jackson	University of North Carolina
2001	2	16	Los Angeles Galaxy	Brian Ching	Spokane Shadow
2000	2	16	San Jose Earthquakes	Justin Evans	Pittsburgh Riverhounds
1999	2	16	New York MetroStars	Kevin Knight	James Madison University
1998	2	16	New York MetroStars	Billy Walsh	Rutgers University
1997	2	16	Dallas Burn	Alan Branigan	Rutgers University
1996	2	16	New England Revolution	Imad Baba	Clemson University

History of Pick #32

Year	Rd	Pick	Team	Player	Previous Team
2009	3	32	Seattle Sounders	Jared Karkas	Azusa Pacific
2008	3	32	New York Red Bull	Luke Sassano	UC Berkeley
2007	3	32	D.C. United	Jay Needham	Southern Methodist University
2006	3	32	Houston Dynamo	Andre Schmid	St. John's University
2005	3	32	San Jose Earthquakes	C.J. Klass	University of Washington
2004	4	32	Columbus Crew	Jamal Sutton	Missouri State University
2003	4	32	New York MetroStars	Kenny Arena	University of Virginia
2002	3	32	Kansas City Wizards	O'neil Peart	Long Island Rough Riders
2001	3	32	Colorado Rapids	Ryan Lee	UCLA
2000	3	32	Chicago Fire	Yuri Lavrinenko	Indiana University
1999	3	32	Colorado Rapids	Bobby Meyer	Dartmouth College
1998	3	32	Kansas City Wizards	Mario Sanchez	Fresno State University

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Thoughts from Garth Lagerwey: Part V – Effects of CBA negotiations

This is the final segment of a 5-part series with thoughts from Real Salt Lake General Manager Garth Lagerwey.

I wanted to get his thoughts on the following topics:

• the current squad
• offseason needs
• the upcoming draft
• the RSL youth program
• some of the consequences of the current CBA negotiations.

Here is part 5:

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The collective bargaining negotiations in Major League Soccer are bound to have many impacts.  Since the league is a single-entity system, the negotiations are technically between the league and the players union, with little involvement from the individual clubs.  I’ve asked Garth Lagerwey about the status of these discussions on several occasions, and he genuinely acts like he has little information (although it’s also possible that he’s subject to a gag rule of sorts).  However, he’s clearly planning for all possibilities during this offseason.

My first concern was how the CBA negotiations would affect the preseason plans.

“We signed up for the Carolina Cup, and we’re close to locking down the first segment of our preseason which looks like it’s going to be somewhere out west. All of those contracts have clauses that say in the event of a work stoppage we won’t be participating. You have to make those plans, but you try to do so in a way that isn’t damaging to the club in the event of a work stoppage.”

My next concern was how the CBA negotiations would impact the clubs ability to recruit foreign players.

“For the foreign players you are just not going to get into it (the CBA negotiations). You are just going to say here is what we are willing to commit at this point and that is what is. My job is always about making your best guess about how things are going to come out. So you make a prediction and you try to allocate resources according to that best guess, and you try to get a contract done. With the foreign signings it tends to be strike while the anvil is hot. Either the player is interested or he is not. And he’s either going to play in the salary range that you want him to play in or he won’t. Those conversations are often very brief. So if you have someone who is interested, then there is usually a way to get a deal done – at least to have him come in and have us have a look at him.”

I also wanted to understand how the CBA and the January transfer window could play out.  From Lagerwey’s perspective a delay in getting the CBA renewed may slow things down, but wouldn’t be the end of the world.

“It’s short in Europe, but you need to remember our window is from January 15^th to April 15^th. Often times, the high-priced guys don’t become available until after the Europe window closes, because everybody thinks that they can sign in Europe for a million dollars. It turns out that not all of them can, and they reduce their expectations in some cases, and our willing to come for a lot less in February. I would suspect that you may not hear anything for a long time, but then you may hear a lot all of the sudden.”

This is probably especially relevant since Real Salt Lake has shown a propensity for recruiting from South America.  Recent reports had RSL looking at a couple of players from Quilmes, but apparently losing out on both of them.

For RSL’s GM, the important thing is to be ready for any outcome.

“The CBA is the primary piece, and you need to be ready to go when it closes.”

I hope you enjoyed this series.  This was the final installment.  Look for more good things to come in 2010!

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2010 MLS Draft: General Resources and RSL Speculation

Here is some information on the upcoming MLS draft which will be held on January 14th.  There have been four players listed as going to RSL in the first round in Mock Draft’s from various sources.  Here are the four players with some links to information, and ratings regarding the players.  Following that you’ll find the sources for these picks, and then some general draft resources.  I will try to give my thoughts on RSL’s draft decision after I have had time to absorb the information a little more thoroughly.

Jack McInerney, M, US U-17

– ranked 6th best overall player by Joe Mauceri at Pro Player Pipeline

- profile at MLSdraft.net

- reportedly was courted by Hertha Berlin and Vitesse Arnhem

Brian Perk, GK, UCLA

- ranked 3rd by Buzz Carrick in what he calls a “solid but not spectacular” crop of keepers.

- profile at MLSdraft.net

Zack Schilawski, F, Wake Forest

- ranked 3rd among forwards at Pro Player Pipeline

- profile at MLSdraft.net

Zach Lloyd, D, North Carolina

- ranked 9th best player overall at Pro Player Pipeline

- profile at MLSdraft.net

 

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SBI 2010 MLS Mock Draft

16. Real Salt Lake-JACK McINERNEY, F, U.S. Under-17

The champions head into 2010 with all its key players set to return so there's not much on the need list. Adding a 17-year-old prospect as highly-regarded as McInerney makes the most sense, assuming McInerney slides this far. RSL could use a goalkeeper, but taking one here would be a reach.

32.Real Salt Lake- BRIAN PERK, GK, UCLA

The champs traded back-up goalkeeper Chris Seitz to Philly, but land a quality prospect in Perk, who is cut from the Nick Rimando mold as a quick and aggressive shot-stopper (who also happens to come from goalkeeper factory UCLA).

 

MLS Draft Net Mock Draft

16

Brian Perk

Comments: With Chris Seitz moving, and Nick Rimando not getting any younger, the defending champs have to look to find themselves a strong backup and a face for the future. Perk is the safest and possibly the best option for keeper in this year’s draft.

 

WVHooligan Mock Draft

16. Real Salt Lake – Zach Schilawski, F, Wake Forest

RSL is a club I go back and forth on here but the more I hear from folks out there the more it sounds like they are leaning on taking a guy with experience rather than a project player. Schilawski fills a need up top for RSL and gives them someone that can step in early and contribute.

 

Goal.com’s Soccer Professor

16. Real Salt Lake – Zach Lloyd, D, North Carolina

32. Real Salt Lake – Eric Alexander, M, Indiana

 

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Draft Resources: 

ESPN, Buzz Carrick: Goalkeeper Rankings, Defender Rankings, Midfielder Rankings, Forward Rankings

Pro Player Pipeline, Joe Mauceri: Overall Rankings, Goalkeeper Rankings, Defender Rankings, Midfielder Rankings, Forward Rankings

Soccer By Ives, Ives Galarcep: Mock Draft 2.0, Draft Big Board

MLSDraft.net, Sean Keay: Mock Draft 2.0

WVHooligan, Drew Epperley: Mock Draft 3.0

Goal.com, J.R. Eskilson: College Soccer Professor: 2010 Mock Draft

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Thoughts from Garth Lagerwey: Part IV – Youth Program

This is the fourth segment of a 5-part series with thoughts from Real Salt Lake General Manager Garth Lagerwey.

I wanted to get his thoughts on the following topics:

• the current squad
• offseason needs
• the upcoming draft
• the RSL youth program
• some of the consequences of the current CBA negotiations.

Here is part 4:

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Real Salt Lake has seen great strides with their youth program over the last couple of years.  The highlight probably has been the U-17 team’s trip to Madrid this past summer to compete in the world youth club championship. 

However, the organization is far from achieving their ultimate goals with their efforts at the youth level.  The near-term goal is to evolve into a full-academy program.  This essentially involves competing in the US Academy League.

“You get to a point where you have an under-18 team and an under-16 team in the US Developmental Academy League. That’s where a lot of the MLS teams play, and that’s where a lot of the elite US youth teams play. That’s the goal, and the direction we want to head. We are trying to work with youth soccer, not only here, but in Arizona to make that happen. But it’s a work-in-progress and it’s going to take us a while to get there.”

Currently the following MLS teams are represented: Chicago, Colorado, Dallas, Houston, LA Galaxy, NY Red Bulls, Chivas, Columbus, Kansas City, DC United, and New England.  In order to put this together the club has to either build a club system or tap into a strong existing club system.  It also requires putting together a thorough year-round effort.  Put simply, it just takes time to build such an infrastructure.

“We have won a Championship, and that’s great, but we are such a young club – only 5 years old. That’s part of the infrastructure that’s got to get built up over time. I wish we could snap our fingers and make it happen, but that’s not the way it works. The other clubs have had a 10-yr head start, and have more of an infrastructure in place.”

However, the long-term goal is to utilize the league’s Home Grown Player rule to cultivate young talent.  Lagerwey sees this, in combination with the draft, as a potential pipeline to continue to generate young players to move through the system and ultimately into the senior roster.

“You understand what a player is after three years in the league. We think of the draft, and we think of our young player signings as a pipeline. And if we add a couple of guys every year, and the pipeline system works, then you are going to push one or two through to the first team every year. By doing that you are going to have a continual influx of talent, even if it’s hard to follow from outside of the team .”

Look for the final segment with Garth on the effects of the CBA negotiations coming up soon!

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