Dunivant: Rock-solid rookie

When the San Jose Earthquakes' coaching staff finished their yearlong scouting efforts on the eve of the 2003 MLS Draft, there was a consensus as to which player was at the top of their list.

Unlike many other teams' draft boards, Alecko Eskandarian's name wasn't listed first on theirs. Neither was that of Ricardo Clark or Nate Jaqua - two outstanding college players who were rumored at one time or another to be selected first.

Instead, the player that Frank Yallop and Dominic Kinnear most coveted was a left back who spent his college years just a half-volley up the road in Palo Alto for Bret Simon at Stanford University.

Todd Dunivant.

"We saw him play probably fifteen or 20 times at Stanford, so we knew what we were getting," said Kinnear, who is in his third year as an assistant coach with the Earthquakes. "We looked at the draft and saw a bunch of midfielders and forwards who could've helped us, but we felt that the best overall soccer player was Todd."

So when Dunivant's name wasn't called after the first five picks of the draft, San Jose didn't need a whole lot of time to write down their selection with the number six pick in the draft.

Anyone who has drafted in a fantasy league knows that feeling of satisfaction when the player you secretly want the most falls right into your lap. That's exactly the feeling that Yallop and Kinnear experienced on that January afternoon in Kansas City.

"We were also ecstatic," said Kinnear, "because we felt he fit our personality the best, as well."

Has he ever.

Once Wade Barrett signed in Denmark to play for AGF Aarhus, any plans the 'Quakes had for Dunivant accelerated. There was no option to bring him along slowly at that point, especially considering that the side had lost veteran defender Jimmy Conrad in a draft day trade to Kansas City.

From the preseason on, Dunivant has simply been a staple in the lineup. First out of necessity. But mostly due to the skills he has shown playing in a position that's one of the more difficult for a rookie to adjust to right out of college.

"Some of the better players in the league are right-sided midfielders -- Steve Ralston and Chris Klein, for starters -- so it's very tough for him week-in and week-out," said Kinnear. "But he has responded and has been great for us. When you do your lineup card, there's no question - he's our left back."

Dunivant has been in the starting 11 for every single one of the 21 games the Earthquakes have played thus far, becoming the first San Jose rookie to ever start the first 21 games of his career.

He's been a part of a defense that has stoned opponents countless times, and has allowed a league-low 21 goals.

In addition, he's already tied the team rookie record for points in a season with six (one goal and four assists), which he shares -- oddly enough -- with the man he replaced, Wade Barrett.

The 23-year-old from Wheat Ridge, Colorado, has definitely had a few things working in his favor to help him assimilate so well to the league this year.

For one, he knew the San Jose roster up and down since he was able to see their games on TV and in person. Plus, he had now-teammate Richard Mulrooney as an assistant coach at Stanford.

Secondly, he was able to stay close to his college teammates and remain living in an area he knew like the back of his hand.

"I've been able to still hang out with all my friends," said Dunivant, who still relies on the mentoring of Coach Simon from time to time, as well. "I live ten minutes from campus, so I lead a similar life to my college years and I've stayed in a comfort zone. That's all helped."

He's also had the luxury of learning from -- and playing alongside -- one of the most experienced American defenders of all time in Jeff Agoos.

Dunivant has taken full advantage of this opportunity, routinely staying after practice with Goose to work on his game or go through the regiment of pushups and situps that the San Jose captain has been known to do.

"When he says something, I'm listening," says Dunivant. "I mean, he's got so much experience and knows the game so well. Playing next to him is a great thing for me because he settles the game down so well. I'm able to play off of him, and I know that he has my back if things go wrong. That's a great feeling to have out there."

One of the aspects of the game that Dunivant has learned more about this year is the importance of organization and keeping the defensive shape.

There was a period in the middle of the season when he was pushing the envelope on the left side a little too much as far as making runs up the flank to aid the offense.

The coaching staff wants him to add that type of dimension to the time, but he wasn't picking his spots at the proper times and wasn't being very vocal on such occasions, which didn't always leave the defense in a good spot.

"You get burned (in MLS) if you take a chance and it's not a good one," says Dunivant, who was a first-team All-American last fall. "You have to play the percentages. Frank and I talked about it and we've made those adjustments. It's something I've learned. And I'm learning something every game - even this late in the season."

With the end of the season in sight, San Jose has the opportunity to clinch a playoff spot before any other team should they defeat Colorado this weekend or if Dallas loses to Los Angeles on Saturday. It might take an assured postseason spot for Yallop to give his young back a rest, considering the way he has played this season.

"He's starting to defend like a seasoned defender now," says the former defender for Ipswich Town F.C. in England. "Nothing fazes him. He's very calm and cool in situations. He has all the tools to go quite far in the game. It's up to him now to grab hold of it because the sky's the limit for Todd."

Adds Kinnear: "Not one player in the league has embarrassed him. And not one player in the league -- that I can think of -- has got the better of him."

Dunivant might challenge that claim, as he's continually said how difficult it is to defend some of the talented strikers and wide midfielders in MLS.

But, he knows how fortunate he is to be in such a position playing for a side that has its eye on the Cup, not to mention one that plays for the name on the front of the jersey instead of the one on the back.

"It's been fantastic so far," he says. "Being able to contribute on a team that's doing so well is really first-rate. I didn't expect to play this much, necessarily, because it's a tough league to break in to. There are only a handful of guys who get that opportunity. So I count my blessings that I am one of them. I couldn't be happier with how it's worked out.

"Hopefully, I'm saying that when the playoffs are over."

Marc Connolly covers soccer for ESPN.com. He can be reached at: shaketiller10@yahoo.com.