Summing-up the SuperDraft
Now that Friday's ninth annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft is over, the logical question centers around which teams were "winners" and "losers" while in Charlotte.
For the definitive answers, come back in two or three years. That's when we can tell you that New England was the ultimate winner of the 2002 Draft for selecting Taylor Twellman and Shalrie Joseph with its top two picks. Or how the MetroStars were the easy losers from the 2001 Draft for bypassing first-rounders Nick Garcia, Adin Brown, Carlos Bocanegra, Danny Califf and Bobby Convey in favor of UCLA's Steve Shak.
But since it's never fun or interesting to hold off on making bold opinions and giving instant analysis as far as which players will and will not succeed as professionals, here's our list of who did well and who didn't at this year's MLS Draft:
Winners
Ngwenya is a dangerous striker who led the nation in scoring last year, and will most likely get a chance to play right away next to scoring machine Carlos Ruiz. Grabavoy is a starter for the U-20 National Team, who will help fill the void left by the departure of Mauricio Cienfuegos and Simon Elliott in the midfield, while Gardner gives L.A. another left-sided player who can give cover for Cobi Jones out of the midfield or up top. Both Grabavoy and Gardner were expected to go in the first round, which makes it a coup for the Galaxy to nab them both at the start of the second round.
The Fire also picked up Scott Buete from Maryland, a midfielder that improved his stock at the Combine and could be a Richie Williams-type player as a defensive midfielder next to Chris Armas. Chicago also got a solid backup goalkeeper to Zach Thornton in Matt Pickens. Where the Fire really made out was in getting Sumed Ibrahim at the end of the second round, as well as Phil Hucles near the end of the fourth round. Both players have a world of potential and have a chance to make Sarachan's roster despite being the team's fourth and seventh selection.
"We feel good about the players we got in a draft that many people considered a weaker year," said Fire GM Peter Wilt. "We had our eyes on Scott [Buete] and Leo [Griffin] all week and we were hopeful that somehow we would be able to acquire both of those players. A number of the players in the second half of the draft we feel can compete for a spot either on the full or developmental rosters. We are a better team than we were yesterday."
While Nunez has endless skill and is an intriguing player, the guy that could make the Burn's draft a true success is Goodson, who moved up on several teams' draft boards through his late-season play with Maryland and solid performance at the Combine.
"The kid's versatile. He's a horse, he's a monster," said Revolution manager Steve Nicol. "Because he's versatile, early on in his career we might, you know what we do, we just chuck people in - and that might help him get time to begin with. And then we find out through training and everything else where his fit is."
Where New England really might have made out is with Wake Forest striker Jeremiah White, who is arguably the fastest player in the draft. Due to a history of injuries, which also kept him out of the Combine this week, White fell to the third round before the Revs selected him. The leading scorer in the ACC last year, as well as the conference's Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2001, gives Nicol a speedy option off the bench to complement Taylor Twellman and Pat Noonan, amongst others.
Getting a left back like Chris Wingert when they did -- second round -- had Columbus leaving Charlotte feeling very fortunate. With the trades they made this week to bring in Fraser, Simon Elliott and Manny Lagos, the Crew are primed to rebound from last year's disappointing season which saw Columbus finish in last place in the Eastern Conference and miss the playoffs.
Category all to its own
Losers
Bradley will like Seth Stammler, who the Metros took with their only selection in the first two rounds. The Maryland product was dubbed by one coach at the Combine as "a man without a position," but might be suited to take over for Richie Williams as a defensive midfielder. One of the true wildcards in this draft was Southern Connecticut striker Olivier Occean, who the Metros took in the third round. He plays even bigger than his 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame and has a good touch for a big man. Occean could be a success in this league as a Mamadou Diallo-ish type of player if he continues to develop, but that's a big question mark.
Bob's son, Michael, was selected in the fourth round. The 16-year-old is what you'd expect from a Bradley, as he's smart, determined and has an excellent fitness level. He'll surely be a good player in the future for both club and country, but it's unlikely he'll contribute next season with the players in front of him.
Standing pat
Both players are Santa Clara products, which will make their transition that much easier since they're familiar with the area as well as the club, which helped both Todd Dunivant (Stanford) and Jamil Walker (Santa Clara) last season. Cochrane will have plenty of competition as a central defender with Jeff Agoos, Troy Dayak and Eddie Robinson in the mix, while Cronin will have to bide his time behind 2003 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Pat Onstad. Jon Conway and Josh Saunders are both up-and-coming goalkeepers, as well, and will fight for their positions.
Marc Connolly covers soccer for ESPN.com. He can be reached at: shaketiller10@yahoo.com.
