Plenty of busts dot the landscape

More than any other professional sports league in America, Major League Soccer's draft is a glorified tossing of the darts. A woefully inadequate scouting structure leaves most teams mostly guessing when draft day rolls around each year. Some teams have been smarter than others, but for the most part it has been luck, both good and bad, that has traced the draft history for most franchises.

There have been some real steals and some real stinkers for every team. Here is a look at the best and worst for the 10 non-expansion teams over the past nine years, taking only into account their contributions to the franchise that drafted them:

DALLAS BURN/FC DALLAS

BEST PICK- Jason Kreis, 5th round (43rd overall) in 1996.

It was the very first MLS Draft and most of the coaches and scouts involved were grasping at straws. Of the 160 names called that day, none scored more than Kreis, who scored an MLS-record 93 goals for the Dallas Burn before being traded to Real Salt Lake this off-season. This dream pick might have been more luck than skill considering Dallas selected Bryan Haynes and Lawrence Lozzano (a combined 10 goals for Dallas) before choosing Kreis.

WORST PICK- Aleksey Korol, 1st round (5th overall) in 2000.

Korol's stellar college career earned him the high selection but he managed just seven goals in two seasons in MLS. Los Angeles took Danny Califf with the next pick while Sasha Victorine and Bobby Convey went later in the first round.

D.C. UNITED

BEST PICK- Richie Williams, 4th round (50th overall) in 1996.

The feisty and diminutive defensive midfielder spent six full seasons as a starter for D.C. and was a key member of the franchises' first three championships (1996-97, 1999). He also did his part to help D.C. win its fourth by being part of two separate trades to the MetroStars, one which helped D.C. land the draft pick it used to select Brian Namoff, the other which gave D.C. the allocation it used to sign Earnie Stewart. Namoff and Stewart were starting midfielders in United's MLS Cup win over Kansas City last November.

WORST PICK- Jason Moore, 1st round (1st overall) in 1999.

How many goals did Moore score in his MLS career? If you guessed one, that's one too many. He spent just one season with D.C., managing two assists in league play before being dealt to Colorado where he spent two seasons. To be fair, the 1999 draft was a bad one. How bad? It has produced just one consistent all-star (Richard Mulrooney) and didn't have a 10-goal season among the 36 selections until John Wolyniec reached the mark this past season. Wolyniec, the Metros first-round choice that season, was cut in training camp and eventually rejoined the Metros before the 2003 season.

CHICAGO FIRE

BEST PICK- Damani Ralph, 2nd round (18th overall) in 2003.

It is hard enough finding first round picks who can score goals, let alone a second-rounder who set the league on fire. Ralph dominated at times playing alongside Ante Razov. He shattered the rookie scoring mark with 11 goals and six assists, helping Chicago reach the 2003 MLS Cup and win the 2003 U.S. Open Cup, scoring the game-winner. He followed up with just six goals and two assists last season, but has still impressed enough to warrant serious interest from European clubs. If he leaves after just two seasons, expect Jim Curtin (29th overall in 2001) to hold this distinction.

WORST PICK- Rich Kotschau, 1st round (2nd overall) in 1998.

This isn't so much an indictment of Kotschau, who has been a solid MLS player for seven seasons, but more so an example of just how good the Fire have been in the draft. Take a solid brain trust, throw in the low picks that came from successful seasons (and the lower expectations that come with lower picks) and throw in Bob Bradley's penchant for dealing high picks, and you have a formula for avoiding draft failures. Kotschau played just one season for the Fire and was selected ahead of Chris Klein, Clint Mathis, Wade Barrett and Pablo Mastroeni.

COLORADO RAPIDS

BEST PICK- Ross Paule, 2nd round (11th overall) in 1997.

You might be wondering what was so special about Paule's career with the Rapids. The 29 goals and 18 assists in 111 games might not seem comparable to some other best picks on this list, but you have to consider two things. First, there just aren't any spectacular picks in the Rapids' draft history. Look it up. It may be one of the sad facts of the franchise that all of its marquee players have come via trades, dispersal draft or allocation. The second thing to consider is that Paule's numbers are the best of any attacking player in the 1997 draft, possibly the worst draft in league history.

WORST PICK- Mike Gentile, 1st round (9th overall) in 1996.

Some Rapids fans will point to Tahj Jakins, the first overall pick in the 1997 draft, but at least Jakins played (61 games to be exact). That might not seem like much for a No. 1 overall pick but the 1997 draft wasn't exactly loaded. In fact, he was the only player among the top four selections to play more than nine career MLS matches (the trio of Mike Fisher, Rob Jachym and Alberto Montoya combined for 10 career games). As for Gentile, he never played a single game in MLS despite being chosen ahead of Miles Joseph, Diego Gutierrez, Greg Vanney, Steve Ralston and Eddie Lewis.

COLUMBUS CREW

BEST PICK- Edson Buddle, 3rd round (27th overall) in 2001.

The Crew can thank the genius of the MetroStars, who passed on the hometown kid and U.S. Under-20 striker. Instead the Metrostars went for Trinidadian midfielder Kerwyn Jemmott a pick earlier, and the Crew was able to secure Buddle. In the four years since, he has registered 33 goals and 13 assists, including 11 goals this past season, good for third-best in MLS. As for Jemmott, he never played a game in MLS.

WORST PICK- Duncan Oughton, 1st round (10th overall) in 2001.

Much like Kotschau with the Fire, Oughton is the victim of a franchise that hasn't made many glaring mistakes with high selections. Oughton has been a dependable but unspectacular player who saw considerable action during the Crew's record-breaking run this past season. Columbus chose him ahead of Jose Burciaga Jr., Brian Ching, Ed Johnson, Edson Buddle and Jim Curtin.

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS

BEST PICK- Kerry Zavagnin, 3rd round (30th overall) in 2000.

Only in MLS can a player who had already spent two seasons in the league get drafted. Even with Zavagnin's first career as a Metro, the Wizards still get credit for snaring him after every other team in the league passed him up. Zavagnin merely went on to start every single game for Kansas City during its championship season in 2000. This past season he earned MLS Best XI honors and also made an impact with the U.S. national team. If he does leave for Europe, as expected, this slot could eventually go to Davy Arnaud (50th overall in 2002), who enjoyed a breakout season in 2004.

WORST PICK- Matt Taylor, 1st round (4th overall) in 2004.

A franchise that has done well with its high selections in years when the talent was deep, the Wizards hadn't had any real flops in their history. Calling Taylor a failure after just one season isn't fair but considering the Wizards left him exposed in the expansion draft and lost him to CD Chivas USA, it is safe to say Kansas City did not maximize its selection in last year's draft. Taylor went before MLS Rookie of the Year Clint Dempsey, who was picked eighth overall.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY

BEST PICK- Kevin Hartman, 3rd round (29th overall) in 1997.

While some may argue that Kreis is the best pick ever, the former Dallas striker never won an MLS Cup title. Hartman, the next to last pick in 1997, has helped the Galaxy reach the title game three times, winning in 2002. The UCLA product's numbers are just staggering: 184 games, 47 shutouts and a 1.14 goals against average, the best in league history. At 30, he shows no signs of slowing down and could own all the league's major goalkeeping records when he's done.

WORST PICK- Guillermo Jara, 1st round (7th overall) in 1996.

Taken in the college draft, Jara played sparingly for parts of three seasons before being traded to Tampa Bay. He managed just two goals with the Galaxy and was drafted ahead of Diego Gutierrez and Steve Ralston. Perhaps more damning than Jara's selection is the Galaxy's track record of drafting players and having them flourish after leaving Los Angeles. DaMarcus Beasley, Chris Armas, Ante Razov, Brian Ching, Clint Mathis and Daniel Hernandez all began their careers with the Galaxy before starring elsewhere. In other words, buy stock in Alejandro Moreno now.

METROSTARS

BEST PICK- Jeff Parke, 6th round (60th overall) in 2004.

Some may point to Eddie Gaven, who the Metros took 12th overall in the 2003 draft, but Gaven had a 'Do Not Draft' sign on his back placed there by MLS officials wanting the then-16-year-old to stay close to home. So while Gaven may wind up becoming the best MetroStar ever, the team didn't exactly discover him. In Parke, the Metros found a reliable central defender with upside after 59 other players had been selected.

WORST PICK- Steve Shak, 1st round (1st overall) in 2000.

Octavio Zambrano enjoyed a strong reputation for drafting well from his days in Los Angeles. That reputation took a huge hit when he selected the relatively unknown Shak ahead of UCLA teammate Carlos Bocanegra and Indiana University product Nick Garcia. Bocanegra won MLS Defender of the Year twice before leaving for Europe last season. Shak spent one and a half seasons with the Metros, playing 32 games before being traded to the Rapids. He eventually made his way to Europe, spending a brief time in Sweden before returning to play for the A-League Virginia Beach Mariners. A close second goes to Mansour Ndiaye (seventh overall in 2002), who was selected ahead of Kyle Martino and Shalrie Joseph and never played a minute in MLS.

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION

BEST PICK- Shalrie Joseph, 2nd round (14th overall) in 2002

Much like the Rapids, there just aren't many quality late picks to choose from. Joseph was an early second-round pick but has emerged as a leader and underrated player for the Revs. Capable of slotting in at defensive midfield or central defense, Joseph has become a key figure for New England over the past two seasons. Pat Noonan would warrant consideration if he hadn't been a first-round selection.

WORST PICK- Johnny Torres, 1st round (5th overall) in 1998.

Torres wound up spending four mediocre seasons with the Revolution, registering eight goals and 14 assists. His performance didn't quite measure up to Clint Mathis, Mike Petke, Jeff Cunningham, Wade Barrett and Pablo Mastroeni, who were all taken right after Torres. Iain Fraser (5th overall in 1996) was no prize either, playing just one uneventful season with New England after being taken one spot before Mark Chung.

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES/CLASH

BEST PICK- Eddie Lewis, 3rd round (23rd overall) in 1996.

It was the last round of the first MLS College Draft and San Jose landed a gem in Lewis, a dangerous left winger who was typically among the league's leading assist men during his MLS career. He finished with nine goals and 35 assists before leaving for Europe after the 1999 season. He has since become a U.S. national team fixture and a key player for English club Preston North End.

WORST PICK- Chris Carreiri, 1st round (1st overall) in 2001.

One of the more outspoken players to ever pass through MLS, Carreiri burned bridges far more often than he scored goals and didn't last half a season in San Jose before being unloaded to Colorado. He found his scoring touch with the Rapids, netting 11 goals in 2001, but eventually his mouth earned him a one-way ticket out of the league. Ryan Nelson, Brian Ching and Ed Johnson were some of the players selected after Carreiri in 2001.

Ives Galarcep covers MLS for ESPN.com and is also a writer and columnist for the Herald News (NJ). He can be reached at Ivespn79@aol.com