2009 rookie class shows potential for greatness

Sitting in sunny Ft. Lauderdale back in January, coaches in attendance at the 2009 MLS Combine started out wondering where all the talent was that they had heard about. However, with each passing day, it was clear that there was plenty of talent to be had, including several players who could step in and make immediate impacts.

Just three weeks into the 2009 MLS season that belief has been borne out on the field, where a total of 15 MLS draft picks have already earned starts for their teams. In fact, 10 MLS rookies have started multiple matches and four have played every minute of every game. Those are promising numbers for a league desperate for an infusion of talent as it looks to expand to 18 teams by 2011.

The large number of rookies starting in MLS isn't simply a product of injuries or weak teams' filling gaps, but is due in large part to young players who are stepping up and beating out veterans for starting jobs, such as the D.C. United tandem of Chris Pontius and Rodney Wallace.

The No. 6 and No. 7 overall picks in the 2009 draft, both Pontius and Wallace have played every minute for a D.C. team that has yet to lose this season. Pontius announced his welcome to the league with a goal in the opening match, while Wallace provided an assist in that same match (to go along with a dubious handball call that led to a Los Angeles Galaxy goal in the 2-2 tie). D.C. has other options it could be starting, but Pontius and Wallace have played well and continue to earn starts.

"We knew there was depth in this draft ... the guys we selected, we had a lot of faith in," D.C. head coach Tom Soehn said of the D.C. draft class. " We felt they were athletic enough and had good soccer intelligence, and we thought that having them in a good environment would help them grow."

As for whether he could have pictured having two rookies starting for D.C., Soehn admits that both Pontius and Wallace have surpassed expectations.

"I probably would have guessed that Chris could do that, make the transition to the pros," Soehn said. "Rodney has bypassed my expectations to what he could do on the pro level. His ability to transition from college to the pros has been impressive."

You can also look to Toronto FC, where two members of its heralded draft class have already stepped in and played major minutes. Goalkeeper Stefan Frei, a top-three talent who slid all the way to No. 13 in the 2009 draft, responded by beating out veteran Greg Sutton for the starting job. Frei started TFC's first two games, but was sidelined for the third with a hip injury. Frei's rookie classmate Sam Cronin has also found playing time in a deep group of veteran midfielders, starting two matches for a Toronto midfield that boasts the likes of Dwayne De Rosario, Amado Guevara and Carl Robinson.

"Both of them have stepped right in and you can't tell they're rookies," TFC director of soccer Mo Johnston said of Cronin and Frei. "With Stefan, you usually figure a rookie goalkeeper will struggle to adjust but he just put his gloves on and started working.

"With Cronin, he's just calm, can play anywhere you need him to play and he has an amazing work rate. They've both been tremendous."

Growing pains are to be expected for any rookie class and few know that better than Los Angeles rookie Omar Gonzalez. Gonzalez has started both Galaxy games so far this season and has watched his back line give up five goals in those two matches. He has also experienced the high of scoring his first professional goal, but has also watched helplessly as the man he was supposed to mark completed a hat trick.

Wallace and Gonzalez are just two of five University of Maryland players to see considerable playing time early on, leaving little doubt why the Terrapins won the 2008 NCAA title. Jeremy Hall (New York Red Bulls) and Graham Zusi (Kansas City Wizards) have both started in multiple matches for their teams, while A.J. Delagarza started the LA Galaxy's opener and has played in both of the team's games this season.

If there is a player who qualifies as the surprise of the 2009 rookie class, it is New England defender Darrius Barnes, who has earned enough confidence from head coach Steve Nicol to start every minute in central defense for an unbeaten Revs team. His size, speed and penchant for putting himself in good positions has allowed Barnes to play more like a veteran than a rookie and has made him arguably the best rookie defender in the league early on (though fellow rookie and teammate Kevin Alston has been just as impressive at right back for the Revs).

While it may be too early to select a rookie of the year favorite, Seattle's Steve Zakuani certainly has the look of being the favorite. The Sounders midfielder has started in Seattle's past two matches and has provided a major spark to an already dangerous Seattle attack. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft has already shown glimpses of the talent that made him the first selection in such a deep draft.

The scary part about the 2009 class is that it could have been even stronger if Marcus Tracy and Mike Grella hadn't decided to head to Europe before the draft, and if second-rounders such as Lyle Adams and Babajide Ogunbiyi hadn't passed on MLS deals to try their luck elsewhere.

Even without those players, this year's rookie class is deep and loaded with high-level prospects, some of whom we haven't even really seen yet, such as No. 4 overall pick O'Brien White (Toronto FC), who is recovering from knee surgery, and Peri Marosevic (FC Dallas) and Michael Lahoud (Chivas USA), who are both stuck behind top MLS players on their team's depth charts.

It is too early to tell just how strong the 2009 draft class will ultimately be, but early indications are that it is right there with the best of the past MLS drafts. The 2006 draft (which produced Jozy Altidore, Sacha Kljestan, Marvell Wynne and Jonathan Bornstein) was considered a good draft, and the 2002 draft is arguably the deepest ever (with a group that included Taylor Twellman, Shalrie Joseph, Brad Davis, Justin Mapp, Jon Busch, Alejandro Moreno and Davy Arnaud).

The 2009 MLS draft class has the depth, talent and versatility to produce the best crop of talent the league has ever seen, and with the league growing at a record pace, that crop is arriving just in time.

Ives Galarcep covers MLS for ESPNsoccernet. He also writes a blog, Soccer By Ives. He can be reached at Ivespn79@aol.com.