There is so much MLS SuperDraft information out there right now that it’s actually getting hard to sort through it all. Luckily, SB Nation has your answer: Just stay here.
MLS Draft Preparation: SB Nation Has You Covered
Over the last few weeks, this site as well as many of our MLS team sites have been conducting mock drafts, looking at the success of young goalkeepers and providing more profiles than you can possibly ever fully process. With that said, it’s time to give you a one-stop shop where you can find out more of that information as we prepare for Thursday’s MLS SuperDraft.
Profiles? We got your profiles
Black and Red United and Burgundy Wave have been going crazy looking at various players they think DC United and the Colorado Rapids will be targeting. With United holding the No. 3 pick and the Rapids all the way down at No. 18, the two sites have been looking at totally different players.
Darlington Nagbe: Whether or not he’s the first overall pick, almost everyone seems to think Nagbe is the top player in the draft and certainly the top attacking player.
Perry Kitchen: If Nagbe doesn’t get picked first, it will almost certainly be his Akron teammate. Kitchen is pretty universally considered the best defensive player in the draft.
Will Bruin: Unless United trade up, this is probably the first of the “can’t-miss” players that they’ll have a chance to draft. The Indiana forward had an almost unbelievable strike rate as a junior, scoring 18 goals in 20 matches. He’s also shown well in the MLS Combine.
Omar Salgado: At 17 years old and once being the property of Mexican power Chivas, he’s one of the most intriguing players in the draft. He’d be an interesting piece in DC, as they already are building around a host of youngsters, but is probably more of a project than they are looking for right now.
Joao Plato: Being an international, there’s not as much known about the Ecuadorean. But after a strong combine, he’s being projected by some to be a top 5 pick. He’s small, quick and seems to have a nose for the goal.
Jalil Anibaba: Projected as high as the No. 5 overall pick, it’s obvious that a lot of people like the center back. He also has United States U-17 pedigree.
Anthony Ampapitakwong: Prior to the combine, the player more commonly referred to as Ampi as seen as likely being a top 15 pick. But an injury limited his effectiveness in Florida and now his future is not as clear. There’s even a chance he could still be around at No. 18.
Daniel Keat: At Dartmouth, he was a true box-to-box central midfielder. There seems to be some thought he'd be more of a CAM in MLS. The Rapids don't really play with a CAM after getting rid of Mehdi Ballouchy, but he could fit as a change-of-pace.
Michael Boxall: He’s a big central defender that could probably contribute something relatively quickly. He’s also the guy Chris “UZ” White took in our Mock Draft.
CJ Sapong: Prior to the combine, the James Madison striker was considered a early to mid-second rounder. But after a great showing, he’s now breaking into the late first round in lots of mock drafts.
The Brotherly Game also got some guest commentary looking at two players they picked in our Mock Draft, Michael Tetteh and Levi Houapeu. Tetteh played most left back at UC Santa Barbara and Houapeu is a forward from little known UMBC. Both are intriguing players that could go anywhere from late first to mid second.
Zac MacMath: This isn’t really a look at the Maryland goalkeeper, but rather focuses on the past performances of former U-20 goalkeepers. MacMath could, of course, end up being much better than any of them, but it’s a mixed bag to say the least.
Getting Inside GMs’ heads
Sounder at Heart and RSL Soapbox both recently discussed the trade with the front offices of their respective teams. Denz came away with the impression that Real Salt Lake is considering trading out of the first round, as they are more interested in creating some cap space. Dave Clark basically got confirmation that the Sounders are very open minded. They seem to be investigating trading up and see wide midfield, right back and goalkeeper as their biggest needs.
Dizzo, a Sounder at Heart reader, goes as far as to project the possible players the Sounders could select with each of their five picks. Prior to the combine, Dizzo also took a more generic look at forwards and outside mids, center mids and fullbacks, goalkeepers and central defenders.
Stumptown Footy’s Geoff Gibson has the No. 2 overall pick effectively narrowed down to three players: Nagbe, Kitchen and Salgado. If Nagbe falls, he’ll be the pick, Gibson says. Between Kitchen and Salgado, the smart money seems to be on the defender as he would be able to help the Timbers more immediately.
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