Black And Red United: Jimmy Conrad Tops Re-Entry Draft Wish List
This is the first year of the Re-Entry Draft, so it’s hard to say how active teams are planning to be. An early reading of the tealeaves suggests this first stage, at least, might not be particularly interesting as teams are still trying to assess what they intend to do with whatever payroll freedom they have.
The one team that has openly expressed interest in using this draft as a way to rebuild is DC United, the team which happens to have the first pick.
“The good thing with this league is, when you have a season like ours, it gives you a little boost,” head coach Ben Olsen said. “We’ve been punished plenty of times [for past success], so now we get to sit at the top of some of these things and make some decisions. I think throughout the league, there’s some guys that can help us for sure.”
But even Olsen’s boss cautioned against expecting too much, pointing out most of the players in this draft pool are there because they were deemed too expensive by their former team.
Keeping that in mind, Black and Red United’s Martin Shatzer runs down his list of players he thinks DC is likely to target.
Jimmy Conrad - A veteran center back has been leading Kansas City's defense for eight years. And he's only 33-years old. Conrad was the MLS Defender of the Year in 2005, and was a member of MLS's Best XI as recently as 2008. Out of the experienced center backs available, Conrad might be the top choice.
Cory Gibbs - Gibbs is one of those guys who seemingly has been around forever, but really he's only 30. He's played in Germany, in England, and now is on his second stint in MLS. Gibbs started 25 games for the New England Revolution, who led the league in goals allowed in 2010.
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