2012 MLS Supplemental Draft Preview: Plenty Of Interesting Prospects Still Available

Tuesday’s MLS Supplemental Draft will mark the last of the league’s offseason allocation drafts. Most of the really interesting prospects were already picked in last Thursday’s SuperDraft. It’s also true that the later the draft gets, the more of a crapshoot that it becomes. Still, these final four rounds are not without intriguing names and past success stories.

While I won’t pretend to be an expert on any of these players -- or even claim to have seen them play -- these are some of the more interesting players remaining:

Frimpong is not very big, standing just 5-foot-8 and weighing in at just 141 pounds. But he showed a some real promise at Delaware, scoring 12 goals and accumulating five assists during his senior season. He should be well known to the Philadelphia Union, as he played for Reading FC United, a team they are affiliated with in the PDL.

The fullback has the family pedigree -- with his father and brother having both played in the Mexican Primera -- and seemingly the physical attributes to be a successful pro. Cruz Azul saw enough promise in him to put him on their B team and even give him a few shots with the A team. He also made five appearances with the Mexican U-20 team. You have to imagine someone will give him a shot.

How does a 6-foot-5, 202-pound forward with 23 goals and eight assists over the past two years go undrafted in the SuperDraft? Well, he didn’t exactly stand out at the combine and he did pile up those numbers against the likes of SIU Edwardsville. Still, he’s got some serious size and apparently some skills. Surely, someone takes a shot, right?

This shifty midfielder managed to score eight goals and pick up eight assists despite starting just 11 times and playing in 16 games for Akron. Prior to transferring there, he scored 70 goals and had 24 assists during three seasons at Notre Dame College of the NAIA. Someone’s going to take a chance on this Englishman.

A little more than two years ago, Paniagua was competing in the U-20 World Cup for Paraguay. He’s 6 feet tall and 183 pounds. He hasn’t done much at the club level, but he showed some upside at the Combine.

People were absolutely raving about Yamada at the combine. He was originally listed as a midfielder, but it seems like everyone thinks he’ll be a left back at the MLS level. He’s quick and a solid ball handler.