2012 MLS SuperDraft Results and Analysis

ROUND 1

1. Montreal – DF Andrew Wenger (GA), Duke Univ.

ISN Analysis – Our own Rudy Roediger was certainly right on this one.  Wenger’s versatility makes him a starter somewhere on the pitch for the Impact on Day 1.  One of the MLS scouts we talked to months ago said Wenger was the best player in the draft and Montreal certainly agreed.

2. Vancouver – FW Darren Mattocks (GA), Univ. of Akron

ISN Analysis – Speed kills in the pro game and Mattocks is dangerous in that department. He won’t contribute much defensively, but Mattocks is the best pure striker to come through the draft in years.  No wonder European clubs wanted to steal the Jamaican away from MLS.

3. New England – MF Kelyn Rowe (GA), UCLA

ISN Analysis – We have some mixed feelings about this one and we weren’t the only ones.  Scouts we talked to placed Rowe anywhere from #2 overall to the 2^nd round.  It is certainly attractive to have a GA prospect on the roster, but it may turn out to be a reach.

4. Toronto – MF Luis Silva, Univ. California, Santa Barbara

ISN Analysis – TFC had needs and Silva certainly filled one of them. He will improve the midfield immediately and become the player Julian de Guzman never was.

5. Chivas USA – FW Casey Townsend, Univ. of Maryland

ISN Analysis – Townsend was a nice pickup here. Chivas needed someone to put it in the back of the net and Townsend certainly can do that.  He is the future of the Chivas USA attack considering that Angel and Moreno are not getting any younger.

6. San Jose – FW Sam Garza (GA), Univ. California, Santa Barbara

ISN Analysis – Garza will make Chris Wondolowski more dangerous.  Is it possible for Wondo to score more goals in 2012? Yeah probably.  Garza will help create opportunities and score a handful of goals in the process.

7. D.C. – MF Nick DeLeon, Univ. of Louisville

ISN Analysis – DeLeon is dangerous, no doubt about that.  But pairing him with 2011 MVP Dwayne DeRosario may give opposing managers headaches.  Great selection by Ben Olsen and his team.

8. Portland – DF Andrew Jean-Baptiste (GA), Univ. of Connecticut

ISN Analysis – Portland gets some help on the backline from a player with tons of potential.  UNC’s Matt Hedges looked to be the first defender selected a few weeks back, but he didn’t have the greatest showing at the combine.

9. Chicago – DF Austin Berry, Univ. of Louisville

ISN Analysis – Louisville and Ken Jolla have a great reputation when it comes to producing MLS quality players.  Berry is a good value at #9 and should fill a need for the Fire.

10. Columbus – FW Ethan Finlay, Creighton Univ.

ISN Analysis – The Crew needed a striker after sending Andres Mendoza and Jeff Cunningham packing.  Finlay had the best showing of any player at the combine and this helped him move up the draft.  He may be given an opportunity to start immediately as the Crew’s international signings get adjusted to MLS.

11. FC Dallas – DF Matt Hedges, Univ. of North Carolina

ISN Analysis – The combine raised doubts about Hedges and his ability to mark faster attackers.  He went from the #1 defender overall to a risky pick even at #11. He could be a “boom or bust” player for FC Dallas.

12. Toronto – DF Aaron Maund, Univ. of Notre Dame

ISN Analysis – Teams needed defenders and Maund was the next best choice for the TFC backline.  It will be interesting how TFC fares in 2012 and what changes to formation and personnel might still be headed their way.

13. Philadelphia – FW Chandler Hoffman (GA), UCLA

ISN Analysis – One of the steals of the draft, Peter Nowak couldn’t look past Hoffman this late in the draft.  The Union’s attack gets even better with Adu, Mwanga, McInerney, and now Hoffman in the fold.

14. Colorado – FW Tony Cascio, Univ. of Connecticut

ISN Analysis – Really thought Colorado would look for Conor Casey’s long-term replacement here, which they did in selecting Cascio.  The UConn product could be a star midfielder or forward for many years to come.  Getting to play with Casey and Cummings will certainly speed up his development.

15. Seattle – DF Andrew Duran, Creighton Univ.

ISN Analysis – Not the selection we thought the Sounders would make, but the draft is certainly like that every year.  Seattle knows what they are doing and must have seen something special in Duran.  We honestly liked Polak better, but that is why we are journalists and not in someone’s front office.

16. Kansas City – FW Dom Dwyer (GA), Univ. of South Florida

ISN Analysis – The only player faster than Mattocks falls into Sporting’s lap. Dwyer is lightning quick and can score in a number of ways.  SKC now has Dwyer, Bunbury, and Sapong. They are going to be scary good moving forward in the attack.

17. Real Salt Lake – MF Enzo Martinez (GA), Univ. of North Carolina

ISN Analysis – We want to go on the record saying this is the steal of the draft.  Everyone was high on Martinez from ESPN’s Taylor Twellman to GolTV’s Phil Schoen to a handful on MLS clubs. We don’t know why he fell this far, but maybe his small size played a role.  We heard he was getting looks starting at #3. RSL had a great start to the draft with this pick.

18. Houston – FW Colin Rolfe, Univ. of Louisville

ISN Analysis – Rolfe may have gone higher in other years, but this class was loaded with quality attackers.  Thought Mkosana might be the better long-term prospect here since not many people were overly excited about Rolfe, who could have been had in the second round.

19. LA – DF Tommy Meyer, Indiana Univ.

ISN Analysis – You can’t be overly critical of the last pick in the round.  Meyer should at least provide depth for the Galaxy D and be a serviceable player for 5-10 years.

ROUND 2

20. Montreal – MF Calum Mallace, Marquette Univ.

ISN Analysis – Another good pick by the Impact. A lot of teams were looking at the Marquette star in the first round.  Mallace is a good two-way player that could start right away. He has a no-nonsense approach to the game and should be a workhorse in the middle of the field for a long time.    

21. Vancouver – DF Chris Estridge, Indiana Univ.

ISN Analysis – Vancouver fills another need with Estridge. A solid draft by Vancouver, who could get even more help from the supplemental draft.

22. New England – DF Tyler Polak (GA), Creighton Univ.

ISN Analysis – One of our favorite picks of the draft. Polak falls all the way to the Revs, who have a great history of working with defenders.

23. Chicago – FW Lucky Mkosana, Dartmouth College

ISN Analysis – We think Mkosana will be this year’s C.J. Sapong.  Quality player who will get even better with experience.

24. Real Salt Lake – DF Diogo de Almeida, Southern Methodist Univ.

ISN Analysis – It is certainly hard to get excited about a pick this pick.  RSL may know something we don’t.

25. San Jose – MF Jacob Hustedt, Univ. of Washington

ISN Analysis – See #24

26. Columbus – DF Aubrey Perry, Univ. of South Florida

ISN Analysis – Perry had a good showing at the combine, especially on Day 1. The Crew noticed and got a good prospect that may turn into something special over time.

27. Portland – MF Brendan King, Univ. of Notre Dame

ISN Analysis – The Timbers drafted strictly based on need and this fills one of many for Portland.  Notre Dame players adapt well to MLS and King could be just as successful as last year’s ND product Jeb Brovsky.

28. Chicago – DF Hunter Jumper, Univ. of Virginia

ISN Analysis – Great pick by the Fire.  We hear that Jumper has a huge upside and could have gone much higher.  Some had him among the top 3 defenders in the draft.

29. Columbus – MF Kevan George, Univ. of Central Florida

ISN Analysis – The Crew may have come away with another sleeper, just like they did with Bernardo Anor last year.  George has a good shot at making the Crew’s roster and will be given time to develop.

30. Kansas City – DF Cyprian Hedrick, Coastal Carolina Univ.

ISN Analysis – Kansas City’s defense is pretty solid so Hedrick may have to work the numbers to even stick with Sporting on Opening Day.

31. New York – GK Ryan Meara, Fordham Univ.

ISN Analysis – The Red Bulls needed a goalkeeper desperately since Frank Rost is not more than a stopgap player.  Wouldn’t be surprised to see Meara between the posts for Week 1.

32. Philadelphia – MF Greg Jordan, Creighton Univ.

ISN Analysis – A banner year for Creighton, which finished tied with Louisville with the most players selected (4).  Jordan might have gotten lost between the buzz about Finlay and Polak. The Union are solid and he will have his work cut out for him to make the squad.

33. San Jose – GK Chris Blais, Univ. of South Florida

ISN Analysis – San Jose looks to the future, knowing that Jon Busch can’t play forever.  Blais is only the 2^nd keeper off the board, providing a good value at #33.  He should be a solid backup in 2012 and could grow with some time with the Reserves.

34. Seattle – FW Babayele Sodade, Univ. of Alabama-Birmingham

ISN Analysis – Seattle gets some depth in the attack, which should help the Sounders just in case Zakuani or White have any setbacks recovering from major injuries.

35. Philadelphia – DF Raymon Gaddis, West Virginia Univ.

ISN Analysis – Gaddis is a great value here.  He has experience, talent, and should develop into a starter in 2-3 years.

36. Real Salt Lake – MF Sebastian Velasquez, Spartanburg Methodist Coll.

ISN Analysis – Some may call this a risk, but RSL must have seen something in the Juco star, who finished with 35 goals and 16 assists in 2011. That is a lot of goals regardless of the level of play.  RSL may have found a diamond in the rough.

37. Houston – MF Warren Creavalle, Univ. of Central Florida

ISN Analysis – UCF has their second player selected in the second round.  Houston adds some depth to their midfield, but it will be a challenge for Creavalle to stick with the team.

38. LA – MF Kenney Walker, Univ. of Louisville

ISN Analysis – Yet another Cardinal was selected.  Even with the Galaxy’s recent roster changes, Walker will have to play like his career depended on it to stay with the defending champs.