Dreams Delayed: What to Watch for in the Supplemental Draft

As the dust settles from the 2011 MLS SuperDraft floor, talented players like Greg King, Dustin McCarty and many others were left unsatisfied, knowing that they were not selected in the first three rounds. Their collective dream of being an MLS player has not been totally ruled out, but rather has been put on hold for a few days.

While it’s no guarantee that any of the draft picks, from the first to the sixth round will stick with their respective sides, being drafted can be one of the happiest days in the career of a ex-collegiate soccer player, even in the Supplemental rounds.

Many prominent MLS veterans have been picked up in the later rounds, such as Kevin Burns (CLB – 2007 Round 4 Pick 50), Kosuke Kimura (COL Round 3 Pick 35), Jeff Lawrentowicz (NE – 2005 Round 4 Pick 45), Devon McTavish (DCU 2006 Round 4 Pick 43), and 2010 MLS Golden Boot winner Chris Wondolowski (SJE Round 4 Pick 41) . This year’s draft has its fair share of diamonds in the rough.

Here are my top 20 players still available for selection:

1. Dustin McCarty – M – UNC
2. Jeff Attinella – GK – USF
3. Greg King – D – UConn (International)
4. JC Banks – M – Wisc.-GB
5. Lebogang Pila – M – St. Peter’s (International)
6. Ashley McInnes – F – Tulsa (International)
7. Amani Walker – F- UC Irvine
8. Steven Beattie – F – NKU (International)
9. Josh Ford – GK – UConn
10. Daniel Keat – M/F – Dartmouth
11. Matheus Braga – M – Penn St. (International)
12. Michael Boxall – D – UCSB
13. Matt Marcin – F – Providence
14. Colin Rolfe – M – Louisville
15. Phil Bannister – F – Loyola Maryland
16. Blake Brettschneider – F – South Carolina
17. Tommy Drake – M – Clemson
18. Matt Eliason – F – Northwestern
19. Jimmy Mauer GK – South Carolina
20. Karl Reddick – M – Boston College

Others:

Martin Rivas – M – Argentina – Trialed with DCU last year during their friendly aganst Portsmouth. If you read between the lines, he also didn’t make a team who had possibly one of the worst seasons in MLS history.

Brayan Martinez – M/F – Seton Hall – The 6′ midfielder holds an international status (Uruguay) and may be a flier in the later rounds.

Curtis Ushedo – D – UAB – The Toronto native had four chances to be picked up by the hometown team in the Superdraft. Simon Borg will go absolutely nuts if Ushedo gets shunned yet again. For entertainment sake, I hope he goes late.

A few more notes:

– Good talent got passed over in last week’s draft in favor of American players who do not take up an international slot. I suspect some teams will not pass on talent in the supplemental as some training camps open up this week. Yes, I said this week. Rejoice at your own discretion.

– Just as the last few picks in Round 3 on Thursday yielded some non-invitees to the MLS Combine, this round should be filled with prominent D-2, D-3 and NAIA talent that each staff has identified through their club scouts. Think of Crew defender Shaun Francis from NAIA school Lindsey-Wilson College. Who would have thought that Francis would have a spot in the starting 11 before Generation Adidas, US Youth International and fellow teammate Dilaver Duka? Not many.

– Look for Schellas Hyndman to pick up an SMU Mustang in the Supplemental Rounds. If not, hell will freeze over.

– With the resurgence and resurrection of the MLS Reserve Division, those drafted in the Supplemental Draft should stand a shot at making the 30-man roster on their respective clubs. Teams like Columbus and San Jose stick out in my mind as clubs in need of warm bodies, regardless of talent.