I've been a Chivas Lite fan ever since their very first fail. Not a bad draft overall for us. It's harder for us to have a great draft when we keep winning cups and end up lower on the draft.
Had to leave the office and my computer for an hour just before our first pick and just catching up now..... 1. Picking Rugg tells me that Bruce is not bringing in a DP forward right now. We now have Zardes, Villareal, Rugg, and McBean as candidates for the 2nd striker role if Landon doesn't come back. I think Villareal is the player who is ready to be given some starts. It certainly looks like a youth movement started, and I don't think you draft Rugg after signing Zardes unless you plan to let them compete and let someone win a spot. 2. Picking Opare instead of Kindle tells you that Bruce is more worried about our 2014 CB's than he is about our 2014 LB. I think the between-the-lines message is this: Bruce has no idea what is going to happen to Donovan. If he comes back, he doesn't want to have brought in a big name and big money striker. And he figures he can use the first part of the season to see if one of the young guns is ready to start and hopefully have one more turn into a solid late game sub. Then if Donovan doesn't come back, he can go get a striker in the summer window if needed. Which makes a lot of sense and gives maximum flexibility since he clearly has no idea what Donovan is going to do. Little sad about Kindle. Would have loved to see him apprentice behind Todd, and loved the local connection. If Rugg doesn't work out, I will be kinda pissed. We'll see. Either Rugg will turn into an effective bruiser who gives us another dimension, or he'll flame out. Doubt he'll just be middle of the road, Bruce is betting he has more potential than what he has shown so far.
That's where I am too. I like the idea of turning forwards into wide midfielders. I think you see a lot of second-tier forwards in the US who should have been turned into midfielders (or defenders, like Omar) at an earlier age but continue on as forwards because they always have an option to play there. And given that Arena apparently didn't rate Tucker-Gangnes or Kindle, he got what he wanted in defense.
I have a feeling that Bruce sees Rugg as a possible wide player in the mold of Tristan Bowen, who he used out wide at times when he played with the Galaxy. Not a true outside mid, but just someone who could play there depending upon game situation. While they are about the same size, it's not that I think they are the same players. It's that I could see Bruce wanting a forward with some versatility who could sometimes play forward and sometimes out wide. He may also want a player who can come in and help kill a game at the forward position. Right now, McBean is the only guy who fits that bill and he's still very young.
We also have Javan Torre waiting in the wings at UCLA. Good chance that due to injuries he's starting at CB for the U.S. U20's in WCQ next month.
"And with the final pick of the final round of the supplemental draft, the Los Angeles Galaxy select... Topperito."
If you look at the article again on the link it has been edited. I refuse to acknowledge it because the gaff doesn't exist anymore.