General rules: 1. Snake Draft 2. 18 Rounds 3. Only US eligible players who have not yet declared for another country or who have not been capped by another country. Rossi - Out. Subotic - Out e.g. If there is a question, PM me(MLSNHTOWN) and I will consult with the soccer gods (anyone want to help?) and try to make a ruling and keep an inactive list..... Last year's inactive list is always a good starting point. 4. 12 teams 5. Must draft 2 GK's 6. Last year we had 18-20 interested, so we will try to pair up people to be on a team together to get everyone in, however, if we only have 12 than it will be easier. THe point of having a partner is so that all picks are made within 12 hours (IF NOT SOONER) not to delay all of your picks the full 12 hours until your partner gets in. Discuss things before it is your turn. 7. 12 hour time limit for your pick, if you miss you can come in and pick at anytime after your 12 hours has expired. List will be provided of people you can send your proxy too (I.E. have no life and are on here too much) and/or you can send your proxy to the next person who is drafting so they can come in and make your pick and their pick. 8. Rather than just posting "I select ___________." Try to provide some information on the player including pictures/videos/whatever you can find to educate us as to why you took him and as to what position you think he will play on your team. The more information, the better. 9. Voting at middle of year (julyish) and in January of next year. 10. We will start when we have a full roster of 12 and then we will do draft order and have a 1 day cushion before we get going. If you are late to this thread, post your interest and we will try to incorporate you into a team. 11. After you pick, YOU MUST PM the next person. It helps a lot. DRAFT ORDER 1. Susa/Barca 2. Harper 3. Joe Cleats 4. KC-IA Connection (Buzz Killington and IASocFan) 5. FC Coulibaly (Maximum Optimal and MI-Soccerfan) 6. ATLGunner 7. Chris E 8. Sean 9. Balerion/Kyle 10. Hararea 11. Mr. Martin/Giffenbone 12. Neuwerld Susa/Barca are unofficially on the clock. Clock won't officially start until 8:00 AM EST tomorrow morning. I'll also make another thread for discussion, commentary, etc. So we can just keep this one for picks.
Clint Dempsey was probably the best American last year. He's become the first American to score a hat trick in the Premier League, and according to all reports, scores with his left, right, and may just make Drogba look shite. So, naturally, with the first overall pick in the 2012 US Draft, Susaeta and I, with almost no discussion necessary, decided to pick LANDON DONOVAN We don't need to recount his ridiculous amount of accolades. Because we know what he's done in the past. This pick is very much about the future though. Donovan has, remains, and we believe will be the heartbeat of the US National team for the foreseeable future. You can put him in any attacking position, and he's the best US player. He leads by example on the field, he makes players around him better. To me, he plays like Iniesta and there's basically no higher complement. He is the best American soccer player I've ever seen (Although Betty White told me Billy Gonsalves was dope, yo). This ain't a slight on Dempsey. Love the dudes passion, he's an excellent player in his own right. But to paraphrase one of the most courteous rappers of our generation,"Yo, Clint, I'm really happy for your great year, but Donovan is the best American of all time. Of all time"
So I figure I'll sticky whichever of these is the actual draft thread. But which of these is the actual draft thread? This one or the one that MLSNHTOWN started?
With the second pick in the draft, and for the second year in a row, I select: Clint Dempsey Clint had a fantastic year last year and has started off 2012 with two hat tricks. So far he has 9 goals in the Premier League and 15 goals in all competitions this season for Fulham. Clint has expressed his interest in joining a club in the Champions League and if he keeps up his level of play, it's hard not to see one of the top clubs going after him. I really look forward to seeing what Clint does in 2012.
Okay, done. I also stickied (stuck...whatever) the discussion thread. We'll cut them loose once you guys are done.
With the third pick of the 2012 US draft, I select: Jozy Altidore Jozy has 12 goals for Alkmaar so far this season, and seems to have found a club where he can succeed. Personally I think we will see big things from Altidore this year, especially with World Cup Qualifying around the corner.
Sorry for no photo and the crudeness of the post, I'm posting from my phone. If someone could also cover the next PM, I'd appreciate it. KC/IA Connection select Michael Bradley. Regularly starting now in Italy, Bradley will be a good anchor in the middle of the field.
KC-IA Connection - PICK 4 Michael Bradley currently plays for Italian Serie A club Associazione Calcio ChievoVerona in Chievo, a Verona suburb of 2,800 inhabitants. PMs sent.
With our first round pick, FC Coulibaly selects a versatile young player on the rise with both club and country: Fabian Johnson http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/...enheim-3209/34317/spieler_fabian-johnson.html
I believe ATLGunner's 12-hour window expired a few hours ago. Looks like ChrisE may take his pick. ATLGunner may also still pick.
Sorry I thought we were starting Today not yesterday (busy week, but won't happen again). Anyways, turns out I didn't lose my guy anyways. With the Sixth Pick, I select: Chandler is an automatic starter, offers versatility...and may get a club upgrade this offseason. Timmy also gets to showcase himself at the Olympics this summer (hopefully). While ideally a RB, having the option of the top LB in our pool on my team is exciting. It is tough taking a fullback this high, but for my money Chandler is the BPA here (outside of GK's) and also is the top player at a very high value position for US players.
I select: Jermaine Jones Midfield I take the beast, and our most talented central midfield player IMO. So, he's a risk with cards etc., but I grew up supporting a club team that had Roy Keane in the CDM role so what does one expect! Haha! I love Jermaine, I dont think any other midfield player apart from Bradley offers what he does at this moment in time and I think he's due for a good year, even with the German ban. Fingers crossed he gets a good transfer this summer. I thought about another player, but I just think Jermaine is too good to pass up and am extremely happy to get him with the 8th pick. Three Germans in the first round, what would Preston Zimmerman have to say about this!
With our 1st pick, Balerion and I select: Brek Shea US Soccer's young male athelete of the year, Shea appears ready to build on a breakout 2011 MLS campaign, where he had 11 goals and 4 assists, on the way to finishing as a finalist in the MVP vote. Now firmly entrenched in Jurgen Klinsmann's plans for the future, Shea also looks set to have a prosperous 2012 with the national team and become one of the most important players on the teamsheet. A solid all-round player, with great size and strength and who can play a number of postions, his past year's peformance and upside for 2012 make him impossible to pass up at this point in the draft.
As dawn breaks over the East Coast of the US, Team Mr. Martin/Giffenbone select at #11... Oguchi Onyewu He is a core US Nat now getting back to form, starting (and scoring, too) for Sporting CP in UEFA's 6th best League. Onyewu is sure to be a key player as WC Qualifiers begin. Gooch will form a powerful, experienced backbone for our squad. Still only age 29, Onyewu has 62 Caps and 6 goals for the USA. Twice Belgian League Best XI, twice Belgian Champion with Standard Liège, and US Soccer Athlete of the Year in 2006. Plus, he knows how to stare down opponents, and has found new fans in Portugal.
With the 12th pick of the first round, I select Geoff Cameron After helping Houston to MLS Cup in 2011, Cameron followed with an invitation to Klinsmann's January camp and a solid performance against Venezuela. A solid all-around player and 2009 MLS Best-XIer and 2011 MLS All Star, Cameron brings strength, passing, composure, and a notable versatility to any team.
With the 1st pick of the second round (13th overall), I select Jonathan Spector After years with Manchester United and West Ham (including a notable 2010-11 season that saw him score a brace against his former club), Spector moved to Birmingham City in the Championship for the 11-12 season. With over 30 appearances so far this season, he has been an important contributor as Birmingham push for promotion. Not yet 26 and with nearly 8 years of professional play under his belt, Spector adds a vast amount of international and club experience in addition to his versatility.
With the 2nd pick of the 2nd Round, 14th selection overall, Team Mr. Martin/Giffenbone select... Chris Wondolowski For the last two years he has lead MLS in scoring, at a rate of just over one goal every 2 games. Two-time MLS All-Star. He has a poacher's instincts, can play a bit of midfield if needed, is in the prime of his athletic career, and knows how to score against MLS defenders and keepers.
Pick #15 is Jose Francisco Torres, seen in the first image doing his best Stuart Holden impression. This was a tough pick, but in the end I figured that skilled players are always scarce, and you don't get any more skilled than this guy. At age 24, he's coming into his prime and has been playing extremely well recently.
To add some color: Kljestan is a guy who we are very pleased to get at #16. He's had his ups and downs over his career, but he's been outstanding for a very good Anderlecht team this season. We feel that he's reached a new level and that his reputation among US fans hasn't quite caught up to the new reality -- in part because Klinsmann hasn't given him much of a run yet. Kljestan will give us some flexibility in constructing our team; he can play as a box-to-box midfielder or be used in a more attacking role. Or even as a pinched-in outside midfielder, although I think that's an unlikely outcome.
Cant believe he has fallen to me, I select: Mo Edu Midfield Too happy, there were three players before I went to bed and checked for the final time who I wanted, and luckily had my pick of the three since neither of them went in the previous two picks. Mo was at the top of that short-list, and I'm over the moon to get him. Always in the national team plans and a solid performer at club level. Kinda hoping he takes advantage of his talent and the transfer rumors and gets out of Ibrox this summer. Edu has been a great performer for a few years now and I expect this year to be no different. Round 1: Jermaine Jones Round 2: Maurice Edu Oh yeah!