Official 2013 Big Soccer US Player Draft Picking Thread

Just reposting the general rules, copied largely from last year:
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.
4. 12 teams (maximum)
5. Must draft 2 GK's
6. Last year we had a number of teams with partners working together. The point of having a partner is so that all picks are made within the time limit (IF NOT SOONER), not to delay all of your picks until your partner gets in. Discuss things before it is your turn.
7. There will be a 12 hour time limit for your pick, if you miss you can come in and pick at any time after your 12 hours has expired. The next team in the draft may pick as soon as the 12 hour time limit for the team on the clock has expired.
8. A player 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. (EDIT: Not sure about this rule ...)
9. 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.
10. Voting at middle of year (julyish) and in January of next year.
11. We will start when we have a full list of no more than 12 teams 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 an existing team.
12. After you pick, YOU MUST PM the next person!!!!!!!! It helps a lot.
13. Absolutely no posting of players who should have been selected instead. You can say things like "I prefer other forwards still on the board", but stay away from "You should have selected Danny Cruz instead".
14. Let's try to keep things friendly. No mocking of selections during the draft. But discussion is welcome in the separate discussion thread.

 

MLSNHTOWN is on the clock starting at 8:00am Tuesday morning Eastern Time, although like Balerion he could make his pick early, too, since his turn is next. But there is no requirement that anyone select before 8:00am January 22. No team's clock will start before that time.

It had been mentioned yesterday that Tuesday the 22nd at 8:00am would be the kickoff, but as Balerion noted in the Organizational thread, he took his 1st Pick early due to timing issues on Tuesday. Sounds like his negotiations with Dempsey went well and they jumped the gun on the TV cameras and the press.

 

This is the first time that I think I have drafted in the US Draft in the top 8 and Balerion takes Dempsey with first pick? Oh well. Balerion if you want to deal Dempsey for this pick and the first pick on the snake back for the rest of the draft, let me know. LOL.

With my pick, I am torn in two possible directions.....but I have to go with my gut. I can't pick based on legend, I have to pick based solely on who I think is the best player on the board right now. Perhaps the quotes below (and its contrast to the philosophy of the next player taken) will explain my pick a little better:

.
What has been the biggest adjustment?
A.
I did an interview the other day and said that when you come to play for a big club, you learn what you can only learn at a big club. The reality is that until you’re with a club like this, there’s no way to experience these things.
The idea of stepping on the field every weekend with the pressure to win regardless of who you’re playing, home or away. The pressure is always there. You look at how special a city this is in the context of the world and realize how much focus and attention is on us every time we step on the field. There’s real competition for places on the field, two or three players for every role. You can train at your best every day, but even then decisions go against you. You have to be ready whenever your time comes. Maybe it’s in the second half or as a starter a few days later in the next game. You have to learn to deal with the fact that a big team has a lot of players. There’s no way to explain this. To understand you have to be here and live it every day.


Do you ever pinch yourself when you look at the arc of your career to this point?
A.
No. I am proud of who I am and what I am all about … but I’m not someone who likes to spend a lot of time looking back. There will be plenty of time for that when my career is over. In the meantime, I am as committed and as determined as ever.


As a result, it is tough ---- but with the #2 pick, I select General Bradley.

Midfielder - AS Roma - Michael Bradley



Very few US players have made it to Italy and succeeded. General Bradley leads a midfield with Daniel De Rossi and Francesco Totti. Think about that for a second.

72 Caps for the national team with 11 goals.....and we all know that when qualifying starts against Honduras, General Bradley will be an absolutely critical component. He pushes himself up the highest levels of the soccer universe and is now performing at one of the world's best clubs. Very few players can in the US pool have accomplished that task. I am picking him in large part because he is the anti-thesis to the likely next selection.

 

With the 3d Pick in the 2013 US Player Draft, Deportivo Vejete is thrilled to take

Landon Donovan





The greatest playmaker in US soccer history. All time leader in goals scored and assists. In 2012 he was 2nd US scorer behind only Dempsey while playing only 6 matches.

Captain of the 2-time defending Champion LA Galaxy, Donovan scored 9 goals and served in 14 assists last year. He turns 31 this year and after a much needed winter break, Bruce Arena says Donovan will play again in 2013.

Deuteronomy and I are thrilled to be able to build around such a player. (And after just one round I've got the kind of playmaker I couldn't get in 18 rounds last year!)

 

Well not going to lie, this was the year I thought Donovan may actually slip to me. I would have taken any of the top three had they fallen, but alas:

Jozy Altidore

AZ



He is on fire right now in Holland, and will surely lead the line come the Hexagonal. This is the guy we need this year, so pray his club form transfers over to country. He is having a great season so far with 14 Eredivisie goals in 9 games.

I've never taken a forward first to my knowledge, but I'm happy to bag our most talented with my first pick in a premium position in this draft.

 

With pick #5, The Darned United selects LB/LM Fabian Johnson of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.




Versatile player who has spent the past couple of years at left back but was also excellent for the US in a couple of appearances at left mid. For my team, he's probably the left mid.

 

With the sixth pick of the first round Real Soccer FC is proud to take Geoff Cameron of Stoke City.


Despite being a recent transfer, Cameron has appeared in 21 of the 23 Premier League matches this season and has displayed his versatility by playing in multiple positions. Cameron entered the MLS in 2008 as a third round draft pick and has become a surprise late bloomer on the USMNT scene, especially at a thin CB position. Real Soccer FC expects him to anchor the center line but don't be surprised to see him higher up the field in certain situations as well as give super neat haircuts to all his teammates.

 

With the 7th pick we are excited to select



Jermaine Jones

We are pleasantly surprised that a player of Jones ability is here for us to take. His versatility will be vital to our plans, and his leadership will be a key to what we hope to accomplish this season. The plan at this point will be for Jones to be a work horse box to box midfielder. He has the skills and energy level to do it and to anchor our team. But depending on how the rest of the draft falls we are happy that Jones can be deployed as a #6 or in a few other unique ways

 

With my first pick, and the eighth overall, I select:

Graham Zusi

Sporting Kansas City




Zusi had a breakout year in 2012 with SKC and the national team. He's going to play a big role in the Hex this year and I like that he can play a few different attacking positions. There's still some time left in the transfer window, so with him spending a little time at West Ham recently, there's still a chance he could be playing his club soccer somewhere other than Kansas City in the near future. If nothing happens this window, I wouldn't be surprised if rumors start heating up in the summer.

 

With the 9th pick in the draft I select...



Danny Williams

The stellar young German-American player from Hoffenhiem. He's only 23 yet he's getting great minutes in the Bundesliga and has been a regular call up for the USMNT. With the hex and off beat Gold Cup going on this year I believe he will see loads of minutes on the National Side and have a breakout year.

 

After some tough decision making, I narrowed it out to one player who, to me, stuck out the most.
....and for my first pick and tenth overall, I present...

Mikkel "Mixx" Diskerud​

​

The guy is something this team needs, the creativity, the passing, everything he has is what this team is dire for. Mixx has recently extended his contract with Rosenborg following a excellent run with the Norwegian club.
On November 14, 2012 in the friendly against Russia, he came on as a substitute and scored the tying goal in the dying seconds of the game.
I believe he will have a breakout season in 2013 and he will feature, at most (if not, all) World Cup Qualifiers, and will most likely be a starter come the next Gold Cup, in June of this year.
An exciting prospect at the age of 22, I find he will have a successful campaign with the National Team and his club.

 

With the 11th pick of the first round, I select Timothy Chandler



I just couldn't pass up one of the few remaining players playing consistently in a top European league. Only 22 and already with significant Bundesliga experience, Chandler offers skill, speed, and pedigree that's scarce in the US player pool. Hopefully now fully committed to the US, I anticipate that Chandler will continue to show the quality that has him as one of the more promising young players in the US setup.

 

With the 12th pick of the draft I select..



Omar Gonzalez

Omar has been probably the best defender in the MLS for the past 2 years. Former rookie of the year, 2 time allstar and MLS Best XI. He was the 2011 Defender of the year, and in 2012 after returning from injury almost single handedly transformed LA from one of the worst teams to a champion, and was MVP of the championship game. At 24 he has a bright future ahead of him and will probably move on to a top 4 league and become a USMNT regular within the next year.

 

And with pick #13 I select..



Josh Gatt

This pick has alot to do with the lack of depth at right wing, but anyway Josh is an electric winger with a amazing pace and decent skill who has the potential to explode this year and become a key player for the US. After a big season with Norwegian champs Molde FK he could also be on his way to a bigger league soon.

 

With the 2nd pick of the 2nd round (14th overall) I select Brek Shea



Shea didn't have the strongest 2012, but given the lack of attacking wide players I'm happy to pick him up at this point. He had a strong 2011 season in MLS, with 11 goals and 4 assists, and at 22 years old (23 on Feb 28) has already registered 19 goals and 14 assists in his MLS career and has picked up 15 caps with the senior national team, including some notable contributions such as:



Possessing a unique combination of size, speed, and skill, Shea is a young, versatile player that regularly attracts interest from European clubs and it seems only a matter of time before he transfers overseas. Until then, I'm hopeful that Shea will regain his 2011 form and show MLS and the world how talented and promising of a player he is.

 

With the 3rd pick of the second round..





I select John Anthony Brooks, the 19 year old from Berlin.
He's yet another prospect that I have chosen to be in my team.
He has, despite his enormous height, the agility, the speed, and anticipation everything a young defender needs in this team.

Brooks signed a four-year professional contract with Hertha after the season, turning down interest from Bayern Munich. Brooks spent nearly all of the 2011–12 season with Hertha II, taking a brief foray back to the U-19 team. Brooks continued to grow during this time, reaching a towering 6'6". After the departure of some players and a very strong preseason, Brooks made his professional debut as a starter in Hertha's opener on August 2012.

I believe he will have yet another excellent season with Hertha and a call up to either the Gold Cup or a WCQ is on the cards pending his tenure with the U-20's.

 

With the 16th pick I select...



Herculez Gomez

He is the starting Forward for Mexican Club Santos Laguna and started all 6 matches of the last qualifying round. He scored 2 goals including the game winner in 1 -0 win over Jamaica. I believe he's the best Forward available and I'm thrilled to have him on my squad

 

With my second pick, and the 17th overall, I select:

Stuart Holden

Bolton



After spending what seems like an eternity sidelined and rehabbing, Holden has finally gotten back on the field with Bolton's first team in a meaningful game. I'm rolling the dice a bit and hoping that his comeback continues and he gets back to the form that had him playing so well. It's a gamble, but if he does, I've got one of the best US midfielders.

 

With my 2nd pick and 18th overall, I am excited to announce the selection of Sacha Kljestan



The debate in the team war room was whether we needed another central midfielder after taking Jermaine Jones in the first round. There are other positions that lack depth in this draft, but ultimately we have chosen to allow talent and skill to win out.

Our opinion is that Kljestan is the most skilled player left on the board. Kljestan has proven himself at a top level team in Belgium and in champions league competition. He finally seems to be on the radar for the National team and coach Klinsmann and we believe Sacha will play a major role in world cup qualifying throughout this year

Kljestan also provides us more versatility as we can move him inside and out and also push him higher up the field if the need arises.

 

With our second pick and 19th overall Real Soccer FC is surprised to take Steve Cherundolo.





We are pleased to have been gifted such a fan favorite and dependable defender. Never a flashy player, Cherundolo has displayed a consistency of form that should be envied by his peers. While his age has worried some, he is still competent to compete day-in, day-out in the Bundesliga. Cherundolo is nearing major milestones with both his club and country as he currently sits at 363 appearances for Hannover 96 and 87 caps with the United States. Upon hearing the news of joining Real Soccer FC, Steve Cherundolo said, "Cool."

 

With its second pick and pick number #20 overall, The Darned United selects Fwd Terrence Boyd of Rapid Vienna.



A year ago, Boyd was a 20-year-old reserve who had never suited up in a first team game, let alone an international. His breakthrough began in the German reserve system and continued in an Olympic qualifying performance that deserved far better than the bloodied face that you see here. Today, he has 7 US caps and is Rapid Vienna's leading scorer, but it's that game against El Salvador that convinces me that I can't go wrong with this kid.

 

Jose Francisco Torres

Tigres





One of our most naturally gifted midfielders plying his trade with one of Mexico's top teams. Torres gives my team the creativity every team needs, while also adding a little bite.

For me, he's consistent in a very good league, and works well for my team's system. I have a young, talented, strong, consistent spine to my team forming already, I'm not relying on chance with this pick, Torres is quality and will contribute this year, and is uber value at this stage of the draft. I am happy.

Round 1: Jozy Altidore
Round 2: Jose Francisco Torres

 

With the 22nd pick overall and our second round selection, Deportivo Vejetes announce their pick of Eddie Johnson.


Twice MLS Comeback Player of the Year, 2007, 2012



Eddie, affectionately known here as GAM, is tied with Brian McBride for second in US in WC qualifying goals with 10. (Our number one pick, of course, is first) He is the only American to score a qualifying hat trick coming off of the bench and has 10 goals overall in 10 qualifiers.

Possessing an incredible first step, great pace, superior strength and an awesome aerial game (leading MLS with 9 headed goals), we expect the rejuvenated EJ to continue to progress in the development of his game.

Eddie scored both of the US goals in the critical match in Antigua and Barbuda and also assisted on Clint Dempsey's match winner vs Guatemala.

A proven MLS and International talent, Eddie Johnson will give his opponents match up nightmares for years to come.