Qualifying this with the fact I've seen nothing from either of the second round picks: Lalas' description of Donnie Smith immediately made me think "Pat Phelan." I hope that's not the case. For Spencer - I'm really surprised they didn't go with Don Anding (who literally just got picked by Philly as I wrote this) who based on the Combine had much more of an upside, athletically. I'm curious who gets Bustamante as possible additional RB competition. I think this draft is a success no matter what because of Farrell - face it, most of the guys in the 2nd round ride the bench for a year and get cut the next season. I am hoping that passing over the plethora of LBs in this draft is a vote of confidence in Tyler Polak.
Donnie Smith projects as a possible LB at the pro level, so it may actually be a bad thing for Polak.
[quote="huskydeac, post: 27060920, member: 144932 Lalas basically said he might not be a great soccer player. Not the greatest endorsement..[/quote] If Big Red said that for me that makes the kid a great pick because Lala is a Dada-dumb.
Between his insistence that no one has ever given Freddy Adu a chance and that Chivas trying to be the Athletic Bilbao of MLS is a good idea, Simon Borg just had a spectacularly bad run at the commentators' table.
Well, Lalas seemed to be pretty good at picking who would be drafted next on the live show. I think he even mentioned Smith before the Revs picked him. Even before the draft started, Adrian and Taylor were saying, "It's probably going to be Farrell," Lalas came right out and said "It WILL be Farrell."
There's a difference between knowing who teams like/being tipped of by insiders and knowing which players are good and capable future professionals.
For Pick #36: My Revs Small Board 1. Greg Cochrane, LB 2. Ashton Bennett, ST 3. Jimmy Nealis, LB 4. Ryan Clark, LB 5. Eric Schoenle, CB 6. James Belshaw, GK
With the 17th pick of the 2nd Rd (36 overall) of 2013 #SuperDraft, NERevolution select GK Luis Soffner.
Major League Soccer @MLS With the 17th pick of the 2nd Rd (36 overall) of 2013 #SuperDraft,@NERevolution select GK Luis Soffner.
From TopDrawerSoccer: Luis Soffner, Indiana Numbers: 6-4/210 lbs – 84 games – 80 goals against – 47-26-11 – 32 shutouts Combine Invite: Yes Rundown: No player in this group helped himself more than Soffner, who was at the heart of Indiana’s successful championship quest. His prospects for a pro career aren’t too shabby either – he’s got an impressive frame, gets down well to stop shots and is quick enough to find an MLS home as a cheap third-stringer.
From MLSsoccer.com: Luis Soffner "GK who has all the pieces: 6-foot-4, long, athletic, courageous but it has taken him a while to come around ... Great run at the end of 2012 ... Good in the air and made big-time saves when he didn't have much to keep him focused ... Right size, looks the part, but always had two big gaffes a game before 2012 ... Plagued by reputation of mistakes and inconsistency throughout career ... OK with the ball, very good shot-stopper but OK in air ... If you look at Final Four there were a couple of exits where he was caught in no-man's land ... Mistakes aside, he has all the other tools to be a top level GK at the next level ... He's got size, fits the bill, good kicking game, range is quite good in terms of controlling his box ... Good, strong personality ... Consistency will come down to experience ... Being a No. 2 or No. 3 in MLS would do him wonders ... He's come a long way since inconsistent first two years ... Composed as a fifth-year senior ... Will get a shot as a developmental goalkeeper in MLS ... Feet have to get a bit better but has good upside."
I like the pick - if the GK of the NCAA champs is on the board with your last pick, go for it. He'll get a year to understudy Reis and then he'll fight Shuttleworth for the #1 spot in 2014 - it might even happen this year. One nice thing is we got this pick for freakin' Fred. Good piece of longterm business, there.
no problem with this pick, he could turn out to be this years Meara, who knows. Guessing they past on Bennett because of the international spot and perhaps did not show well in the combine