2018 MLS SuperDraft thread

The draft's talent, even if not that great anyway, is mostly with attackers. I don't think that's going to work well for us since we need defenders. But as always, draft the best available and then just put them at Reno if necessary to see if they can be MLS level or not.

 

Friends -

Check this out!

These idiots think we should draft another central midfielder. WTF?!

We need to draft defenders, even if they aren't #12 pick worthy. A central mid would be a waste. Omsberg would be a better choice for us.

Another "mock" draft has us taking a forward, which is a little better. We could probably get some prospect defenders later and loan them to Reno where Ian will coach them into quality MLS level players.

We need central defenders, outside backs (especially if we're going to play with four in the back), could use a speedy outside mid or two, and another striker could come in handy.

NO Central midfielders, thank you.

Go Quakes!!

- Mark

 

What? You haven't heard? We're going with a 0-10-0 formation this year.

 

Well, the other school of thought is: if there isn't a valuable player in the position of need, draft the most valuable player available. They still have value and you can use them to trade for a defender later.

We really need to package Alashe and draft picks as trade bait to move up and take Thomas Hilliard-Arce. Hopefully we can talk LAG into this. That would be Hilliard-ious.

 

Yeah, let's hope we have an arse up our sleeve.

 

Unless a player with potential to immediately start in MLS is still available, I would suggest that draft selections shouldn't be based on need but rather the best talent that remains on the board. That assumes you can develop players, an ability the Quakes have yet to fully demonstrate. The reason for picking the best talent is that you can spend time to develop it (especially now with the affiliate teams) and then trade later for need. This is much better than selecting a player based on need who has little potential to actually succeed.

Previously the Doyle brain trust tended to draft players who were personally known to them and had good character. Very little to do either with talent or need. That was stupid and lazy. Even if they were to try to do a proper job of evaluation, I don't think they knew how. And never mind development.

So what factors could be used to evaluate "best talent" for development in a college draft (or otherwise)? Number one, an understanding of the game at an advanced level. Number two, a set of skills that could translate to playing in one or more field positions in a specific system or style of play. Those skill sets could involve many different combinations representing a particular "prototype".

The prototypes that tend to get overlooked in the U.S. aren't necessarily skill players who are very good with the ball at their feet. Most domestic players who develop those skills do so to overcome severe shortcomings that otherwise make them incapable of playing at the highest levels. And worse, a player with natural abilities who is already pretty quick doesn't need to develop world-class dribbling, passing, shooting and game-reading skills since the speed alone would be sufficient to excel at the highest level of competition in this country. In other words, we're not about to develop anything close to a Messi under the current system. So I suspect we tend to make the mistake of placing too much emphasis on ball skills, possessed by players who don't have complementary skill sets to succeed at a professional level.

Instead, we should focus on those prototypes we could successfully evaluate for further development. These would be players with a combination of game understanding and specific, not necessarily extraordinary, natural skills ... for example in the mold of a Phillip Lahm, Thomas Muller, Kevin De Bruyne, Ricardo Carvalho, or if we are talking current players in MLS then Diego Valeri, Seba Giovinco. etc.

 

Hopefully we are beyond making the convenient Stanford pick just because we saw them play a lot. Jackson Yueill was an exception to that rule, but also a post-Doyle pick. Of course we don't have a real high pick this year either.

 

"Cannot have too many Stanford guys."
-- Dave Kaval

 

J.J. Koval and Tyler Thompson are on the phone.

 

From your mouth to God's ear, or in our case, the front office. Scoring Arce would be the biggest coup ever in Earthquakes history in relation to our Draft.

 

Are there any open international spots? Already seem to be over the total by 1 or 2.

 

I could see trading Godoy for LAFC's first pick and then drafting Arce. Even assuming Jungwirth might have to start at CB for a while, that still leaves Ceren with Alasha as a backup at d-mid (and Yueill could slot in there as well). Arce might be ready to start this season, but it would be better if he did so next to an MLS veteran.

 

That's a steep price, but may be worth it in the longer run.

But you have to be really, really confident he'll MLS caliber player. You don't give away known value for unknown value easily.

 

Not 100% certain but I suspect Arce is the most-MLS ready player in the draft. I wouldn't really suggest giving up a Godoy level of value for anybody else. Also if they do get Quintana then the urgency to add another CB won't be as great, but I'd still think it a wise move to lighten on d-mids in favor of CBs especially if it helps with international slots.

 

I think it would take more than Godoy to swing the deal for the number one pick to snag Hilliard-Arce... but I'd do that deal in a heartbeat.

 

I remember many years ago there were two 'can't miss' CD's in the draft. Both went high. Chad Marshall (Stanford) had a long MLS career, but never really rose above journeyman MLS player. Of the two, he was drafted first. Cochrane (SCU), drafted next by the Quakes was out of the league in a few years. No less than Johnny Moore said he thought the Quakes got the better of the two.

Point being: college drafts are a crap shoot. Odds are much higher of getting a bust or mediocre player than getting a top level player even with high picks. I think Godoy has to be considered an MLS top level player.

 

A fair point but you short-changed those two defenders, especially Chad Marshall, who has won MLS Defender of the Year more times than any other MLS player. He is far from a journeyman - one of MLS's best ever defenders.

Cochrane wasn't all that good but lasted 8 years or so and won a few MLS Cups with Houston. Sadly, the Quakes managed to miscalculate him not once but twice - once as a high draft pick and then they made him their 1st pick of the expansion draft in 2008! As GW Bush said, "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, um......you can't get fooled again!"