Since there is now a 2017 MLS Expansion Draft thread... 2018 MLS SuperDraft Dates January 17–21, 2018 Location Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Network MLSSoccer.com === The Quakes picks: 12 (first round) 30* (second round) 35 (second round) 58 (third round) 81 (fourth round) *#30: Montreal Impact → San Jose Earthquakes. July 13, 2017: San Jose Earthquakes acquired a second-round selection in the 2018 SuperDraft from Montreal Impact in exchange for defender Shaun Francis. The traded pick will instead be converted to $50,000 of 2018 general allocation money if certain conditions are met. === Six players in the NCAA tournament that could end up starring in MLS Cam Lindley, UNC Jon Bakero, Wake Forest Grant Lillard, Indiana Tomas Hilliard-Arce, Stanford Eryk Williamson, Maryland Manny Perez, NC State
They left out Kevin Politz (D) of Wake Forest. He's a senior and at 6'-0" he'd be a great addition in any defense.
http://www.draftutopia.com/2018mlsmockdraft.html It doesn't go to 12th pick but he has Politz going seventh.
Well it's only a list of six players. Not all that useful for us, given that we're picking 12th, and at least one of the six would be a homegrown player. This thread will be a lot more useful after the college season is over and the big boards and mock drafts start... I don't know much about draftutopia but this doesn't exactly fill me with confidence: "Magic Johnson is one of the co-owners of LAFC. He's gonna want someone with a championship pedigree with the top pick. Hilliard-Arce led Stanford to back-to-back championships" Magic Johnson is one of like 50 owners, pretty sure player decisions will be made by John Thorrington and Bob Bradley, not Magic... "The Los Angeles Galaxy run a 1-5-4 formation." What kind of soccer fan writes it as 1-5-4 instead of 4-5-1... === Also, it does go to the 12th pick, on the next page: http://www.draftutopia.com/2018mlsmockdraftround1.html 12. San Jose Earthquakes: Danny Musovski, F, UNLV San Jose got a terrific player in Jackson Yueill. They need defense, but with no more first rounders on the board they get Danny Musovski a 6-0 170 lb striker who could be a successor to Chris Wondolowski down the road in San Jose. Danny Musovski has 12 goals, 6 assists, 30 points, and 50 shots in 2017. His tape versus quality opponents like UCLA and Oregon State is terrible though which is why I have Musovski coming off the board at 12.
Looking at the second page, this is a bigger "this list is a joke" red flag than the other two examples: Atlanta United F.C.: J.T. Marcinkowski, G, Georgetown Atlanta United F.C. has the luxury to ignore need and take the top player on the board. This team is loaded at forward, midfielder, and defense. They get a Generation Adidas goalie candidate in J.T. Marcinkowski out of Georgetown who has a 0.63 GAA, an .831 save percentage, and 8 shutouts in 2017. He got voted team captain as a sophomore in 2016 after Joshua Yaro left the team and Marcinkowski is 11-3-2 in 2017 after posting a losing record and 4 shutouts in 2016. Yeah a kid from our development academy is going to come out of college early as a GA player instead of signing a homegrown deal with us, so he can go sit on the bench for the next three years behind Brad Guzan instead of coming back home to fight for a job against a shaky Andrew Tarbell. They also have Sounders homegrown Handwalla Bwanna in the draft...
We should bundle all the picks in a trade to enable a higher level first round pick. Just focus on one quality player. We have some good options in the academy and also quality younger players currently on the roster. We don't numbers, we need quality. I would go with a CB
If you are exceptional at scouting and identifying talent, you're better off keeping the picks and selecting gems that others bypass. It's like getting a discount. Are the Quakes better at identifying talent than the rest of the bottom 12 of MLS? Clearly in the Doyle years the answer was no. I think there's some reason to think so these days.
I'm not so sure. The Quakes' scouting apparatus is not appreciably bigger than its non-existent status in the past. You need lots of scouts, not just one or two, or a third-party service with lots of scouts exclusively devoted to your interests, to make a difference, and I'm not aware the Quakes have either. On the other hand, Doyle and company stumbled on a few indigenous gems through their personal networks, while striking out globally where they had none. The new regime obviously enjoys a European network of contacts, but seems beholden entirely to Chris Leitch within the American college ranks. Is Leitch's network of contacts sufficient to give the Quakes a leg up on the competition in the SuperDraft? I doubt it. The Quakes are probably still in the pull-out-the-Street & Smith's-stage of draft analysis. For the young folks, that means they're better off consulting us on BigSoccer than drafting on their own wits. Some of us (not me) actually watch the college games and have some soccer savvy.
Yueill was Jesse's favorite player in the draft. I think we struck gold on that one. I don't think we're going to Dumbass our first pick anymore. I would still get high enough to select the consensus #1 or #2 CB in the draft. Without looking at actual numbers, I'll leave that to X and Jazz, my gut feeling is the chances of sticking and succeeding drop off the table after the first 6-7 picks...might even be more conservative than that.
The superdraft becomes less and less relevant every year with the continued emergence of the academies and the escalating salary cap, along with things like TAM / GAM. They Quakes have picked up a few good players in the later rounds the last few years, like Colvey and Mfeka, but inexplicably tend to toss them aside after giving them a contract. It is frustrating and makes little sense to me. But it seems like it is getting to the point where the younger players are coming from the academy, and you just get a token player here and there from the superdraft, typically one you get with a top 5 or so pick. I think there are some gems in there, but if the Quakes are not going to give them a chance to stick around and develop, I have little hope. The whole process is just a source of frustration for me. I'm not going to play the part of Charlie Brown and run up and try to kick the "superdraft football" that the Quakes are holding up for me this year.
Agreed! Take all of our garbage picks, bundle them and then trade up and grab Politz. Forgoing that, just draft filler because that's all that'll be left after the top ten.
FEATURE: Earthquakes host local combine to get first-hand look at potential additions The Earthquakes brought in 60 field players and four goalkeepers for a two-day combine. After dividing the players into six balanced teams, each side was given one match on Saturday and another on Sunday to show their potential to the Quakes’ brass. Representatives from Reno were also in attendance to take in the sights and sounds. ... The players have a wide variety of backgrounds, including collegiate Division I and Division II, and foreign youth national teams. Colleges represented include Santa Clara, Gonzaga, San Diego State, Cal, UC Davis, Cal Poly, Saint Mary’s, Loyola Marymount, Oregon State and many others. Local powerhouse Stanford was off winning their third consecutive national championship.
I watched significant parts of the college cup and didn't see any player that stood out. They all seem to take forever to recognize any pass developing in front of them.
I watched the Cup final. I thought Hilliard-Arce was dominant. Exactly the type of young central defender we need to add. Unfortunately, we currently have no shot at him unless we wheel and deal. He'll probably be taken in the first 3 picks.
I look at the 3 guys from Reno as our draft haul for this year. Whoever we draft this year, unless we trade up for one of the top 3-5 guys or something, I'd imagine will spend at least their first season in Reno. This is a great sign for the quality of our squad! Still baffled that Dane Kelly wasn't signed as well. With his speed, he'd be a like-for-like replacement for Urena.
Yeah as I've said before, the Superdraft diminishes in relevance every year. But it's great that we can at least keep draftees around in Reno for a little bit and see how they do. It's going to be difficult for a pick to get a senior team spot right off the bat.
Major League Soccer announces 2018 Generation adidas class Mo Adams, Midfielder, Syracuse – The Englishman captained Syracuse in his sophomore season in 2017, earning All-ACC Second Team honors. Francis Atuahene, Forward, Michigan – The Ghanaian recorded 24 goals and 11 assists in 49 career appearances in three seasons in Ann Arbor, earning All-Big Ten First Team honors in 2015 and 2016 and an All-Big Ten Second Team selection in 2017. Joao Moutinho, Defender, Akron – The product of Sporting Lisbon’s academy excelled in his only season in Akron, scoring three goals and notching five assists in 24 appearances to earn TopDrawerSoccer.com’s National Freshman of the Year award. Ema Twumasi, Forward, Wake Forest – Born in Ghana, Twumasi was a member of the Right to Dream program, through which he attended high school in Connecticut. He had a solid two years at Wake Forest, finishing his freshman year with four goals and six assists in 25 matches before recording 10 goals and seven helpers in 23 games to earn Second Team All-ACC honors in 2017. Mason Toye, Forward, Indiana – The Big Ten Freshman of the Year starred in his lone season at Indiana, recording 10 goals and two assists in 25 appearances for the Hoosiers. Gordon Wild, Forward, Maryland – The 2016 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year for his 17-goal season. Wild took a bit of a step back in 2017, but still had a productive year. The German recorded five goals and two assists in 19 matches for the Terps in 2017. In addition to the six GA signings, the league announced that it has signed the following seniors: Jon Bakero, Forward, Wake Forest – The son of former Barcelona and Spain midfielder Jose Mari Bakero, the 6-foot-2 forward enjoyed a standout four-year career at Wake. He tallied 37 goals and 27 assists for the Deacs, including 16 strikes and 14 helpers in 23 games in 2017. He was named a MAC Hermann Award finalist and a First Team All-American his senior year. Tomas Hilliard-Arce, Defender, Stanford – A 2017 MAC Hermann Award finalist, First Team All-American, two-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and three-time NCAA champion, Hilliard-Arce had about as decorated a college career as possible at Stanford. The former Cardinal captain is a talented center back who should be a top-five pick in the SuperDraft. Chris Mueller, Midfielder, Wisconsin – One of the more technical players in college soccer, Mueller led the nation with 20 assists in 2017. The Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year picked up Second Team All-American honors and finished his Badgers career with 22 goals and 35 assists in 75 appearances, with nine goals and 20 helpers coming in 2017. === Draft prospect Bakero wins Hermann Trophy