1.SD (from NY) - Aly Wagner, M, Santa Clara 2. NY (from SD) - Chrstie Welsh, F, Penn State 3. BOS - Lauren Orlandos, D, Portland . 4. PHL (from SJ - Mandy trade) - Callie Withers, M, Stanford. 5. ATL - Christine Latham, F, Nebraska/Canada ., 6. PHL - Erin Misaki, M, Portland.. 7. PHL (from WAS - cap relief trade) - Devvyn Hawkins, M, Santa Clara. 8. CAR - Laura Schott, F, Cal. 9. NY - Hope Solo, GK, Washington. 10. ATL (from SD - Anna Kraus trade) - Betsy Barr, M, Portland.. 11. BOS - Heather Deerin, D, Princeton 12. SJ - Marcia Wallis, F, Stanford. 13. ATL - Carly Fuller, M, Cal. 14. PHL - Susan Palmer, D, Pepperdine. 15. WAS - Kelly Worden, D, Virginia. 16. CAR - Kate Gordon, F, Marquette.
The complete lowdown Thanks for the heads-up Adam. So many good posts have disappeared since the latest hiccup. I have re-constructed, as best as I could, the mock draft that I posted 2 weeks ago. In the hope of further discussion, I did not change the original names and their order in the mock draft. 2003 mock draft – 1st round 1. SD: Aly Wagner, M, Santa Clara 2. NY: Christie Welsh, F, Penn State 3. BOS: Lauren Orlandos, D, Portland - Orlandos is the best defender in the draft. Tall and solidly built, Orlandos will instantly transform Boston’s mediocre defense into a good one. 4. PHL (trade w/ SJ): Callie Withers, M, Stanford - Callie’s the most complete two-way player in college. Strong in the air. Has very quick feet. Dominated the college game, and will do so in the pros. 5. ATL: Christine Latham, F, Nebraska/Canada - Why will ATL draft Latham when they already have Hooper? Because Latham’s that good. A bruiser up front, Latham will fit nicely with ATL’s style. 6. PHL: Erin Misaki, M, Portland - Saki possesses very good distribution & holding skills. Good vision. Not particularly big, but quick feet and positioning skills let her win balls consistently. 7. PHL: Devvyn Hawkins, M, Santa Clara - Hawkins possesses a good vertical game & good distribution skills. Soaks up a lot of pressure playing in front of a so-so Santa Clara defense. That’s why she’s so good. 8. CAR: Laura Schott, F, Cal - Cal’s all-time scoring leader had an injury-plagued senior season. A natural goal-scorer, a healthy Schott will add depth to CAR’s already-potent offense. 2003 mock draft – 2nd round This will be a deep draft. Don’t be surprised to see teams trade up or trade down to the 2nd round. The 9th, 10th, & 11th positions have very good value. As always, beauty is in the eye of this beholder. 9. NY: Hope Solo, GK, Washington - Solo is not just NY’s new Hope, she will also offer salvation. An instant opening-day starter. The athletic Solo will make sure NY won’t give up 60+ goals again. 10. ATL (from SD/Anna Kraus trade): Betsy Barr, M, Portland - Betsy is a quick and fast winger. Good one-on-one and distribution skills. Will be of immediate help in diversifying ATL’s attack. 11. BOS: Heather Deerin, D, Princeton - Deerin’s a great steal for BOS. In one fell swoop, BOS snag the two best defenders in the draft. No longer will BOS score 4 goals, only to lose in the end. 12. SJ: Marcia Wallis, F, Stanford - If the Pac-10 POY lasts this long, SJ will be there to take her. Good distribution skills & a fast player. Marcia works very hard on top and holds well in traffic. 13. ATL: Carly Fuller, D, Cal - Whoever takes Carly will probably try her out in central defense. ATL will be no different. Tall but not particularly fast, Carly possesses good distribution skills. 14. PHL: Susan Palmer, D, Pepperdine - If Palmer lasts this long, PHL will take her. Some might say Virginia’s Kelly Worden might be a better defender. Either Palmer or Worden will add depth to PHL’s central defense. 15. WAS: Kelly Worden, D, Virginia - See Susan Palmer. A central defender, look for WAS to try out Worden at right back. It’s her job to lose. 16. CAR: Kate Gordon, F, Marquette - With all the good defenders taken, look for CAR to take the speedy Gordon. Gordon’s quickness will probably be utilized on the wing. Other names and notables: Someone will make the mistake of drafting UNC’s Susan Bush & Leslie Gaston. Will anyone bite at the over-hyped Missy Gregg? ATL are looking at Clemson forward Deliah Arrington & Denver forward Katie Antongiovanni. BOS will be looking at Dartmouth mid Mary McVeigh. NY will be looking at Yale mid Ali Cobbett, Uconn mid Sarah Popper, and Notre Dame’s injured defender Vanessa Pruzinsky. PHL will be looking at Lasalle forward Amy Schneider & Virginia forward Darci Borski. Look for SD to draft UNC GK Jenni Branam, & Tennessee forward Kim Patrick in the 3rd round. That ends my speculation.
Cachundo - Just wanted to get your thoughts on a couple fo things. 1 - With NY trading for Smolak, do you still think they will draft Solo if she is around at #9? I have a feeling that NY got Smolak thinking Solo will be gone by the second round. If Solo is still around, NY has to take her and then try to trade Smolak. I just can't see Smolak being a reserve, and/or Webber going anywhere. 2 - With Carolina getting another big forward in Minna Mustonen, do you still think they will draft two more forwards in the 2003 draft? I just don't see this happening now, since Carolina is pretty loaded uptop. I just wanted to get your feelings on this. Thanks in advance.
Solo falling to # 9 is speculation on my part. If it does happen, I would find it hard to believe NY will pass up the chance to draft her. I've seen Smolak play in college, she really wasn't that good. If Solo's still around, how can NY not draft her? I think in the 2nd round, NY sees Solo as # 2, & Misaki # 2a. I posted about Schott going to CAR before BS farted, & before they acquired Mustonen. With CAR's forwards being Prinz, Fotop, Mustonen, Barnes, & james, I think Schott's out of the equation. That means Susan Ellis wasted at least three trips to the West Coast, only to say Schott & Wallis are not as good as Mustonen. Or blame Ramsey for that move.
Well there is one player that no one knows about....The fastest player I have ever seen on the field....ACC Player of the Year..... Forward Deliah Arrington from Clemson. Since my friend coaches there, I know a lot about her and the captain K is very interested in her. Lead the team in goals this year and broke the college record for goals and points. So mark my word...she is going in the first round, either Philly or Atlanta. And also, she was named second team All-American this year. We will see what happens....
I believe Cachundo has been present when Krikorian has scouted Stanford. I believe Carolina at 8 would hope for Hawkins or Misaki to drop down. A lot of our draft speculation has been lost so to review. Boston at 3 should take Orlandos, but there's a chance Withers might go 3. If Withers is gone, the Charge have the option of Orlandos or Hawkins. I'd like to see Hawkins in red, so the key would be what Atlanta really wants. The Charge could take Orlandos 4, and gamble Hawkins doesn't go to Atlanta. Personally, I think the foreign allocation is the forward the Charge need, although there is some though Kelly Smith gets pushed into a forward slot, opening up a role for a new attacking mid. The perfect draft for the Charge: Withers Solo and Hawkins in the 1st round
The 4th international, & a healthy Kelly Smith, are the reasons why I don't think Krikorian will draft a forward in the 1st round. The new a-mid will be Tullock. And Callie Withers and Devvyn Hawkins are technically better than any of the d-mid incumbent(s). Look for one or both to be picked if they're still available.
I think the key to getting Hawkins all depends on what Atlanta does. Since the hackers have sent us back a month, Tom Stone has been speculated to be interested in a d-mid who can pass the ball or a forward with speed. I liked these skills from Hawkins at the college cup. I've thought highly of Withers ever since cachundo mentioned her. And with run baby run and east_coaster praising her, my only concern is Pia pre-empts the Charge. If Pia does, I take Hawkins, 4th. I like the idea of Tullock moving forward a bit more. There'd be a lot of interchanging of Hawkins and Tullock, as I thing they both a flexible enough to play both roles. And Kelly Smith, clearly can drop into midfield any time she wants. I assume Withers can assume a holding role, in addition to the destroyer role, making her even more valuable. With Zhao in midfield, these woman would be dynamic. What to do with FAir?? With all this postponing of the waiver draft, and the collective bargaining agreement, I've been thinking to myself, what team wants to dump some founders... Sermani in NY... And given Krikorian's past history, he'd be the type guy who'd say thanks Lorrie, but we don't need you any more.
wusa.com has an interview with Tim Murphy. A quote: As he looks to year three, aside from the elusive WUSA title that has exceeded the Charge’s grasp the past two seasons, Murphy sees a special challenge in the upcoming Women’s World Cup. Between France, China, and the United States, the Charge could be missing up to five players from their roster throughout 2003 as countries prepare for the top prize in women’s soccer. Murphy hopes the standard of play with all the roster flux will stay as high as it was in 2002. So China is mentioned, which indirectly infers the Chinese will be here next year, NOT gone for the whole year. Or am I reading too much into the quote?
And rbr's and EC's comments on Callie Withers count a great deal, since they come from rival schools. LOL. Shows you how partisanship takes a back seat when one sees undeniable talent. BOS need defensive help so badly, I doubt if they can pass on Orlandos. Deerin's talents are a distant second. And this is a draft thin on good defenders. Orlandos is a blue-chip, Deerin can start for many teams. Then it's Worden and Palmer. If you want a defender, better to convert a midfielder, because this draft is loaded with middie talent. If Pia takes Withers, then PHL will take Hawkins at # 4. I think ATL will be so happy if they can get Orlandos. Stone has Nikki Serlenga distributing for that team, so I think he's in the market more for a destroyer than a holder. One way or another, I see Cal's Carly Fuller ending up in ATL. It's a draft thin on good defenders, and loaded with so many good, if not excellent, d-mids. You got Stanford's Withers, Santa Clara's Hawkins, Portland's Barr, & Cal's Fuller. I have never seen a class loaded with so much talent in holders & distributors. But there's only one true destroyer.
From the college cup, I think Barr is a defender in WUSA. The other thing I noticed searching the web is Hawkins was born in Sitka, Alaska. Gotta like those fellow Alaskans!! Another point was Charge! was concerned about size. If you look at a midfield of Withers and Tullock and Hawkins, there aren't any small women there. But the key is mobility. The same with Smith. The more I think about it, the better I like the return of Smith up top. And we also have another foreign player to diversify our attack also.
Kelly Smith doesn't want to play upfront. I would say draft another forward to put upfront with Pichon and Martin. Smith will be the dominant midfielder for any team. It will be a battle between her and Withers if Withers comes to play with the Charge. Give Withers to another team. Can't have two dominators in the midfield. And please, please don't not draft a goalkeeper. Work with the ones that you have.
Dennis, Callie Withers is a d-mid. She and Kelly Smith would work well together A central mid triangle of Withers and Tullock and Smith would be very complementary, and then you have Zhao switching wings. Personally, I believe the new foreign allocation will be a forward. As to Devvyn Hawkins, she's very skilled, and could play either Withers or Tullocks or Smiths role. The best forward is Latham, who is Canadian, but is a great target player, that's if you're looking for that type player. I agree Smith wants to be an a-mid, but she has freedom to go anywhere she desires on the pitch.
This is the first time I've ever heard anyone say you can't have more than one dominator(?) in midfield. Have you watched Real Madrid, Arsenal, or Manchester United lately? I don't hear anyone complaining that there's too much creativity with both Figo & Zidane playing together. Or that playing Ronaldo & Raul together is bad for Real Madrid. Before you "give" Withers to another team, first explore the possibility of trading that pick. That way, you get value back for someone that just about everybody would want to play for them. Withers in ATL is very bad news for the rest of the league. You might as well hand them the crown.
I just think we have too many midfielders as it is and we don't need to have 3 more. Fair and Tullock are the two defensive midfielders that we have. If we have three others who are offensive midfielders then we will be set. So at most we should get two midfielders and they should be offensive mdfielders. A forward who can run on the wings quickly would be nice. I meant two dominant midfielders in the center. What about Karvelsson? What about Monroe?
Personally, I say take trhe best talent, that put them out there. Because the draft has so many good midfielders, that's where I go. It's one of the reason Smith at forward in 4-4-2 is an option. Still 4-5-1 might be the way to go. Withers is a far better d-mid than Lorrie Fair ever could be. She has the size to combat players like Wambach, and the mobility to stay with all put the Milbrett likes. So I say a midfield (5) of Withers, Tullock, Smith, Zhao and Fair is the way to go. Fair and Zhao are wingers. Then you have Hawkins and Monroe off the bench. Depth is critical. My alignment would keep Tullock as a holding mid, Smith as an attacking mid, and Withers as the d-mid, with Zhao and Fair out wide. If Fair sits, then you have options with Hawkins and Monroe. Still we have an international allocation for forward. Players can be kept fresh the whole season this way.
Dennis M thanks for your comment. Personally I agree. The speedy Schott would be a very nice addition. She would compliment Pichon up front and burn up the compitition on the wing. It would be very difficult to cover these two players . In doing so it will enable the mids to reek havoc. That's why I feel the team will possibly take Schott. Mids are an asset but you need two blistering, forwards that finish a high % of their shots. Schotts' career at Berkeley is about 1 in 3. You can't leave a player like that 1v1. And you can't leave Pichon 1v1. That leaves opponents exposed. And the mids now can handle the rest. Although I do feel a good d/mid wouldn't hurt. Shot finish % is what wins games, not shots on goal. Anyone can kick a ball towards a goalie, getting it in the net will win games. Schott would be a big asset for the charge. I think this is well known by the charge. Kinda hard to miss in the stats and archieves. Furthermore forwards off this caliber are rather are rare.
That may be true. But I'm the voice of dissent saying that the Charge midfield is overrated. Kelly is really a forward playing deep. The Charge midfield, after Kelly went down, featured five because Krikorian wasn't comfortable with just playing four of them. What does that tell me? The incumbent mids were not very good. I thought so then, & I still do now. Connors won many of my play-killer awards. Fair at d-mid was a big joke. In the semis, the mids were exposed as not very good in holding and distribution. That's why they were play-killers - they just gave up the ball too easily, without any real pressure from an opponent. The only other mid who has good distribution skills is Tullock. And she was the playmaker @ ASU, where she owns all their scoring records. I think she'll play more in an attacking role next season, instead of being holed up at d-mid. Why? Because the two best d-mids that will ever play in the league are in the draft. And Krikorian's in a position to get at least one of them.
The key to the Charge play are Benson and Mitts being able to get forward on overlapping runs. And the same for Zhao out wide too. It's the wide play which separated the Charge from the way most WUSA plays. Kelly Smith controlled the center, and when she went down, cachundo is correct, possession in the middle suffered. As the year progressed, Tullock became a more intergral part of the team. Monroe's role in the middle was a defensive pest, to break up things in a more advanced position, before they got through to the final third. Fair isn't a true d-mid in the sense most of us would define the position. Her job ws to use her speed to cover any breakdowns. The key now is ball skills and distribution. Tullock and Smith have it. Assume Zhao is here roaming both wings. Pichon is the forward, and another forward, either via allocation or draft will be here. So what to you need in midfield, if you're letting Tullock and Smith do their thing. A destoyer at d-mid. An animalwho can control the air, break down attacks, and have the linkage skills forward. And that's why Withers or Hawkins would be good fits. On my team, Fair isn't starting, but a jack-of-all-trades-master of none sub.
Yes. The key to the Charge's winning is the fact that with the exception of Brandi Chastain we have in Mitts and Benson two of the most attacking-minded defenders in the league. Besides just a general preference, the 4-3-3(throughout) and 3-4-3(on the attack) is the best thing and why the five in the midfield is too much.
I agree with Kelly Smith, the 5 mids won't happen in 2003. I see 4-4-2 with the outside backs pushing up, and Zhao playing the entire wing. One of the reasons I like Withers, is the coverage she can give when Mitts and Benson go forward. Fair, to frequently, wanted to go forward, leaving Iverson and Tietjen stranded too much. Having Benson whipping in her crosses to a crashing LAtham is a pleasant thought.
As with mine. If Krikorian manages to pull off Withers-Hawkins, I wouldn't be surprised to see Fair sit, coming in late for a change-of-pace x-factor..
something we lacked last year...connors wasnt good enough, liu was too good. that would be a great way to set up...although there are political reasons why i doubt it would happen, but id bench fair myself with withers or hawkins, hell yeah...