Now that the list of P-40s has come out, I think there is an excellent chance that the first two picks will come out as follows: 1. DCU - Eskandarian 2. MET - Ricardo Clark I think it's a foregone conclusion that (a) Hudson will take Esky and (b) it isn't worth what Hudson will ask for if we try to flip draft picks. Given the rest of the field, since do need someone to contribute NOW (which precludes precocious talents like Gaven and Memo, IMO), we should take Clark, who by all accounts is a stud at defensive midfield. Many have said he will be as good as Mastro, if not better, in time. For this coming season, he can be tutored by Balboa and R. Williams (not a bad gig, if you ask me) until he's ready to start, hopefully no later than the beginning of next season. Jeff Moore, if he continues to develop, would remain a more than adequate, affordable back-up. I know people were all over the Metros last season for passing over "can't miss" prospects such as Justin Mapp. Where's he now? DCU grew tired of waiting, and just traded him for Kovalenko. Certainly, Mapp may turn out to be a revelation on the left side, and I prefer Brad Davis anyway. But the point remains... What do you all think?
I predict a rather VARIED draft: first I will start with a Miller Light draft as I watch the draft, then if the draft seems daft I'll have a draft of Coors Original. Then if Bush re-instates the draft I'll move on to a Guiness draft - this schedule is just a rough draft, and may change.
Would you guys really consider drafting Clark knowing that there are at least two guys (Williams and Moore) ahead of him already and possibly a third one (Balboa) as well? I know it's tough to pass on a raw talent like Clark but don't you guys have other pressing needs at the moment? Attacking midfieder? Forward depth?
We do have pressing needs at those positions, but we're not going to be able to draft anyone better than Andy Williams at A-mid, and we won't be able to get a starting calibre right mid with a draft pick. Forward depth is an issue, but d-mids out of college have generally panned out more often than forwards from college. Clark, after Eskandarian, is one of the most talented players in the draft. Richie Williams is older and expensive, and Balboa, IF he re-signs, is certainly here for a one-year retirement tour. By drafting Clark now, we would go into next season with one experienced holding mid (Paule) and two young d-mids with good experience (Moore and Clark). It would be doing something not often seen from this teams management: Building for the future.
Nobody was all over Metro management for not picking Mapp. Almost EVERYBODY was thrilled that Davis fell to our #3 pick. The thing everyone was ticked about was Metro Management picking up Mansour N'Diaye with the #8 pick, when players like Craig Capano and a slew of other good, young players were available. Mapp wasn't even available at the #8.
I wouldn't be surprised if Bradley took Mike Magee during the 1st or 2nd Round. Bradley was the one who recommended Magee to the U-17 while he was playing for the Sockers.
The only problem is, we don't have another first round pick or even a second round pick (isn't our next pick the last pick of the third round, via trade?). Mike will surely be gone before then. I agree with JMcC that drafting Clark would be a move for the future, and a substantial building block at that. He's the most polished Central midfielder in the draft; even if Magee, Gaven or Memo has more "talent" or "upside," we might all go grey waiting for them to fully develop. I view Clark as the best balance between talent and polish in the entire draft, Alecko included. I'm also wondering if there is a diamond in the rough in this draft in the vein of Taylor Twellman. Maybe Ian Joy, back from the depths of the English Second/Third Division? Are there any rumors of additional Yanks Abroad coming home early, but not of the caliber/notoreity of Stewart, Heydude or JMM (i.e., players who would need to be "allocated")? For example, if John Thorrington were to return to MLS and become eligible for the draft, I'd take him in a heartbeat (if Hudson wouldn't drop Esky like a hot potato first).
Re: Re: Draft Prediction Agreed about Davis -- and I expect a breakout season from him this year under Bradley. Wasn't Mapp the seventh overall pick? In restrospect, N'Diaye wasn't a great pick-up (understatement), but has Capano really shown up either? He hasn't even seen the field yet, really. Who were the 6, 7, 9 and 10 picks that year?
I agree with Maverick that Clark would be a good pick with the #2 spot. But we don't need Williams, Balboa, Paule, Clark, and Moore at D. Mid. Unless Bradley wants to play one of those guys elsewhere (Balboa in the back, or Paule at attacking mid?), I don't think we'll end up with those five on the roster together. As for Gaven, to be certain we get him I think we'd most likely want to trade for an early second round draft pick. The 11-15 picks include DC's 3rd and 4th picks and Dallas' 2nd and 3rd. Since Hudson seems averse to having a team that is too young, and Dallas is already loaded, I think those are the teams most likely to deal. But I don't know what we could give them in return. One thing that is working against us, however, is the roster expansion, since it is now easier for teams to carry young P-40 players.
Soccer America magazine believes Clark's the top two-way player in college. Sounds pretty good to me. There's not going to be any immediate "saviour" for the Metros coming out of this draft. That kind of help will have to come through trades. I'm sure Bradley hasn't finished wheelin' & dealin' yet.
Yeah, I've been saying this for a while now (including the thread right next to this one). Still there are a few other good choices available. And of course, if we could pull off some kind of trade to get both Esky and Clark, that would be nice. If we are going to pick Clark, then Ritchie Williams should be traded. There would be no reason to take up $110K of a very limited salary cap when we already would have Balboa, Moore, Paule, and Clark. Trading our #5 pick for Williams was a bad move IMO and I hope we don't go on to regret it. I don't remember a single post getting all over the Metros about not picking Mapp. Mapp was only a backup plan if Davis wasn't available. As Jacen said, the Mansour Ndiaye pick was the screwup. And I was all over OZ as soon as he made such a boneheaded move. The obvious picks were either Kyle Martino or Carl Bussey (based on positional needs).
This from the washington post, over on the dc forum Hudson has done a lot of research and promises some surprises at the draft. "He certainly is the best player at the draft," Hudson said of Eskandarian, "but is he the best player for us at this moment?" hmmm interesting
Some interesting notes from the Combine guide here: http://www.mlsnet.com/special/draft/2003/adidas_combine_guide.pdf They list Nate Jaqua as a P40 even though this hasn't been officially announced. UConn's (and Jamican International) Shavar Thomas is listed in the combine as well. That means 3 of the 4 best defenders in college (Ricky Lewis, David Stokes, and Shavar Thomas) are all in this draft. If we can't get Alecko and we take Clark for #2, I'd like us to somehow trade up and get Nate Jaqua. We need depth at forward.
Agreed. There have already been numerous rumors of Richie Williams getting traded. If Chicago doesn't bite, somebody else will. I doubt he'd get traded for anything other than draft picks too. If we can't move him, I don't see us offering Balboa a contract, even if it's at a reduced rate. HOWEVER, if we keep them both, drafting Clark still makes sense. I doubt Williams and Balboa will be on our roster after this season, and Paule is good, but not dominant (IE: on a truly good team, Paule should be a bench player). If we draft Clark, he and Moore can grow into a great tandem at the D-Mid position. Maybe even a younger, better version of Bradley's old Armas/Marsch duo. I really doubt anyone other than the Metros or DC will even be able to draft Gaven. Remember last year, when Capano fell so low and nobody could figure out why? The league has a policy with the 16 and 17 year olds that the team that drafts them has to work something out in regards to their living and educational requirements. That essentially translates into "they can't get drafted too far from home." DC has Hudson, who didn't like young players even before Mapp blew up in his face (Mapp was the #4 pick btw), so I don't see him picking Gaven up. He very well could be there for us in the 3rd round.
I didn't realize that was a league policy. Still, there's also New England, which has four picks before our second one, and is no farther from NJ than DC. Our third round pick is #30 overall. Whether or not we could get Gaven so low, I'm not sure it's worth the risk.
New England may draft him, to be an understudy to Nowak, but the kid is BARELY 16 years old. By the time he's ready to contribute, he'll be out of contract. Plus, if we draft Ricardo Clark, we'll have Clark and Moore at d-mid, which is very young with a ton of upside. Why make a trade (unless we give up something non-vital like Lisi or Richie Williams) for a player who may not pan out in a position we really don't need help in? If we're going to trade up in the draft, we really should be looking to get a good right winger, because right now, Ziadie is the best one we have.
A lot of these players are going to be very good players. Shavar Thomas already is a very good player. He's played in World Cup qualifiers for Jamaica, has a man's body, good pace and nice ball skills. He can step in and start immediately. If United takes Eskandarian at No. 1, Thomas will be the best player on the board and tough for Bradley to pass up.
Sandon - I think Shavar's a heck of a player, but I was under the impression that he didn't have a Green Card. Don't you think that's a little high for a kid that's going to be a SI in a couple of years?
I am under the impression the kid is a center midfielder with a good offensive game. If that's correct, it's a position we always seem to need help in.
Clark also has played outside mid and had some time in the back as well. He played outside a good amount this season at Furman. His speed makes him very dangerous there.
Not to talk for Sandon, but... I think he's got 3 years as a TI, before becoming an SI. If that's the case, he's hard to pass up. By the end of those 3 years it is likely he will be worth an SI slot or have a green card. I wouldn't be at all suprised if he isn't the best player available in the draft in terms of production next year. Lee
Clark was awesome against the west coast team today. Played central mid, won ball after ball, battled it out with players much bigger than he is, and got involved with the attack as well. Good attitude as well.