I'm beginning to think that we really had a phenomenal draft, even taking into account the loss of Davis (and, to a lesser extent, Akwari). I also think that we're going to play a 3-5-2, given the assemblage of defenders and defensive midfielders. If we really can trade our allocation for Vaca (still rumored to happen, since (i) the Revs need our allocation, the last one left, to sign JMM and (ii) Serna is expected to head to Dallas) and then turn over the keys to our offense to him, the Metros are looking like quite the balanced squad... I'm also thinking that A. Williams may play the right side of midfield in that 3-5-2, with the left side of the midfield open to competition on the roster. It may help to list all the Metros midfielders and draftees by dominant foot -- given that our candidates for the left side should be left-footed. I'm going to paste in the player summaries that revsnet.com put on the web PRIOR to the draft for every Metros draftee that made the cut (pre-draft rank by position is listed below), and you can draw your own conclusions: Source - http://revsnet.matchnight.com/default.cfm?page=ARTICLE&show=18 Forwards #2 MIKE MAGEE Youth Player Forward 5-9/150 U.S. Under-17 National Team One of the best young forwards in the country ... one of the leading scorers in the past few years for both the Under-17 and Under-20 National Teams ... has almost everything you're looking for in a smaller sized forward ... demonstrates athleticism and skill ... doesn't get beaten in many foot races, and is strong enough to hold off defenders ... plays hard ... makes smart runs off the ball that get himself and his teammates open ... good passer, who often hits open teammates in stride ... knows when and where to deliver through balls ... strikes free kicks with power and accuracy ... can score or pass with either foot ... showed he could hold his own against some of the top competition in the world for his age group ... a little on small and skinny side for the time being, but should develop into a good-sized forward ... has had some trouble with bigger, more physical defenders in the past, but he should eventually learn to adjust his game ... will drift in and out of matches at times ... no matter how good he's looked against 16 and 17 year olds, there's never really any way to tell how good he's going to be when he's 26 or 27. Projection: The Fire have been after the Illinois native for two years, and they finally have a chance to draft him with the 3rd overall selection. Don't bet against it. Midfielders #1 RICARDO CLARK Sophomore Midfielder 5-10/165 Furman Arguably the top individual talent in the college game ... talented two-way midfielder that served as the playmaker for the Under-20 National Team ... he's everything you're looking for in a central midfielder ... tenacious defensive midfielder that moves forward with ease & has very good speed, and great leaping ability & good passer, and can dribble his way out of traffic & overall game is tremendously smooth ... a threat to score from as far away as 35 yards ... always seems to be in the right place at the right time ... kills a boatload of counterattacks ... reads developing plays quickly ... does a nice job taking set pieces ... you'd like to see him become just a tad bit stronger and become a bit more consistent tackler ... can be reckless with his tackles and pick up cards ... has had a couple of nagging foot injuries in the past ... a little too in love with his shot, and will rip one from the outside rather than holding the ball and maintaining possession ... seemed to be a little complacent against lesser competition. Projection: A sure fire Top 5 pick that should provide some team with an instant contributor. A future National Team candidate. #2 EDDIE GAVEN Youth Player Midfielder 6-0/145 U.S. Under-17 National Team Tremendous natural ability and talent & central midfielder that shows great vision and the ability to maintain possession in traffic & creates numerous scoring opportunities by playing insightful through balls & is a willing and effective defender & understands the game and knows where the ball has to go & can finish his opportunities, if he gets a chance & must get bigger and stronger, but he should add weight and muscle naturally as he grows older & only has average speed and quickness at this point in his career. Projection: We've heard more than one coach tell us that Gaven has a chance to start for the U.S. in the 2006 World Cup as a 19-year old - he's that good. Given that sort of respect, it's hard to imagine he won't be a really high draft pick. #9 JACOB LEBLANC Junior Midfielder/Defender 5-11/180 Virginia Pedestrian midfielder that some think could play right back at the next level & has some skill and athleticism, but has yet to come close to putting it all together on a consistent basis & best asset is his ability to find open teammates & solid passer who doesnt turn the ball over an inordinate number of times & capable of playing a decisive final ball & horribly inconsistent & was a difference-maker in about one of every three or four games he played in last year & the potential move to right back doesnt make much sense, because he never really seemed that interested in playing defense as a midfielder, and was never a particularly effective midfield defender & doesnt get many scoring opportunities, and hasnt shown the ability to finish the few chances he gets & doesnt appear to be overly fast or quick & not a very good tackler & has been called lazy and selfish in the past. Projection: LeBlanc made a mistake leaving Virginia early, and its not very clear why the league even signed him. He wasnt a very effective attacking midfielder for the Cavaliers, and there are serious doubts as to whether he can make the move outside or into defense. His Project-40 status may mean he gets selected before he really should. Defenders #9 TIM GLOWIENKA Senior Defender 5-9/165 South Carolina Underrated defender excels in one-on-one confrontations with attackers & tough to beat & quick, fast, and a very good tackler & competitive, hard-working leader of South Carolinas defense & can play a number of different positions, but his MLS future is likely at left back & calm and composed with the ball at his feet & plays a very simple offensive game & makes quick decisions with the ball and rarely turns it over & does not have an abundance of skill & plays a simple offensive game because he has to & does not get involved in the attack at all. Projection: Glowienkas one of the top marking backs in the college game, and would be a good fit for a team that plays a 3-5-2, or one that isnt looking for a whole lot of offense from their left back. *** RECAP from Metrofanatic.com Metros draft Clark, Magee as Davis, Akwari depart The MetroStars came into the draft with only one pick in the top 29, but came out with two #1s and two #2s after a day of wheeling and dealing by Bob Bradley. With the 2nd overall pick, Bradley drafted Furman midfielder Ricardo Clark, called by many the best overall player in the draft. Then he traded last year's 3rd overall pick, Brad Davis, to Dallas for the 4th overall pick, used on US Under-20 forward Mike Magee. Magee, who frequently trained with Bradley's Fire, is the leading scorer for US U-20s in 2002 at the age of 18. Then Bradley dealt next year's #1 to Los Angeles for the 12th overall pick, grabbing 16-year old New Jersey resident Eddie Gaven, the youngest ever player to sign with MLS. The 17th overall pick was acquired in a swap for next year's #2, with Nelson Akwari thrown in. Apparently, Bradley was very down on Akwari and the once-promising defender couldn't fetch much on the MLS market. With the pick, the Metros took defender Tim Regan from Bradley University, another player familiar to Bob from his Fire days. The Metros rounded out the picks by drafting South Carolina defender Tim Glowienka at #30, two Virginia players, Kenny Arena (Bruce's son) at #32, and Jacob LeBlanc at #42, and Puerto Rican Barry University product Marco Velez at #49, acquired from New England for next year's 6th rounder. Velez played for the Metros against the Atlanta Silverbacks in a friendly last year. *** Also worth checking out for the video clips, including Bob and Nick (fearless GM): http://www.metrostars.com/metronews/superdraft.htm
Had to give up Brad Davis to Dallas to get one of those guys, but even with that loss (he had a lot of potential) we bettered ouselves as a team. ---------- On another note live in Germany right? Having any trouble sending Euros to pay bills from the US? My daughter is having a problem doing that, any advice on how to do that would be appreciated. Richie
It really is because when you think about it, most of these guys are pretty much our bench and dont count against our cap. Yet have enough experience and skill to come in and produce as subs. Some of them might even turn into starters over time. But this allows Bob to put most of the money into our starting team without having to have crappy unskilled players like Klinger and Gomez on the bench. Atleast we have good US National team players who have played well in their age group in international competition, rather than played well in practices. And for those players who werent national teamers they all have played for Bradley before in one way or another. So we know what we are getting and what these players can do. I think this is probably the best draft we've ever had. Ofcourse they can all suck in 2 years but when you think about it there's nothing better you could've done, unlike in past drafts where many mistakes were made and everyone knew it at the time.
Richie, bank transfers are a problem. I have a dollar account in the U.S. where my salary gets paid, but I always have to ask my bank to exchange my dollars into euros BEFORE sending the money to my euro-denominated account here in Germany. My employer gets the bank to waive the exchange fee, though... doubt others will be so lucky! My advice would be for your daughter to open a Citibank account in NY, using your home address as her own. Citibank's online service is rated #1 (I use it), and paying U.S. bills becomes much easier. Good Luck!
Wait... Could Brad Davis have been traded for the pick only under the condition Dallas would trade Vaca for the allocation when JMM signed?
Re: Re: Even better draft than we thought? Hearing African striker... Hankinson wants to go outside the league, so that allocation isn't available for trade.
"My advice would be for your daughter to open a Citibank account in NY, using your home address as her own. Citibank's online service is rated #1 (I use it), and paying U.S. bills becomes much easier." My daughter went in to citibank in Berlin. They consider themselves completely different bank then Citibank USA.. Dig this to wire transfer a payment in Euros to the CITI bank usa credit card 100 dollar payment is accepted, but then they charge her credit card 40 dollars to make the transaction. They are freaking nuts or think we are to do that. I am working on another way have not figured it all out yet. Soccer is so much easier. Richie
How is your analysis affected by the fact that (i) Dallas doesn't need Serna (ii) Dallas doesn't want Serna (iii) Dallas isn't going to trade Vaca to get Serna?
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Even better draft than we thought? So Colorado "discovered" Grimandi - among the most recognizable names in the league to European fans - similar to how the Galaxy "discovered" Lalas, who had only 90+ caps for the U.S. National Team when he was discovered... Only in America.