All, Marc Connelly has posted his draft analysis and has the Rapids at #9, just ahead of the 'boring' Wizards draft. Here is a draft of the response I sent him. http://www.mlsnet.com/content/03/oped0121connolly.html Mr. Connolly, I really liked your take on the winners and losers in the 2003 Draft. I have one comment on your questioning the Rapids failure to move up in the draft or land a veteran to pull the offensive strings after the departure of Carlos Valderrama. My comment is this: There has been much speculation, within the Rapids organization and with the many fans I interact with on Bigsoccer.com that the Rapids will use Mark Chung in the hole behind John Spencer, Chris Carrieri, or the foreign allocation that Tim Hankinson is trying to land. Chung has much of the flair and creativity that Valderrama has and also chipped in with 11 goals last season. In addition, the Rapids have what many consider to be a future #10 in Kyle Beckerman; someone who can also play some significant minutes in the middle of the park and pull the offensive strings. You have said yourself that many of the players drafted won’t be significant contributors to their MLS teams in their rookie seasons, so I fail to see how the Rapids would have been better off drafting someone to play as a #10, when they currently have Chung and Beckerman on the roster, two players with way more experience at the professional level than any draftee the Rapids could have pursued. As it is, the Rapids added size and speed upfront with their picks, and added more competition to arguably the worst defense in MLS last season. I think the Rapids should have been much higher on your list than #9. Just because their first pick didn’t come until the 3rd round, I think that they significantly upgraded their team in the draft and before the draft with the signing of Grimandi. It is also apparent that there aren't a whole lot of talented veteran #10s available in MLS right now, especially with the skills of Valderrama. You analysis was very good but I think if you look at the Rapids needs, then I think that they addressed those needs without giving up anyone on their current roster or future draft picks that may come in handy in the future. Thanks, Joe Curcurio Sr. Colorado Correspondent www.cybersoccernews.com
Agreed. The Rapids did not go to the draft with anything other in mind than bringing in some young players who will be good down the road. From what I've heard, Hankinson is extremely pleased with his selections, and got exactly what he wanted. Furthermore, it is hardly a rare case that a third- or even fourth-rounder makes the cut and becomes a regular starter in MLS. This has especially been the case with the Rapids, and is most recently evidenced with the play of Jeff Stewart. In a league where teams change overnight (sometimes having many overnights in a single season), I find it hard to criticize the Rapids' selections this year. They were not forced into unnecessary trades nor did they leave any gaping holes. My take on the situation with the lineup right now is that Hankinson will be happy to leave Grimandi and Pablo as our center mids, both splitting the ball movement and defensive midfield duties. Both players have better ball control than your typical (MLS) defensive midfielder. Similarly, Chung and Henderson won't be playing typical wing roles. I expect them to be given more freedom to roam as necessary, albeit within the general area of their side of the field. Chungy and Hendo did this last year and were quite effective; arguably, the effectiveness of this tactic was limited when the team was forced to use Hendo in more of a forward role rather than free and on the right. In effect, I imagine that Hankinson feels he's a great deal closer to the "total football" that he was hoping for upon his initial arrival in Colorado.
You could be more succinct, and ask him... "Why didn't you just say... 'The Rapids are sitting on a gold mine, they made decent picks, they didn't do anything in the draft to hurt themselves... let's see if they manage to ****************** it up or not!' " Beckerman should take over the middle of the park or slide over to the wing and let Chungy have the CAM role. Either way, Beckerman has to play... And we need a PROVEN target forward... With a pair of allocations, we should be a DOMINANT side... let's see if they manage to ****************** it up
I agree with Connolly. We didn't have a tremendously exciting draft, and probably should fall where he placed us relative to the other teams. Considering our luck with the draft I don't really think it matters that much. I'm anxious for the season to start though. I think that the emphasis on finding a #10 player to direct our offense is way over done. I expect that people will be surprised at how effective Mastro and Grimandi will be.
I definitely agree with that. Rapids supporters already have a good feeling here, it's the rest of the league that will be surprised.
the rapids didn't go looking for another 10. They got what they wanted to look at for certain positions. what college player is going to be another pele!! what college player is going to be better than the experience that is already on a team. I find it amusing that all the "wonderful draftees are the answer to everyone problems and rewards like league championships!!
If we had to be ranked somewhere, then #9 is pretty fair. These rankings can really only be assessed over time, and considering that we didn't even have a pick until the third round, we really didn't have many picks to rate, or top players to choose from who may come in and make an immediate impact. I hope that the players we chose are of the Terrell Davis variety, late round picks that end up being MVP type players. But as of now, it's certainly fair to place the Rapids towards the bottom, this wasn't one of their best draft years simply for the absence of draft picks. I do believe the Rapids are doing a good job working on other important player signings, such as Grimandi and (if we have indeed signed him...) Zizi.
I suspect that Hankinson is looking at the success of the Nats, and eyeing a switch to the 'box' formation. 2 D-mids, and 2 O-mids with free roles, instead of being tied to a touchline. We need a solid center back to pair with Fraser still, perhaps Stewart can slide over if Cole pans out.