Our SUPAHDraft Picks

I heard rumors about United picking up Thamlin19...

 

Quite the dirty rumor!!

I've heard worse.

 

This is a good year to have a lot of draft picks, because there most likely will be a lot of talented players coming out.

I wish Oguchi Onyewu the best getting his contract approved at Metz, but with the Championaat club struggling a lot financially it doesn't look like the contract will get approved. Meanwhile, he's getting top notch training in Europe. But, if it doesn't work out, I really hope he signs with MLS. IMHO, he'd be the top pick in the draft. The Maryland native is a big (6'0), fast, physical, attacking right back who can score in the air or with his feet. He's excellent going forward. He may evolve into an American version of Milton Reyes but bigger. At the very least he'll be a good sub for both Reyes and Olsen. Most likely, he'll be a lot like Ryan Suarez is for Dallas, which is pretty good. Many have tapped him for future consideration at right back for the USMNT, but that's mostly projection.

I think United has a chance to get a decent player even as low as that #31 pick. With the rumors that Diceson has confirmed that MLS is considering adding a player or two to the roster--and that the additional players will likely be developmental spots--many clubs will be looking for p-40 players. United will have only Justin Mapp on it's developmental roster next season, so we'll likely add 4 or 5 more to it. I would expect at least 3 of them to be p-40 players.

Also, there may be a wildcard or two added to the SuperDraft, ala Taylor Twellman (i.e. Oguchi Onyewu). If one of those guys does end up in the SuperDraft, I dang sure hope we haven't traded away the first pick.

-Tron

 

Tron, (or Sandon for that matter) aside from Onyewu, who else do you project as a WC?

 

Sandon usually has some excellent lists of prospects, so I'd defer to him on the specifics. Somewhere here on Big Soccer I read a post that detailed some of the top kids nicely as well. But, until one of them steps into the breach, here's a quick thumbnail of some of the expected entries that should be in the mix for the first round IMHO.

Ricky Lewis - LB/RB Clemson. Big, fast attacking wingback who has yet to reach his potential.

David Stokes - D North Carolina. Big, fast central man-marking defender in the Eddie Pope mold, but not polished enough yet. If you let him man mark exclusively, he can excel immediately, but if you require zone or organizational skills he'll struggle for a while.

Alecko Eskandarian - F Virginia. Small, tricky player whose father played in the NASL. Like most of the top prospects he's been an on-and-off US Youth Team player. This year, in Kyle Martino's absence, Alecko has flourished, scoring more than a goal a game. He's worked out with the Metros several times and appears headed there with the #2 pick.

Ricardo Clark - DM Furman. Stud holding mid. He's only 5'10 (still pretty tall by US soccer standards) but with an excellent vertical leap he rarely loses headers. He's strong as an ox, very physical, exceptional tactical sense for a college kid, and has good foot skills. He shows very good vision for a Dmid and would be an excellent fit in a 352 formation. Think a bigger Chris Armas with decent foot skills.

Nate Jaqua - F Portland. Tall (6'2), strong target forward with adequate speed. He has good foot skills and can score in the air. Fairly polished.

Knox Cameron - F Michigan. Tall (6'3), fast, strong (210 lbs.) target forward who used to be a very good creative midfielder. Sounds like a dream, right? The catch is that he's still raw, and although he's scoring well as a center forward collegiately, he's still got a lot to learn before he masters being an MLS forward. Perhaps the most potential of anyone in the draft, but don't expect immediate goal production.

Guillermo "Memo" Gonzalez - AM U-17's. Memo is being courted by several Euro teams from the big leagues (EPL, Bundesliga, etc.) including Bayern Munich. He's practiced several times with the LA Galaxy. He's a US citizen of Mexican parents who grew up in southern California. He may be the first real player to attract a serious Mexican following to MLS. The word is that MLS has already made at least 3 offers to Memo, but thus far he's listened eagerly but turned them down. My guess is that he signs with MLS and is taken by LA with the #8 pick.

Other youth players that probably will not be taken int he first round.

Arturo Alvarez - AM U-18's. Arturo, of El Salvadorian descent, is a US citizen living in the Dallas area. He is skilled with the ball, can play attacking midfielder, either winger, or forward well. He's kinda similar to Eliseo Quintanilla, but taller, faster and less polished. I'd look for the Dallas Burn to take him in the 2nd round.

Brandon Owens - D U-17's. Brandon is only 5'10 (listed at 5'11) but is the real deal at central defense. Obviously he's young and raw, but the strong consensus is that he'll be a USMNT player in the future.

Jonathon Spector - D U-17's. Slightly behind Owens is the 5'11 former forward and attacking midfielder Spector. He has very good ball skills and is comfortable moving forward from the back line and heading in goals. He's more silky smooth than he looks, and the word is that Chicago is looking to add the Illinois product to their impressive cast of young players.

Eddie Gaven - AM U-17's. The tall (6'0) and skinny attacking midfielder can play right wing, but is really a central attacking midfielder. He definitely has talent, but IMHO, he needs to fill out more and gain strength before that translates into MLS minutes. No word on him signing with MLS, but I have a hunch that the Metros want him, so I wouldn't be surprised.

There are a lot of other college players (including a fav or mine, UVa freshman defender/Dmid Hunter Freeman!), but I'll leave those to Sandon, because I'm sure he'll do a better job.

-Tron

 

So I'm wondering what people think of Abe Thompson, F at MD. 6 feet tall, 185 lbs., leading the team in scoring, apparently spent time with U-20's and at the DCU vs. UMD scrimmage the one player who seemed to belong on the field with the big boys.

Anybody with an opinion?

 

OH YEAH!!! WT WOODSON HS PROPS BABY!!!

GO CAVALIERS....

slogan: Those seven winless years in football were fun!

 

Brian Carroll, a Junior at Wake Forest, Midfielder, 5'10"

Roster blurb:
http://wakeforestsports.ocsn.com/sports/m-soccer/mtt/carroll_brian00.html

Background article:
http://wakeforestsports.ocsn.com/sports/m-soccer/spec-rel/091502aaa.html

I heard a rumor that he was going pro in 2003. He's part of the USMNT U-23 pool and is apparently a good team mate.

GM

 

There are some good threads on the college/youth boards that are probably worth checking out only because Jaqua is the only player mentioned so far who is actually a senior and is certain to be available. (Though as a top player coming out of Portland I wouldn't be surprised if Clive points him overseas, Kelly Gray notwithstanding.)

None of the underclassmen or youth players have officially signed yet, though there have been rumblings.

 

Thamlin's got that special "can't hit a ball into an open net" quality that United looks for in its forwards.

But, he's way too tall so I don't think we'll get him.

 

I think that we should get Clark in the draft. I've heard lots about him and he seems like something we need badly IMO. I've also seen Eskadarian play for UVA. I've never seen someone with that ability to turn an opponent. The ball would be rolling to him, he'd run to it with a defender on his back and always made a quick move before the opponent knew what happened. I think Clark is the best bet though. Although we do need a target forward so I'm not sure. Hopefully we can get a forward from elsewhere. And I also hope Q2 isn't playing forward next year. Hopefully in the midfield instead.

 

I know Kevin put you up to that one...

This Polish kid, and a lot of the ones already being discussed in this thread are tall, there's still hope!!

 

Nate Jaqua is A) a junior and not a senior and B) 6-3.

Also 6-3 is Oguchi Onyewu but I don't see MLS paying him enough to get him over hear. I'd give up on that dream right now.

Given the scoring woes United has had of late, I don't see them passing on Alecko Eskandarian, provided they keep the No. 1 pick. Imagine if they pass on him, he goes to the Metros and becomes a good forward. Think those of here would let the team forget it? Think they want to take that chance, especially after the disaster of last year's draft?

A month ago I wouldn't have thought they'd take Alecko but with Jaime likely gone and Eskandarian being roster-exempt (assuming he turns pro this year, of course) the more I think about it, the more I think Esky is their guy. Let's just hope he works out better then the last highly touted youth international forward who left Virginia early.

Regarding Abe Thompson, I think he has a real pro future. I've posted it on the college forum but he reminds me of Jeff Cunningham in that he has wheels and is built like a rock but can also take guys on 1-v-1 and is a good passer. Of course, he's a redshirt sophomore so I don't know when he's coming out.

In terms of defenders, unless they trade down or somehow manage to get a second No. 1 pick, I don't see Ricky Lewis being available by the time they use their second pick but he's a good talent and would be a great addition to United.

 

Here is Eskandarian's Bio from the UVA Soccer site:




http://virginiasports.ocsn.com/sports/m-soccer/mtt/eskandarian_alecko00.html

and his stats:

Alecko Eskandarian 5ft 9in 160lbs. 20 goals 4 assits 14 games

 

//Nate Jaqua is A) a junior and not a senior//

Thanks for the clarification and the clarification of what your clarification meant. That's my mistake -- seems like he has been a Pilot (and a productive one) forever.

 

Aww Sandon, why'd ya have to go and kill my buzz. Hey, stranger thins have happened. If United holds on to the pick and Bradley really really wants Eskandarian at Metros, I wouldn't be surprised to see the league put some candy in there for us to take #1. Maybe they could entice Grover Gibson, Gooch, or another premium player into the SuperDraft.

Hey, I can always dream can't I!?

As for Thompson I'm a big fan of his, but he gets almost no publicity it seems. He was productive at every level, including the youth international levels. That said, I think he needs another full year under his belt dominating and getting fully healthy and fit so that he doesn't stagnate on the bench in MLS. IMHO, he's kinda like Ali Curtis but with less physical ability and more wily skill. I'm probably the only one that thinks so, but I wouldn't be shocked if he turned out better in the long run than Eskandarian.

-Tron

 

From '99, I recall Abe Thompson having nifty ball skills, for a big lad, and a thumping left foot. Kind of like Razov with a good first touch. But maybe my memory is fooling me.

Who knows what Bob Bradley is looking for in a striker, or who he's thinking of bringing in, but if the Metros are really keen on Eskie Jr., it's not inconceivable that DC could bluff the Metros into trading the #2 and #5 picks for the #1 pick.

I'd tend to doubt that he would go for that, though, since the Metros probably need a central mid, a right-sided midfielder, and a sweeper-type defender, to go with a forward. With no other picks til the third round, I'm guessing that with no Eskie, Bradley would want to keep the #5 and take the second best forward in the draft.

 

Eskandarian is featured in this week's Sports Illustrated, the one with the Angels celebrating their World Series win. Nothing on cnnsi.com, so I can't post a link but if you are at a newsstand or grocery store, check it out.

 

Eskandarian is a very tempting player.

I saw his father play, and his father cleraly fits the character mold that Ray Hudson is looking for.

I would assume the son does also, for the sole reason that in order to score at better than a goal a game pace against tough competition, a person must possess character.

The Persian population in this area is huge, which could also play a factor in DC United picking him up.

 

Isn't Eskandarian an Armenian name?

Help me out DopplerXT.

 

word is that Alecko is Iranian

 

My mistake.

 

They were Iranian Armenians who left Iran after the Shah fell, if I'm not mistaken.

 

This is correct.