At UNC you have Alyssa "the train" Ramsey, but I guess we don't need a third big forward. There is Cat Reddick, but will she go first? What do we need (besides a healthy Riise) (and a coach)?
It seems to me that the midfield is most in need of attention. A creative midfielder who can hold possession and who is good on both sides of the ball would be good (wait, what team wouldn't want that?). I don't know enough about the college ranks to offer any names other than Joanna Lohman as a possibility. Good scouting is called for in the sense that there might be a gem, a la Tullock, who is lurking but not yet getting national attention. This year might also be one of those "take the best player out there" drafts especially if you know the midfielders you think possibilities can be gotten in the later rounds. After all, it would be kinda crazy to bypass a Reddick or Nandi Pryce if they are still on the boards. (Just for the record, I am not convinced that Ramsey can be an impact player at the WUSA level--I would be surprised, barring a spectacular last season, if she went in the first round). Does anyone knows if BYU's Aleisha Rose (nee Cramer) is considering the WUSA? I suspect not but she would be a candidate to consider if she wants to play. mingyung
More to consider . . . I don't think the Courage need to be permanently married to the 4-4-2 nor to Roberts in the D-Mid role. Roberts could well be moved to the right, if the Courage draft another D-Mid. Just look at what someone like Boxx brings to the center of the field with their height and distribution skills. The priority for draft day in terms of midfielders is probably to find someone who can play on the left but someone with central abilities can also be incredibly valuable. mingyung
One big consideration, in my mind is going to be roster size and salary cap. If the belt tightening continues, there's no room for "players for the future". Only players ready to play from day one need apply. The #2 draft pick puts us in pretty good stead to find that type of player (a la Slaton). If we don't think that kind of player is out there, I'd almost prefer to see us trade the draft pick for a starter.
Obviously, a lot depends on who ends up as the coach and the style of play prefered by that coach. The other big question is Hege's health and desire to play here. The SoccerAmerica insider email had a paragraph about Prinz's loan to Frankfurt that worries me a bit but I tend to worry overly much. My guess is that Philly will take a defender (duh) but will K. choose Price over Reddick (I wouldn't but he does some wacky stuff) ? For the Courage,I'd choose Lohman and I think she's got the ability to contribute right away, provided we get her on the field. If Reddick is on the board it would be very hard to pass on her, though.