There have been plenty of articles over the years about the best Superdraft steals in MLS history. I'm sure everyone knows by now that Jeff Parke was the last pick of the 2004 draft, or that Jonathan Bornstein was a 4th rounder. Steve Davis gave us his top ten a year ago at Soccernet in a nice piece.
But I prefer the comprehensive approach. So I'm going to go through each draft position and single out the best picks ever. I'm including each year's "college" draft. So in other words, that would be the College Draft (1996-99), Superdraft (2000-08), and Supplemental draft (2005-08).
Of course, this excludes the original draft to stock the league rosters, as well as the 1996-99 supplemental draft. There will be a few professional players in the Superdraft due to its nature (combining the two annual drafts they had before 2000). Also, I include the current supplemental draft because it is really rounds 5-8 of the Superdraft, but they can't call it that apparently due to the collective bargaining agreement. So for example, pick #1 of last year's supplemental draft will be considered the 57th position.
I will be judging each pick mostly based on how good the player turned out, regardless of how the player did for the team who picked him.
The full number of picks in each year's "college" draft are as follows:
| 1996 | 30 | | 1997 | 30 | | 1998 | 36 | | 1999 | 36 | | 2000 | 72 | | 2001 | 72 | | 2002 | 70 | | 2003 | 60 | | 2004 | 60 | | 2005 | 96 | | 2006 | 96 | | 2007 | 104 | | 2008 | 112 |
The last four years are of course half Superdraft and half supplemental. I'll be going through all 112 positions. You can see a list of all drafts and picks here.
Since this will be a long post to write and research, I'll split it up into several days. On 9/19/2008, #83-112 were posted. On 9/20, #70-82 were posted. On 9/21, #60-69 were posted. On 9/25, #50-59 were posted. On 9/26, #42-49 were posted. On 10/1, #34-41 were posted.
Picking this up again to finish it before the new draft. On 1/5/2009, #27-33 were posted. On 1/6, #16-26 were posted. On 1/7, #8-15 were posted. On 1/8, #1-7 were posted.
Note: My "best pick" for each position is in bold.
Position #1
| 1996 | KC | Matt McKeon | | 1997 | COL | Tahj Jakins | | 1998 | MIA | Leo Cullen | | 1999 | DC | Jason Moore | | 2000 | NY | Steve Shak | | 2001 | SJ | Chris Carrieri | | 2002 | DAL | Chris Gbandi | | 2003 | DC | Alecko Eskandarian | | 2004 | DC | Freddy Adu | | 2005 | RSL | Nikolas Besagno | | 2006 | NY | Marvell Wynne | | 2007 | TOR | Maurice Edu | | 2008 | KC | Chance Myers |
Best pick: Edu. It's been a pretty famous trend in MLS, how the #1 pick has rarely panned out. Adu may possess more talent than his similarly named USA teammate, but Edu looked better in MLS and was transferred for more money. Then of course you have to realize that you can't really give too much credit for the Adu pick due to how MLS forced Dallas to trade the pick to DC. They really should've just allocated him to DC outside of the draft.
None of these guys would be considered one of the top 50 players in MLS history, though. And no, Brian McBride doesn't count, that was the inaugural draft.
Position #2
| 1996 | DC | Eddie Pope | | 1997 | TB | Mike Fisher | | 1998 | CHI | Ritchie Kotschau | | 1999 | MIA | Jay Heaps | | 2000 | KC | Nick Garcia | | 2001 | TB | Ali Curtis | | 2002 | NE | Taylor Twellman | | 2003 | NY | Ricardo Clark | | 2004 | CLB | Chad Marshall | | 2005 | CHV | Brad Guzan | | 2006 | RSL | Mehdi Ballouchy | | 2007 | CHI | Bakary Soumare | | 2008 | DAL | Brek Shea |
Best pick: The talent is much better here than the top spot. Pope is an all time MLS legend, but I have to go with Twellman. Fisher is notable as the highest pick in league history never to play a game (he decided to become a doctor instead).
Position #3
| 1996 | DAL | Brandon Pollard | | 1997 | CLB | Rob Jachym | | 1998 | SJ | Ben Parry | | 1999 | SJ | Richard Mulrooney | | 2000 | COL | Adin Brown | | 2001 | DC | Mark Lisi | | 2002 | NY | Brad Davis | | 2003 | CHI | Nate Jaqua | | 2004 | LA | Joseph Ngwenya | | 2005 | CHI | Chad Barrett | | 2006 | CLB | Jason Garey | | 2007 | KC | Michael Harrington | | 2008 | RSL | Tony Beltran |
Best pick: Davis has been a part of two championship squads in Houston, and has easily held a starting position for years. It was a toss up between him and Mulrooney.
Position #4
| 1996 | TB | Adam Frye | | 1997 | SJ | Alberto Montoya | | 1998 | KC | Chris Klein | | 1999 | DAL | Lazo Alavanja | | 2000 | CHI | Carlos Bocanegra | | 2001 | DC | Ryan Nelsen | | 2002 | DC | Justin Mapp | | 2003 | NY | Mike Magee | | 2004 | KC | Matt Taylor | | 2005 | SJ | Danny O'Rourke | | 2006 | KC | Yura Movsisyan | | 2007 | RSL | Chris Seitz | | 2008 | LA | Sean Franklin |
Best pick: Bocanegra was pretty amazing in MLS and more high profile here in the states, but Nelsen has eclipsed him since both players moved to England. He's now captaining Blackburn and is far more important to the team that Boca ever was to Fulham.
Position #5
| 1996 | KC | Chris Snitko | | 1997 | NY | Brian Kelly | | 1998 | NE | Johnny Torres | | 1999 | KC | Chris Brown | | 2000 | DAL | Aleksey Korol | | 2001 | DAL | Joselito Vaca | | 2002 | CHI | Kelly Gray | | 2003 | DC | David Stokes | | 2004 | SJ | Ryan Cochrane | | 2005 | LA | Ugo Ihemelu | | 2006 | CHV | Sacha Kljestan | | 2007 | NE | Wells Thompson | | 2008 | COL | Ciaran O'Brien |
Best pick: Kljestan easily blows the rest out of the water.
Position #6
| 1996 | NE | Paul Keegan | | 1997 | DAL | Temoc Suarez | | 1998 | LA | Clint Mathis | | 1999 | DAL | Bobby Rhine | | 2000 | LA | Danny Califf | | 2001 | TB | Craig Demmin | | 2002 | SJ | Luchi Gonzalez | | 2003 | SJ | Todd Dunivant | | 2004 | DAL | Ramon Nuñez | | 2005 | DAL | Drew Moor | | 2006 | DAL | Dax McCarty | | 2007 | COL | Nico Colaluca | | 2008 | CLB | Andy Iro |
Best pick: Hmm... Despite his lows, Mathis was amazing for a couple of years and deserves the nod. Califf may deserve it instead. Last year he captained Aalborg to a Danish league title. Certainly one of the best moments in YA history. But he was never at a level like Mathis was before his big injury in 2001.
Position #7
| 1996 | LA | Guillermo Jara | | 1997 | KC | Brian Johnson | | 1998 | TB | Josh Keller | | 1999 | NY | John Wolyniec | | 2000 | COL | Wes Hart | | 2001 | DAL | Ryan Suarez | | 2002 | NY | Mansour Ndiaye | | 2003 | CLB | Diego Walsh | | 2004 | DAL | Clarence Goodson | | 2005 | COL | Hunter Freeman | | 2006 | DC | Justin Moose | | 2007 | CHV | John Cunliffe | | 2008 | CHI | Patrick Nyarko |
Best pick: Most of these guys ended up with around 100 games played. Walsh is now considered a top player in the Australian A-League, which doesn't make that competition look too good. The always reliable, never outstanding Wolyniec is the choice here (at least until Nyarko improves). Well, maybe once he was amazing. He also was drafted in 2000 out of the USL ( see pick #44th).
Position #8
| 1996 | DAL | Jeff Cassar | | 1997 | TB | Mike Mekelburg | | 1998 | NY | Mike Petke | | 1999 | COL | Andrew Mittendorf | | 2000 | SJ | Travis Mulraine | | 2001 | DC | Santino Quaranta | | 2002 | CLB | Kyle Martino | | 2003 | LA | Guillermo Gonzalez | | 2004 | NE | Clint Dempsey | | 2005 | LA | Troy Roberts | | 2006 | HOU | Patrick Ianni | | 2007 | CHI | Jerson Monteiro | | 2008 | DAL | Josh Lambo |
Best pick: "I'll cross you over like the great Clint Dempsey!" Guillermo is better known by his nickname, Memo. That's Spanish for...no, it's too easy. Petke is the most famous of 10 MLS players to come from Southern Connecticut State. Others include Brian Bliss and Bo Oshoniyi, and they also can boast Juan Carlos Osorio. Pretty good for a D2 school.
Position #9
| 1996 | COL | Mike Gentile | | 1997 | LA | Steve Jolley | | 1998 | CLB | Jeff Cunningham | | 1999 | CLB | Matt Chulis | | 2000 | KC | John Wilson | | 2001 | LA | Brian Mullan | | 2002 | DAL | Carl Bussey | | 2003 | NE | Pat Noonan | | 2004 | CHI | Scott Buete | | 2005 | NE | Michael Parkhurst | | 2006 | CLB | Kei Kamara | | 2007 | DAL | Anthony Wallace | | 2008 | TOR | Julius James |
Best pick: Parkhurst instantly became an elite MLS player. As for Cunningham, Mullan, and Noonan...well, they easily would've been the top player in the 10th position (see below). Gentile was also picked 66th in 2000.
Position #10
| 1996 | CLB | Mac Cozier | | 1997 | DC | Danny Care | | 1998 | DAL | Matt Jordan | | 1999 | LA | Tony Soto | | 2000 | COL | Alan Woods | | 2001 | CLB | Duncan Oughton | | 2002 | CHI | Billy Sleeth | | 2003 | DAL | Shavar Thomas | | 2004 | SJ | Steve Cronin | | 2005 | CHI | Jack Stewart | | 2006 | CHI | Calen Carr | | 2007 | TOR | Andrew Boyens | | 2008 | TOR | Pat Phelan |
Best pick: Boy, that's not a lot of standouts for a top ten pick. At least everyone here played in the league. There's three real choices here. Jordan was a four year starter for the Burn, and now is one of the men spearheading the Montreal Impact's run to the Champions League quarterfinals. He obviously could still play in MLS. However, he probably would still only be around an average starter. Oughton has been a good role player, but hasn't played much since his big injury a few years ago. Thomas has been a pretty decent defender for half a decade now, albeit one that is continually overshadowed by more famous partners (Steve Morrow, Jimmy Conrad, Claudio Suarez).
Position #11
| 1996 | NY | Scott Lamphear | | 1997 | COL | Ross Paule | | 1998 | COL | Tyrone Marshall | | 1999 | CHI | Evan Whitfield | | 2000 | LA | Sasha Victorine | | 2001 | LA | Isaias Bardales | | 2002 | DC | Daouda Kanté | | 2003 | DC | Brian Carroll | | 2004 | CHI | Leonard Griffin | | 2005 | KC | Scott Sealy | | 2006 | NE | Leandro de Oliveira | | 2007 | DC | Bryan Arguez | | 2008 | KC | Roger Espinoza |
Best pick: Oliveira was the proof that Steve Nicol actually could have a bad draft. Alas, he went on to make an equally surprising pick the next season in Wells Thompson that worked out okay. Carroll has been a part of several great teams now, including two championship winners. But you can also say that about Marshall (2001 MIA, 2002 LA, 2005 LA).
Position #12
| 1996 | NY | Miles Joseph | | 1997 | NE | Scott Coufal | | 1998 | SJ | Wade Barrett | | 1999 | DAL | Paul Broome | | 2000 | DC | Bobby Convey | | 2001 | KC | Jose Burciaga | | 2002 | DAL | Lee Morrison | | 2003 | NY | Eddie Gaven | | 2004 | CLB | Chris Wingert | | 2005 | NY | Tim Ward | | 2006 | LA | Nathan Sturgis | | 2007 | NE | Amaechi Igwe | | 2008 | CHI | Dominic Cervi |
Best pick: This group seems to have a common theme: Players who haven't quite lived up to their potential. Even Convey, despite his bright spots, has been somewhat of a disappointment everywhere he's played: MLS, England, internationals.
Position #13
| 1996 | SJ | Derrick Brownell | | 1997 | CLB | John Smith | | 1998 | MIA | Pablo Mastroeni | | 1999 | LA | Seth George | | 2000 | DC | Stephen Armstrong | | 2001 | NY | Rodrigo Faria | | 2002 | LA | Hemir Neibles | | 2003 | SJ | Arturo Alvarez | | 2004 | LA | Josh Gardner | | 2005 | RSL | Jamie Watson | | 2006 | CLB | Jed Zayner | | 2007 | HOU | John Michael Hayden | | 2008 | NE | Rob Valentino |
Best pick: For pure drama, nothing beats Faria. From tanking the combine and winning Rookie of the Year, to late game heroics for San Jose and unannounced disappearances. For pure amusement/pluckiness/sadness, there's Watson. After playing out his GA contract, he recently signed for Dallas as a developmental player (salary: $17,700). At least he hasn't given up. But for pure talent, it's Mastroeni.
Position #14
| 1996 | TB | Casey Sweeney | | 1997 | SJ | Jason Annichero | | 1998 | DC | Carey Talley | | 1999 | KC | John Wilson | | 2000 | NE | Rusty Pierce | | 2001 | TB | Devin Barclay | | 2002 | NE | Shalrie Joseph | | 2003 | DC | Doug Warren | | 2004 | LA | Ned Grabavoy | | 2005 | CHV | Christian Jimenez | | 2006 | CHI | Jeff Curtin | | 2007 | DAL | Abdus Ibrahim | | 2008 | RSL | David Horst |
Best pick: No disputes here, it's Joseph. Now let's talk about Barclay. This is a guy whose career may have been short, but it certainly was memorable to many people. Possibly because of all the teams he disappointed. This is a kid who was the 4th youngest player in league history when he debuted, and later that year gave the pitiful Mutiny a ray of hope with his play (including scoring the last goal in team history). Of course, it turned out that only the worst team in the history of MLS would give him regular playing time. A couple years later, he was traded for the pick that became Brian Ching. Now he's a backup kicker for the Ohio State (American) football team. Crazy. Curtin was a pick that confused fans even back then.
Position #15
| 1996 | KC | Diego Gutierrez | | 1997 | NY | Will Kohler | | 1998 | NY | Joe Munoz | | 1999 | SJ | Wojtek Krakowiak | | 2000 | KC | Peter Byaruhanga | | 2001 | DC | Bryan Namoff | | 2002 | DAL | Jordan Stone | | 2003 | DAL | Jason Thompson | | 2004 | COL | Adolfo Gregorio | | 2005 | LA | Michael Enfield | | 2006 | DAL | Justin Moore | | 2007 | CLB | Brad Evans | | 2008 | SJ | Shea Salinas |
Best pick: It's between Gutierrez and Namoff. Diego has been a part of the league since the beginning, so I'll give it to him based on longevity.
Position #16
| 1996 | NE | Imad Baba | | 1997 | DAL | Alan Branigan | | 1998 | NY | Billy Walsh | | 1999 | NY | Kevin Knight | | 2000 | SJ | Justin Evans | | 2001 | LA | Brian Ching | | 2002 | COL | Danny Jackson | | 2003 | LA | Scot Thompson | | 2004 | COL | Adrian Cann | | 2005 | KC | Ryan Pore | | 2006 | KC | Lance Watson | | 2007 | LA | Robbie Findley | | 2008 | NY | Eric Brunner |
Best pick: Pretty lacking in talent for such a high pick. The top two picks here (Ching and Findley) both were dumped by LA less than a year after being drafted, then have gone on to have success elsewhere. At least that hasn't happened with Thompson...yet.
Position #17
| 1996 | LA | Greg Vanney | | 1997 | KC | Ike Udeh | | 1998 | NE | Jesse Van Saun | | 1999 | DC | Keith Beach | | 2000 | MIA | Martín Machón | | 2001 | COL | Stephen Herdsman | | 2002 | CHI | Craig Capano | | 2003 | NY | Tim Regan | | 2004 | KC | Will Hesmer | | 2005 | SJ | Kevin Goldthwaite | | 2006 | NY | Josmer Altidore | | 2007 | COL | Greg Dalby | | 2008 | RSL | Alex Nimo |
Best pick: Altidore is probably the most famous second round pick in league history, and the sky's the limit for his potential. Even if he didn't make a huge impact on the field, he was more than worth it due to the huge transfer fee. Vanney may have 300+ league games and longevity, and he may have played in France, but he can't compare based on pure talent.
Position #18
| 1996 | TB | Steve Ralston | | 1997 | TB | PASS | | 1998 | LA | Daniel Hernandez | | 1999 | CLB | Jeff Bilyk | | 2000 | SJ | Joseph Ragusa | | 2001 | MIA | Ali Ngon | | 2002 | DAL | Matt Behncke | | 2003 | CHI | Damani Ralph | | 2004 | NY | Seth Stammler | | 2005 | CHI | Will John | | 2006 | DAL | Blake Wagner | | 2007 | DAL | Andrew Daniels | | 2008 | NE | Michael Videira |
Best pick: Ralston. No explanation necessary. Though I have to wonder why the Mutiny would pass on their pick a year after taking the 1996 rookie award winner at the same spot. That's the highest "PASS" in league history. Second highest is the Rapids at 29 in 1996. Ngon is better known as Ali Gerba, the Canadian international.
Position #19
| 1996 | COL | Paul Grafer | | 1997 | LA | Shawn Boney | | 1998 | TB | Chris Houser | | 1999 | MIA | Jeremy Aldrich | | 2000 | DC | Eric Denton | | 2001 | DAL | Edward Johnson | | 2002 | COL | Jeff Stewart | | 2003 | LA | Arturo Torres | | 2004 | CHI | Matt Pickens | | 2005 | DC | Nick Van Sicklen | | 2006 | KC | Tyson Wahl | | 2007 | NY | Dane Richards | | 2008 | DAL | Eric Avila |
Best pick: Despite his flaws, EJ could tear up MLS defenses when he was on. He'll probably be doing that again sooner than we'd like to see. Every player here except for Boney played at least one competitive match for an MLS team.
Position #20
| 1996 | CLB | Ricci Greenwood | | 1997 | DC | Tom Presthus | | 1998 | KC | Tom Hardy | | 1999 | COL | Tom Poltl | | 2000 | COL | Keyeno Thomas | | 2001 | SJ | Eddie Robinson | | 2002 | CLB | Jeff Matteo | | 2003 | LA | Ricky Lewis | | 2004 | CHI | Sumed Ibrahim | | 2005 | CLB | Marcus Storey | | 2006 | CHI | Brian Plotkin | | 2007 | LA | Josh Tudela | | 2008 | CLB | George Josten |
Best pick: Presthus started in two MLS Cups for DC, but Robinson has four championship rings for San Jose and Houston. Eddie was underrated for years, but now it seems that he' s finally considered an elite MLS defender.
Position #21
| 1996 | DC | Jesse Marsch | | 1997 | COL | Mike Feniger | | 1998 | CLB | Andrew Gregor | | 1999 | SJ | Jamie Clark | | 2000 | CLB | Roland Aguilera | | 2001 | NE | Nick Downing | | 2002 | NE | Ian Fuller | | 2003 | DAL | David Comfort | | 2004 | NY | Zach Wells | | 2005 | NE | James Riley | | 2006 | COL | Jacob Peterson | | 2007 | CHI | Nate Norman | | 2008 | LA | Ely Allen |
Best pick: Marsch has been a solid player year in and year out for the past decade. We might see him on the sidelines after his playing days are over.
Position #22
| 1996 | NY | Hamisi Amani-Dove | | 1997 | NE | Steve Klein | | 1998 | DAL | Hans Wittusen | | 1999 | LA | Sam Franklin | | 2000 | DAL | Antonio Martinez | | 2001 | LA | Robbie Russell | | 2002 | LA | Bryheem Hancock | | 2003 | NE | Dimelon Westfield | | 2004 | LA | Memo Arzate | | 2005 | RSL | Jay Nolly | | 2006 | DAL | Dominic Oduro | | 2007 | DAL | Ryan Guy | | 2008 | CLB | Ricardo Pierre-Louis |
Best pick: Russell had a nice career in Norway, winning a title and seeing Champions League action for Rosenborg before coming home to America. Martinez would be the runner up here.
Position #23
| 1996 | SJ | Eddie Lewis | | 1997 | CLB | Todd DeNault | | 1998 | COL | Jason Boyce | | 1999 | CHI | Greg Sutton | | 2000 | LA | Peter Vagenas | | 2001 | CHI | Justin Evans | | 2002 | CLB | Jon Busch | | 2003 | SJ | Roger Levesque | | 2004 | NE | Jeremiah White | | 2005 | CLB | Domenic Mediate | | 2006 | NE | Willie Sims | | 2007 | LA | Ty Harden | | 2008 | KC | Yomby William |
Best pick: Busch and Vagenas have done pretty well for themselves, but Lewis is the obvious choice. The so-called "American Beckham" has played in the World Cup and the Premiership, and has generally impressed everywhere he's gone.
Position #24
| 1996 | TB | Nate Daligcon | | 1997 | SJ | Chris McDonald | | 1998 | CLB | Henrik Nebrilius | | 1999 | DAL | Darren Warham | | 2000 | SJ | Adrian Narine | | 2001 | KC | Andrew Gregor | | 2002 | DC | Mike McGinty | | 2003 | CHI | Logan Pause | | 2004 | DC | Kevin Ara | | 2005 | KC | Christopher Sawyer | | 2006 | LA | Marc Burch | | 2007 | DC | Brad North | | 2008 | DC | Andrew Jacobson |
Best pick: Pause has been a starter for years now.
Position #25
| 1996 | KC | Dion Sebwe | | 1997 | NY | Andrew Lewis | | 1998 | DAL | Matt Caution | | 1999 | NE | Leighton O'Brien | | 2000 | MIA | David Wright | | 2001 | DAL | Josue Mayard | | 2002 | LA | Gavin Glinton | | 2003 | CHI | Ryan Mack | | 2004 | COL | Kevin Taylor | | 2005 | NY | Chris Corcoran | | 2006 | LA | Kyle Veris | | 2007 | NE | Ryan Solle | | 2008 | KC | Jonathan Leathers |
Best pick: Lewis was the best of this bunch. He was a reserve defender for some very good trophy winning Fire teams, and later he went on to win a USL title with the Charleston Battery.
Position #26
| 1996 | NE | Paulo Dos Santos | | 1997 | NE | J.T. Roberts | | 1998 | LA | Matt Reis | | 1999 | KC | Kevin Kalish | | 2000 | COL | Jeff Dimaria | | 2001 | NY | Kerwyn Jemmott | | 2002 | CHI | Steve Totten | | 2003 | CHI | Phil Swenda | | 2004 | NY | Olivier Occean | | 2005 | CHV | Aaron Lopez | | 2006 | RSL | Ryan Johnson | | 2007 | HOU | Corey Ashe | | 2008 | CHI | Peter Lowry |
Best pick: It's between two players, Reis and Occean. The Canadian Occean was signed away from the Metros during the La Manga tournament that they won that preseason, and since then he's been in the top ten goalscorers in Norway for four out of the last five seasons. He was also transferred at one point for a million dollars. Reis has turned into one of the best keepers in MLS, seemingly almost a lock to be a finalist for GK of the year every season. Not having seen much of Occean, I'm going to go with Reis. Imagine if he had been drafted by a team without another stud keeper (see three picks down).
Position #27
| 1996 | LA | Ante Razov | | 1997 | KC | Jake Joy | | 1998 | SJ | Caleb Porter | | 1999 | SJ | Todd Duncan | | 2000 | DC | Sergio Salas | | 2001 | CLB | Edson Buddle | | 2002 | LA | Alejandro Moreno | | 2003 | COL | Jason Cole | | 2004 | SJ | Mike Wilson | | 2005 | DAL | Winston Marshall | | 2006 | CLB | Brandon Moss | | 2007 | TOR | Richard Asante | | 2008 | NE | Joe Germanese |
Best pick: Welcome to the land of great goalscorers. Here you have three of the top goalscorers in league history: Razov (2nd), Buddle (14th), and Moreno (36th). While Moreno is not a pure goalscorer and has won several MLS Cups, Razov has just been too impressive to deny. He's compiled seven seasons with 10+ goals, a feat only equaled this past year by Jaime Moreno.
Position #28
| 1996 | DAL | Brandon Cavitt | | 1997 | TB | Musa Shannon | | 1998 | NY | Cesidio Colasante | | 1999 | DC | David Hayes | | 2000 | SJ | Jon Conway | | 2001 | DC | Craig Ziadie | | 2002 | COL | Bryn Ritchie | | 2003 | COL | Alex Blake | | 2004 | CHI | Khari Stephenson | | 2005 | DAL | Chris Gomez | | 2006 | KC | Matt Groenwald | | 2007 | DAL | Scott Jones | | 2008 | TOR | Brian Edwards |
Best pick: Two trivia questions I want to ask here:
1) Which one of these players has played the most MLS games?
2) Which one of these players was transferred for a $1 million fee?
Let's stat with the first one. Conway recently has become a starter in goal after years of being a solid backup. But would you believe that Ziadie has played more MLS games than him or any other #28 pick? I didn't remember that he actually retired after leaving MLS, and also that he tried to make the RSL roster a year ago.
As for the second one, that would be Stephenson. He was bought by AIK of Sweden in 2007. This is the guy who famously became a starter in the 2004 playoffs after barely playing during the regular season. He then went back to being a bench warmer the next season, before being waived to make room for Antti Sumiala. Great move Bob Gansler. He has struggled with injuries, and he's now playing in the Norwegian top flight as a teammate of Adin Brown.
Shannon is another notable player. He had a few shining moments in MLS, once scoring 12 goals in a season for Tampa Bay. Overall, I think Stephenson's European adventure is a bit more impressive than any of the others.
Position #29
| 1996 | COL | PASS | | 1997 | LA | Kevin Hartman | | 1998 | NE | Kevin Coye | | 1999 | NY | Jim Manganello | | 2000 | LA | Jose Retiz | | 2001 | CHI | Jim Curtin | | 2002 | COL | Daniel Alvarez | | 2003 | NE | Kyle Singer | | 2004 | DAL | Ty Maurin | | 2005 | CHI | Chris Rolfe | | 2006 | KC | Stephen Shirley | | 2007 | KC | Edson Elcock | | 2008 | LA | Julian Valentin |
Best pick: Curtin and Rolfe were very good picks by Chicago. Hartman though, is one of the best goalkeepers in league history and is 5th all time in games played. He should rise to 2nd sometime next year.
Position #30
| 1996 | CLB | Todd Miller | | 1997 | DC | Brandon Leib | | 1998 | LA | Joe Franchino | | 1999 | DAL | Andrew Parrish | | 2000 | KC | Kerry Zavagnin | | 2001 | CLB | Kevin Adams | | 2002 | NY | Sam Forko | | 2003 | NY | Tim Glowienka | | 2004 | SJ | Lindon Pecorelli | | 2005 | SJ | Victor Arbelaez | | 2006 | DAL | Ray Burse | | 2007 | RSL | Steven Curfman | | 2008 | TOR | Mike Zaher |
Best pick: From this point and up, we have the full complement of 13 years worth for each number. Two really good picks here, Franchino and Zavagnin. The latter was actually a member of the Metrostars from 1997-98. Apparently he didn't become a good player until he went down to the USL for a year. He then emerged to become a key player for the defensive stallions that were the 2000 Wizards. He's also been capped for the USA, which is something Franchino can also boast. However, Franchino was only capped once and was never considered an elite player in the league like Zavagnin was. Certainly his selection has to be one of the shrewdest moments in Wizards history.
Position #31
| 1998 | TB | Bill May | | 1999 | NY | Eric Kvello | | 2000 | NE | Shaker Asad | | 2001 | SJ | Craig Waibel | | 2002 | DC | Mohammed Fahim | | 2003 | DC | Hayden Woodworth | | 2004 | DAL | David Wagenfuhr | | 2005 | SJ | Orlando Ramirez | | 2006 | DC | Rod Dyachenko | | 2007 | COL | Omar Cummings | | 2008 | CLB | Ryan Miller |
Best pick: A couple useful players here. Waibel has had the best career of any of them, having be en a part of four championship teams. Cummings has been one of the better picks in the 2007 draft, but he turned 25 as a rookie and the question is, how much better will he really get?
Position #32
| 1998 | KC | Mario Sanchez | | 1999 | COL | Bobby Meyer | | 2000 | CHI | Yuri Lavrinenko | | 2001 | COL | Ryan Lee | | 2002 | KC | O'neil Peart | | 2003 | NY | Kenny Arena | | 2004 | CLB | Jamal Sutton | | 2005 | SJ | C.J. Klaas | | 2006 | HOU | Andre Schmid | | 2007 | DC | Jay Needham | | 2008 | NY | Luke Sassano |
Best pick: This is not a group of winners. Arena has played the most MLS games, but the less said about him the better. Yuri and Sutton also had brief cameos. But Sassano has already done more than all of them combined, starting in the recent MLS Cup. As for the others, uh...this would be interesting, but I think it's a different O'neil Peart.
Position #33
| 1998 | CLB | Nick Theslof | | 1999 | CLB | Randy Merkel | | 2000 | CLB | Brian Winters | | 2001 | CHI | Henry Ring | | 2002 | SJ | Chris Roner | | 2003 | KC | Taylor Graham | | 2004 | LA | David McGill | | 2005 | NE | Tony Lochhead | | 2006 | CLB | Dayton O'Brien | | 2007 | NY | Sinisa Ubiparipovic | | 2008 | DC | Ryan Cordeiro |
Best pick: Lochhead has found a home in the Australian A-League after failing to secure a starting spot with New England, and is apparently doing well. Graham continues to be the MLS equivalent of a quadruple-A player; he tears it up in the second division but has failed twice in the big leagues. It looks like he might a third shot with Seattle. Roner had a promising career cut short by injury. Ring may be the worst player ever to win a team MVP award (during Chicago's poor 2004 season). Like Sassano, Ubiparipovic has seen an increased role with NY this season, though he's still yet to become a full time starter. That should happen in 2009. I expect Sinisa could easily be considered the best pick a year from now, but I'll give it to Lochhead as of now. He's apparently now one of the better players at his position in the A-League and has become part of the first XI for New Zealand.
Position #34
| 1998 | TB | R.T. Moore | | 1999 | LA | PASS | | 2000 | DAL | Steve Bernal | | 2001 | TB | Alberto Munoz | | 2002 | COL | Matt Moses | | 2003 | DAL | Mike Tranchilla | | 2004 | DC | Josh Gros | | 2005 | LA | Quavas Kirk | | 2006 | CHI | Jordan Russolillo | | 2007 | CHI | Mike Banner | | 2008 | LA | Matt Allen |
Best pick: Gros is the obvious standout, starting for some great DC United teams. Hopefully we'll see him play again.
Position #35
| 1998 | COL | P.J. Brown | | 1999 | DAL | Aaron Lewis | | 2000 | MIA | Nick Rimando | | 2001 | KC | Ben Stafford | | 2002 | CLB | John Barry Nusum | | 2003 | CHI | Rob Friend | | 2004 | COL | Kevin Richards | | 2005 | CHI | Gonzalo Segares | | 2006 | NE | Kyle Brown | | 2007 | COL | Nick LaBrocca | | 2008 | TOR | Joseph Lapira |
Best pick: A two man race. Segares is a great left back and one of the top defenders in the league. But he has only just started to fulfill his potential, whereas Rimando has been one of the league's better keepers for a while now. Every time people count him out, he comes back with another strong season. Due to the longevity of his career and what he's accomplished, he's my choice.
Position #36
| 1998 | NE | Tom McLaughlin | | 1999 | CHI | Stefani Miglioranzi | | 2000 | NE | Fabio Zuniga | | 2001 | COL | Eric Lukin | | 2002 | CHI | Dipsy Selolwane | | 2003 | SJ | Josh Saunders | | 2004 | NY | Michael Bradley | | 2005 | CHI | Thabiso Khumalo | | 2006 | LA | Chris Dunsheath | | 2007 | COL | Justin Hughes | | 2008 | COL | Adrian Chevannes |
Best pick: Bradley is now a starter for the US national team.
Position #37
| 2000 | NY | Daniel Alvarez | | 2001 | SJ | Fabio Eidelwein | | 2002 | KC | Chris Brunt | | 2003 | CLB | Michael Ritch | | 2004 | KC | Jay Alberts | | 2005 | RSL | Luke Kreamalmeyer | | 2006 | CHV | Jonathan Bornstein | | 2007 | DC | Ricky Schramm | | 2008 | RSL | Brennan Tennelle |
Best pick: Bornstein. The lowest drafted of any of the ROTY winners.
Position #38
| 2000 | NE | Adam Eyre | | 2001 | MIA | Greg Simmonds | | 2002 | LA | Cory Gibbs | | 2003 | COL | Matt Crawford | | 2004 | CHI | Denny Clanton | | 2005 | CHV | Esteban Arias | | 2006 | CLB | Duke Hashimoto | | 2007 | NE | Bryan Byrne | | 2008 | CHI | Dwight Barnett |
Best pick: Who jumps out at you here? Gibbs, right? I can't give the Galaxy credit for this pick, though. This was the second time he was drafted, and they only did it to get his MLS rights (he was already playing in Germany). See pick #40.
Man, if it wasn't for Barnett, we could say every single pick here played for an MLS team. Eyre is married to USWNT 2008 gold medalist Aly Wagner. As for the best pick, Crawford had the longest and best MLS career of the rest, so it's him. Probably would still be going strong if not for a series of injuries. He's still competing, though.
Position #39
| 2000 | NE | Bo Oshoniyi | | 2001 | CLB | McKinley Tennyson | | 2002 | SJ | Kevin Sakuda | | 2003 | SJ | Jamil Walker | | 2004 | CHI | Phil Hucles | | 2005 | CHI | Karim Deltz | | 2006 | DC | Jeff Carroll | | 2007 | HOU | Mike Sambursky | | 2008 | KC | Matt Marquess |
Best pick: Oshoniyi is another player, like Yari Allnut below, who played in MLS early on, then dropped a level before being drafted again. He finally got to be a full time starter with KC by the end of 2004 and for the next two seasons, but was one of the league's worst starters. I wonder how MLS Cup 2004 would've turned out with Tony Meola in the net?
Walker was used almost exclusively as a late game sub, but he had his shining moment starting in the 2003 MLS Cup where he played very well and set up the second goal for the Quakes. This is close, but I think Walker was a more useful player.
Position #40
| 2000 | SJ | Andrew Hemmerich | | 2001 | MIA | Cory Gibbs | | 2002 | DC | Dennis Ludwig | | 2003 | LA | Hamid Mehreioskouei | | 2004 | SJ | Marin Pusek | | 2005 | DAL | Julian Nash | | 2006 | KC | Eric Kronberg | | 2007 | TOR | Jeffrey Gonsalves | | 2008 | CHI | Stephen King |
Best pick: Gibbs, easily. This pick is different from the above one because this was the normal pick after college, and there was a possibility of him signing.
Position #41
| 2000 | DC | Michael Burke | | 2001 | COL | Ryan Trout | | 2002 | NE | Derek Potteiger | | 2003 | DC | John Swann | | 2004 | CLB | Adom Crew | | 2005 | SJ | Antou Jallow | | 2006 | NY | Blake Camp | | 2007 | CLB | Aaron Chandler | | 2008 | NE | Matt Britner |
Best pick: Burke and Camp played a handful of MLS games each, but both are now with the USL. Burke's had a long career with Richmond that continues to this day, following them from the A-League/USL-1 to the USL-2. Camp is now with Atlanta. Potteiger was a part of Cleveland's recent USL-2 championship. Interestingly, both Burke and Trout were at the USMNT training camp as replacement players during the labor dispute. The top pick has be Burke who has won numerous honors with the Kickers.
Position #42
| 2000 | TB | Amos Magee | | 2001 | NE | Yari Allnutt | | 2002 | DC | Bob Brennan | | 2003 | NY | Jacob LeBlanc | | 2004 | CLB | Luke Vercollone | | 2005 | SJ | James Twellman | | 2006 | DAL | Michael Dello-Russo | | 2007 | KC | Kurt Morsink | | 2008 | HOU | Geoff Cameron |
Best pick: Allnutt was drafted five years after playing one game for the Wizards in 1996! Just like Oshoniyi. Anyway, this is interesting because the last three guys are still full of potential. Morsink has been the biggest contributor so far.
Position #43
| 2000 | COL | Lance Key | | 2001 | DAL | Adam Zapala | | 2002 | KC | Dominic DaPra | | 2003 | KC | Jack Jewsbury | | 2004 | LA | Jason Perry | | 2005 | COL | Guy Melamed | | 2006 | DAL | Mike Ambersley | | 2007 | DAL | Tommy Krizanovic | | 2008 | CHV | Keith Savage |
Best pick: Jewsbury. Still going strong with the Wizards.
Position #44
| 2000 | CHI | John Wolyniec | | 2001 | TB | Adam Throop | | 2002 | DAL | Adauto Neto | | 2003 | CHI | Chad Dombrowski | | 2004 | DC | Kevin Hudson | | 2005 | CLB | Knox Cameron | | 2006 | HOU | Mike Chabala | | 2007 | LA | Tally Hall | | 2008 | NY | David Roth |
Best pick: This is an interesting pick to judge because Wolyniec was also selected in the 1999 draft (see pick #7). I suppose I should take into account everything that happened since the pick. Well, no matter how you judge it, Wolyniec has had the best career here. Always room on the roster for a cheap guy who can score a few goals. He has struggled as of late, so who knows if he'll be back next year. Meanwhile, Hall is in Denmark and Chabala is a two-time MLS champion without ever playing a league game. Can he get the triple crown? Seems like that would be an unbreakable record. He was even on the bench for the final last year.
Position #45
| 2000 | CLB | Christof Lindenmayer | | 2001 | LA | Brent Rahim | | 2002 | NE | Marshall Leonard | | 2003 | DAL | Michael Mariscalco | | 2004 | COL | Gary Sullivan | | 2005 | COL | Amir Lowery | | 2006 | COL | Josh Brown | | 2007 | LA | Bobby Burling | | 2008 | DAL | Jamil Roberts |
Best pick: Leonard had a nice run with the Revolution, starting in 2004 and 2005 (though he was one of their worst starters). He also might've set an MLS record last year for most times appearing on the bench without getting into an game. He did play twice in the Open Cup, however.
Position #46
| 2000 | DAL | Brian Piesner | | 2001 | NY | Martin Klinger | | 2002 | CHI | Mike Nugent | | 2003 | SJ | Johanes Maliza | | 2004 | NY | Johnny David | | 2005 | LA | Mubarike Chisoni | | 2006 | CHI | Jeremy Ashe | | 2007 | CHV | Cameron Dunn | | 2008 | LA | Brandon McDonald |
Best pick: Not a lot to choose from. Metrofanatic has the scoop on former Metros Piesner, Klinger, and Nugent. Chisoni was an occasional sub on the Galaxy's 2005 MLS and Open Cup double winners, though he didn't play a game in either tournament. I'll remember him most for his post championship celebrations, when he rode on a Zamboni at a LA Kings game with the trophy (pic). Dunn was a part of Hollywood United's team this year. I'll take Mcdonald, who's seen a lot of time for a rookie; he's already played more in MLS than anyone else here.
Position #47
| 2000 | LA | Josh Henderson | | 2001 | NE | Fernando Ortiz Solis | | 2002 | CLB | Chris Leitch | | 2003 | CLB | Guy Abrahamson | | 2004 | KC | Justin Detter | | 2005 | KC | John Minagawa-Webster | | 2006 | DC | Kenny Bertz | | 2007 | CHI | Simon Omekanda | | 2008 | COL | Brian Grazier |
Best pick: Leitch is one of those guys that nobody is ever really impressed by, but he continues to stick around. Not only that, but he's now in the top ten for the most starts with NY all time.
Position #48
| 2000 | NY | Orlando Perez | | 2001 | KC | Pablo Webster | | 2002 | LA | Noah Delgado | | 2003 | COL | Casey Schmidt | | 2004 | KC | Ryan Barber | | 2005 | DC | Tim Merritt | | 2006 | LA | Aaron King | | 2007 | NE | Adam Cristman | | 2008 | CLB | Steven Lenhart |
Best pick: As a left-footed fullback, Perez had an 8 year MLS career. He was a starter on the 2003 Chicago team that won the Supporters' Shield. But he was never one of the best players on any team he was with. Cristman was a rookie of the year finalist and is continuing to play well this year.
Position #49
| 2000 | NY | Colby Jackson | | 2001 | SJ | Corey Woolfolk | | 2002 | SJ | Erik Ozimek | | 2003 | NY | Marco Velez | | 2004 | CHI | Ian Pilarski | | 2005 | RSL | Steven Rhyne | | 2006 | CHV | Drew Helm | | 2007 | CLB | Ben Hunter | | 2008 | COL | Scott Campbell |
Best pick: Velez is the easy pick, though it took him a while to make it to MLS.
Position #50
| 2000 | KC | Tom Zawislan | | 2001 | DC | Caleb Norkus | | 2002 | KC | Davy Arnaud | | 2003 | LA | Jimmy Frazelle | | 2004 | SJ | Tighe Dombrowski | | 2005 | CHV | Javier Barragan | | 2006 | RSL | Jeff Rowland | | 2007 | DC | Luis Robles | | 2008 | DAL | Ben Nason |
Best pick: Arnaud in MLS - 161 games and 30 goals. The others combined: 4 and 0.
Position #51
| 2000 | TB | Mark Schulte | | 2001 | CLB | Scott Powers | | 2002 | CLB | Christof Lindenmayer | | 2003 | DC | Michael Behonick | | 2004 | CHI | Ryan McGowan | | 2005 | CHI | Justin Cook | | 2006 | CLB | Andy Gruenebaum | | 2007 | NE | Kyle Helton | | 2008 | LA | Matt Hatzke |
Best pick: Schulte was part of a horrible Crew team in 2005 and is now the two-time USL-2 defender of the year. That tells you a little about the standard there. Hatzke is with SJ now and doesn't play. He's not be confused with his brother Nick who doesn't play for Houston. Gruenebaum is the backup keeper for Columbus. Despite the 2005 lack of success, I'm still gonna pick Schulte. He's played for good teams in Iceland and Uruguay, and actually had some success. The others have barely played.
Position #52
| 2000 | SJ | Ian Russell | | 2001 | MIA | Teofilo Cubillas Jr. | | 2002 | NE | Pass | | 2003 | DAL | Andy Rosenband | | 2004 | CLB | Matthew Haefner | | 2005 | DAL | Kevin Wilson | | 2006 | KC | Anthony Noriega | | 2007 | HOU | Eric Ebert | | 2008 | DC | Tony Schmitz |
Best pick: Easily Russell. He was an important player for the Earthquakes during their two championships. One of the better professional players to be drafted (he was in the A-League for two years previously).
Position #53
| 2000 | MIA | Pablo Gentile | | 2001 | NE | Eric Pogue | | 2002 | DC | Pass | | 2003 | KC | Kevin Friedland | | 2004 | LA | Alan Gordon | | 2005 | SJ | Brett Rodriguez | | 2006 | NY | Joe Vide | | 2007 | TOR | Jarrod Smith | | 2008 | KC | Rauwshan McKenzie |
Best pick: Three guys to debate here. First, let's compare the two who play the same position, Gordon and Smith. The latter may be a New Zealand international, but he hasn't scored goals like the former has. So Gordon versus Vide, who wins? I'll take Gordon. His goal tally looks better when you include all competitions, and I think he's a bit better than people give him credit for.
Position #54
| 2000 | TB | Brian Waltrip | | 2001 | NE | Shaun Tsakiris | | 2002 | DAL | Jeremy Piette | | 2003 | CHI | Ryan Futagaki | | 2004 | DAL | Edwin Miranda | | 2005 | NY | Jason Hernandez | | 2006 | DAL | Christopher Joyce | | 2007 | CHV | Desmond Brooks | | 2008 | CHI | Austin Washington |
Best pick: Hernandez is a starter for San Jose, the only 54 to claim such a role in MLS. The Salvadorian Miranda was just in the news for scoring in the CONCACAF Champions League for Puerto Rico.
Position #55
| 2000 | COL | Peter Scavo | | 2001 | DAL | Gary DePalma | | 2002 | DAL | Ricardo Villar | | 2003 | LA | Joe Barton | | 2004 | COL | John Pulido | | 2005 | COL | Sasha Gotsmanov | | 2006 | HOU | Mpho Moloi | | 2007 | KC | Aaron Hohlbein | | 2008 | NE | Spencer Wadsworth |
Best pick: Hohlbein is the only one to have any kind of impact in MLS.
Position #56
| 2000 | CHI | Alejandro Rincon | | 2001 | TB | Mersim Beskovic | | 2002 | NY | Mario Gomez | | 2003 | SJ | Frank Sanfilipo | | 2004 | NE | Felix Brillant | | 2005 | CLB | Matt Oliver | | 2006 | DAL | Miguel Guante | | 2007 | COL | John DiRaimondo | | 2008 | HOU | Jeremy Barlow |
Best pick: Lot of USL-1 level guys here. DiRaimondo has contributed for the Rapids in his second season after being part of the league's top reserve team last year.
Position #57
| 2000 | CLB | Dominic Schell | | 2001 | LA | Alex Bengard | | 2002 | KC | Brian Lavin | | 2003 | NE | PASS | | 2004 | LA | Chris Aloisi | | 2005 | CLB | Bill Gaudette | | 2006 | COL | Jordan Harvey | | 2007 | LA | Steve Purdy | | 2008 | SJ | Adam Smarte |
Best pick: A bunch of benchwarmers is the reaction that comes to mind. Most of the players got a bit of playing time without much success, though Aloisi was on the bench for the 2006 MLS Cup. Harvey and Smarte are still in the league, but Gaudette is my pick due to his recent heroics in goal for the Puerto Rico Islanders. It was just a year ago that he was dropped as the Crew's backup for Gruenebaum, one of the better picks at 51. Good move?
Position #58
| 2000 | DAL | Seth Marks | | 2001 | NY | O'neil Peart | | 2002 | NE | Pass | | 2003 | CLB | Jake Traeger | | 2004 | NE | Andy Dorman | | 2005 | LA | Benjamin Benditson | | 2006 | CHI | Floyd Franks | | 2007 | NY | Randi Patterson | | 2008 | TOR | Xavier Balc |
Best pick: Dorman was a big part of NE's success in recent times. He has since become a hit in Scotland after signing with St. Mirren as a free agent. There was even talk about a possible move to the Premiership. He's a no-brainer pick, but one to watch may be Patterson. He didn't play a minute for NY, but this year is one of the leading goalscorers in the USL-1. If he keeps that up, he could get another shot.
Position #59
| 2000 | LA | Thomas Serna | | 2001 | KC | Narciso Fernandes | | 2002 | LA | Lawrence Smalls | | 2003 | DC | PASS | | 2004 | CHI | Tony McManus | | 2005 | KC | Edwin Ruiz | | 2006 | NE | Danny Wynn | | 2007 | CHI | Nick Noble | | 2008 | COL | Kevin Forrest |
Best pick: Geez, a grand total of 3 MLS games here. Noble still has a chance at becoming a good player. He's the #2 keeper for the Fire, albeit because Matt Pickens left for Europe. Yet to make his league debut, though he's played in the Open Cup. Forrest is now playing for the Sounders, so maybe he could be in MLS next year.
Position #60
| 2000 | DC | Micah Cooks | | 2001 | TB | Hector Navarte | | 2002 | SJ | Aaron Biddle | | 2003 | KC | Byron Carmichael | | 2004 | NY | Jeff Parke | | 2005 | DC | Matt Nickell | | 2006 | LA | Trevor McEachron | | 2007 | CHI | Mark Totten | | 2008 | LA | Michael Gavin |
Best pick: Parke famously was the final pick in 2004, and now wears the number 60 to honor his status as a former "Mr. Irrelevant." And of those players in MLS draft history, he's really the only one to have any success. I suppose Stefani Miglioranzi could be considered a success, but he didn't make his MLS debut until 7 years after being drafted so that really doesn't count.
Position #61
| 2000 | NY | Jake Dancy | | 2001 | SJ | Jorge Martinez | | 2002 | COL | Matt Harrell | | 2005 | RSL | Michael Lookingland | | 2006 | CHV | Darren Spicer | | 2007 | DAL | Sandi Gbandi | | 2008 | COL | Cesar Zambrano |
Best pick: Dancy was picked after being cut by KC. None of these goals has done anything in MLS, so at the moment I'll go with Spicer who is a starter with Charleston in the USL-1. Zambrano is awaiting his chance with the Rapids, if he ever does anything this spot is his for the taking.
Position #62
| 2000 | KC | Casey Sweeney | | 2001 | DC | T.J. Hannig | | 2002 | NE | Pass | | 2005 | CHV | Helmis Matute | | 2006 | RSL | Willis Forko | | 2007 | LA | Gordon Kljestan | | 2008 | CLB | Billy Chiles |
Best pick: Forko was a key member of RSL for two seasons. He's now with a Norwegian team. That's better than Matute, who played in Iceland. The only one currently on an MLS roster is Sacha's brother, signed this year with NY. Can he ever hope to achieve anything close to what his sibling has done?
Position #63
| 2000 | NE | Tom Hardy | | 2001 | CLB | Phil Karn | | 2002 | DC | Pass | | 2005 | CHI | David Mahoney | | 2006 | CLB | David Chun | | 2007 | DC | Shawn Crowe | | 2008 | NY | Danleigh Borman |
Best pick: Borman, he of the underwhelming goal celebrations, has shown promise for the Red Bulls and looks to be a supplemental steal.
Position #64
| 2000 | TB | Ubusuku Abukusumo | | 2001 | MIA | Daouda Kante | | 2002 | KC | Dane Erickson | | 2005 | DAL | Abe Thompson | | 2006 | KC | Ryan McMahen | | 2007 | NE | Phil Marfuggi | | 2008 | NE | Kheli Dube |
Best pick: Dube was on his way to becoming a rookie of the year finalist before his injury. Still, I have to pick Thompson due to his 14 career league goals (and more in other competitions). He may not be the most skilled player, but he finds a way to get on the scoresheet. I remember back on draft day 2005 how some fans were shocked to see the Superdraft come and go without his name being called.
Position #65
| 2000 | TB | Ernest Inneh | | 2001 | COL | John Carroll | | 2002 | KC | Mark Spears | | 2005 | NE | Jamie Holmes | | 2006 | NY | Peter Dzubay | | 2007 | HOU | Nick Hatzke | | 2008 | CHV | Kraig Chiles |
Best pick: Holmes is a guy who had a great preseason but didn't have much of an MLS career (like Casey Schmidt). Now he's in the USL-2. Hatzke and Chiles are both still in MLS; the latter has seen more minutes due to the massive amount of injuries Chivas has had.
Position #66
| 2000 | TB | Mike Gentile | | 2001 | NE | Michael Feller | | 2002 | NY | Jeff Moore | | 2005 | SJ | Robby Fulton | | 2006 | DAL | Brad Napper | | 2007 | TOR | Darryl Roberts | | 2008 | DC | Brandon Owens |
Best pick: Roberts chose not to sign, and is now making a successful career in Europe.
Position #67
| 2000 | COL | Rich Cullen | | 2001 | DAL | Miguel Saavedra | | 2002 | CLB | Scott Leber | | 2005 | LA | Drew McAthy | | 2006 | DC | Andy Metcalf | | 2007 | CLB | Ryan Junge | | 2008 | KC | Pat Healy |
Best pick: Junge has seen some time for the Crew this season. How about Saavreda, who actually was a Project-40 (now Generation Adidas) player? That's really incredible to see such a player barely get drafted.
Position #68
| 2000 | CHI | Kevin Jackson | | 2001 | CHI | Danny Risch | | 2002 | NY | Leo Krupnik | | 2005 | CLB | Eric Vasquez | | 2006 | HOU | Hector Guzman | | 2007 | KC | Michael Todd | | 2008 | CHI | Kai Kasiguran |
Best pick: Krupnik has been playing in Israel for the last couple years, after never playing a game for the Metros.
Position #69
| 2000 | CLB | PASS | | 2001 | LA | Mike Potempa | | 2002 | LA | Ishmael Mintah | | 2005 | NE | Ryan Latham | | 2006 | COL | Liam Girrard | | 2007 | RSL | Haddon Kirk | | 2008 | NE | Chris Tierney |
Best pick: Latham has to be one of the least memorable players to ever play in an MLS Cup. He was cut during his second year. Another Rev, Tierney, is seeing time this year and has already played more games than Latham did, including starting the Superliga final.
Position #70
| 2000 | DAL | Angel Rivillo | | 2001 | NY | Russell Payne | | 2002 | SJ | Lars Lyssand | | 2005 | LA | Matt Kovar | | 2006 | CHI | Dasan Robinson | | 2007 | LA | Kevin Long | | 2008 | HOU | Johnny Alcaraz |
Best pick: Robinson is in his third year with the Fire, although he's not played a big role this season. That may change if Brandon Prideaux is lost in the expansion draft to Seattle. Meanwhile, the less said about Payne's MLS career, the better.
Position #71
| 2000 | LA | Ali John Utush | | 2001 | DAL | Roberto Navarro | | 2005 | DAL | Aaron Pitchkolan | | 2006 | NE | John Queeley | | 2007 | NY | Sal Caccavale | | 2008 | SJ | Tim Bohnenkamp |
Best pick: Caccavale should go down in history as one of the few MLS players to score in his only appearance. That's the only notable thing about every selection except FCD's Pitchkolan, who has filled in at both DM and CB. He's a solid MLS player who can play multiple positions.
Position #72
| 2000 | DC | PASS | | 2001 | KC | Matthew Cross | | 2005 | DAL | Drew Cavanagh | | 2006 | LA | Daniel Paladini | | 2007 | CHV | Erasmo Solorzano | | 2008 | TOR | PASS |
Best pick: Paladini has played a few games with Chivas this year due to injuries.
Position #73
| 2005 | RSL | Noah Palmer | | 2006 | CHV | Lawson Vaughn | | 2007 | CHI | Osei Telesford | | 2008 | RSL | Tino Nuñez |
Best pick: All four players have MLS experience. Palmer was a third stringer for RSL until he became an emergency stopgap "solution" for the Crew in 2006. Nunez is an attacking option off the bench in his rookie year. Telesford only was with the Fire briefly and didn't impress, but since moving to the Puerto Rico Islanders he's become a regular for his national team. Doesn't seem to be one of their better players, however. Vaughn was a regular for last year's stellar Chivas team. He's had the most success in MLS.
Position #74
| 2005 | CHV | Mike Munoz | | 2006 | RSL | Chase Harrison | | 2007 | LA | Zach Kirby | | 2008 | LA | Charles Alamo |
Best pick: Munoz, who is back in MLS after a stint in the USL.
Position #75
| 2005 | CHI | Chris Karcz | | 2006 | CLB | Ivan Becerra | | 2007 | CLB | Tonci Skroce | | 2008 | COL | Mike Graczyk |
Best pick: Let's see. Graczyk is in MLS now, but only as a pool keeper. Becerra started one Open Cup match for the Crew and scored. Karcz, whom Ives wrote about last year, signed with NY during 2007 but never played. He's now in the PDL. Can't find anything on the other guy. Let's give it to Graczyk, who's appeared on the bench for at least 3 MLS teams this season (COL, DAL, LA).
Position #76
| 2005 | DAL | Chris Schwarze | | 2006 | KC | Corey Farabi | | 2007 | CHV | Raul Batista | | 2008 | CLB | Cory Elenio |
Best pick: Elenio just signed with the Crew this summer and made his debut. He's the only one to play in MLS. Although, Schwarze has played in the USL the past couple years.
Position #77
| 2005 | SJ | Noah Merl | | 2006 | NY | Brian Cvilikas | | 2007 | NE | Gary Flood | | 2008 | NY | Michael Palacio |
Best pick: Flood has filled in for the Revs when necessary. Unfortunately for him, he plays a position (defensive midfield) where they are stacked.
Position #78
| 2005 | NY | Patrick Hannigan | | 2006 | DAL | Sean Babcock | | 2007 | LA | Taylor Canel | | 2008 | DAL | Yannick Reyering |
Best pick: Yes, Reyering is now a college football kicker. Will he stick with that or tryout with Dallas next year? Until then, the pick is Hannigan, who was Miami FC's starting keeper in 2007.
Position #79
| 2005 | COL | Eugene Sepuya | | 2006 | NY | Brian Devlin | | 2007 | TOR | Hunter West | | 2008 | CHV | Javier Ayala-Hill |
Best pick: Ok, I did not know that Sepuya (or Ssepuuya, apparently) is playing in Europe for the third best team in Serbia. Really? He's also scored a couple goals for Uganda in WCQ's.
Position #80
| 2005 | CLB | Ryan Kelly | | 2006 | HOU | Tony Donatelli | | 2007 | RSL | Jared Kent | | 2008 | DC | Dan Stratford |
Best pick: Donatelli for now, who scored a goal as Vancouver won the USL title in 2006. I think that beats a handful of MLS games. Let's see what happens to Stratford after being waived.
Position #81
| 2005 | NE | Easton Wilson | | 2006 | COL | Keith Cauldwell | | 2007 | KC | Chris Konopka | | 2008 | KC | Vicente Arze |
Best pick: Konopka was the Wizards' third keeper last year and is now in Ireland as the backup for the league leaders, Bohemians. Also, Arze has played almost every game for Vancouver, who are second in their league. Appears to be used mostly as a substitute. Wilson was with the Revs for 2005 and is now in the USL-2. Close battle, but I'll say Arze since he's actually playing games. I'm not convinced that the top team in Ireland is better than the Whitecaps (see the Russell Payne link above).
Position #82
| 2005 | LA | Ryan Shaw | | 2006 | CHI | Ezra Prendergast | | 2007 | KC | Eric Frimpong | | 2008 | CHI | Adrian Bumbut |
Best pick: None made an MLS roster. Shaw was in the PDL as of last year. Bumbut, whose chances were likely hurt by his international status, just finished his first season as a starter for Richmond in the USL-2. He's the pick, since that's the best thing I can find about these four. Prendergast is Jamaican, I've always assumed that he's somehow related to the notorious official. How many Prendergasts are over there? Let's not even talk about Frimpong.
Position #83
| 2005 | KC | Doug Lascody | | 2006 | NE | Adam Williamson | | 2007 | CHV | Anthony Hamilton | | 2008 | NE | Kyle Altman |
Best pick: Hamilton was tied for the MLS reserve division golden boot in 2007, though he's barely played so far with Chivas.
Position #84
| 2005 | DC | Andrew Terris | | 2006 | LA | Armando Melendez | | 2007 | KC | A.J. Godbolt | | 2008 | HOU | Craig Thompson |
Best pick: Thompson is seeing action after being traded to DC.
Position #85
| 2005 | RSL | Cameron Knowles | | 2006 | HOU | Josh Fender | | 2007 | CHV | Lyle Martin | | 2008 | SJ | Greg Curry |
Best pick: Knowles, who is the captain for Portland in the USL-1 and was just voted the team's best player of 2008 by the supporters. Martin also seems to be doing pretty good for Vancouver as a right back.
Position #86
| 2005 | CHV | Dan Kennedy | | 2006 | COL | Daniel Wasson | | 2007 | CHI | Asmir Pervan | | 2008 | TOR | PASS |
Best pick: It's between two players, both of whom have gone abroad in their short careers. Kennedy played a year in Chile, while Wasson is now in the 2-Bundlesiga (though he apparently is with the second team). I have to go with Kennedy, who has succeeded everywhere he's been and is young for a keeper. He's got his shot right now to claim the starting role.
Position #87
| 2005 | CHI | Hollis Ryan Donaldson | | 2006 | DAL | Peter Louis | | 2007 | COL | Kosuke Kimura | | 2008 | RSL | Kevin Reiman |
Best pick: Kimura has played a lot this season for the Rapids.
Position #88
| 2005 | DAL | Sammy Tamporello | | 2006 | KC | Chris Hamburger | | 2007 | COL | Riley O'Neill | | 2008 | LA | Greg Folk |
Best pick: O'Neill is with a team in the German 3rd division.
Position #89
| 2005 | SJ | Chris Wondolowski | | 2006 | RSL | Chris Lancos | | 2007 | DC | Guy-Roland Kpene | | 2008 | COL | Daniel Antunez |
Best pick: Wondolowski is the king of the reserves and a serviceable bench player. Kpene is now with the Dynamo as well and can't get on the field, which makes for an easy comparison.
Position #90
| 2005 | NY | Usiel Vasquez | | 2006 | CHI | Idris Ughiovhe | | 2007 | NE | Chris Loftus | | 2008 | CLB | Lukasz Tumicz |
Best pick: Loftus was with the Revs for a year and now is playing in the Swedish second division. You'd think he'd be the easy choice. However, Tumicz is the best pick. Why? He signed with a first division team in his native Poland, and is getting some playing time. Here he is scoring two goals in a match a few weeks ago. I wonder if teams knew he was signing abroad and that's why he was drafted so low?
Position #91
| 2005 | COL | Dan Gargan | | 2006 | DC | Devon McTavish | | 2007 | HOU | Erik Ustruck | | 2008 | NY | John Gilkerson |
Best pick: McTavish has turned into a regular starter for United. Meanwhile, Gargan's a bit unlucky to share position 91 with him given the lack of talent at some of these spots (though he did just retire).
Position #92
| 2005 | CLB | Chris Lee | | 2006 | HOU | PASS | | 2007 | TOR | Tyler Hemming | | 2008 | DAL | Ben Shuleva |
Best pick: Hemming played a few games for TFC and now is going after a European career, in Finland.
Position #93
| 2005 | NE | Jeff Larentowicz | | 2006 | KC | Luke Enna | | 2007 | CLB | Ted Niziolek | | 2008 | CHV | El-Hadj Cisse |
Best pick: One of the easiest positions to decide on, Larentowicz. Along with McTavish, he's one of the two best picks from position 90 or later.
Position #94
| 2005 | LA | Jeremiah Gallegos | | 2006 | CHI | Richard Mupfudze | | 2007 | HOU | Justin Douglass | | 2008 | CLB | Zola Short |
Best pick: Uh...let's see. None of these four made a roster, and I can't find anything about them playing anywhere else since. Douglass is definitely not playing, it appears. Gallegos is listed on the Galaxy player register at MLSnet, but he's not listed on any of the transactions as ever being with him so that must be a mistake. Mupfudze tried out for the Carolina Railhawks a year ago and apparently failed. He also played a reserve game for the Galaxy in 2006. So at least he almost made it somewhere else, so I'll go with him. Mupfudze it is.
Position #95
| 2005 | KC | Ryan Caugherty | | 2006 | NE | Matt Wieland | | 2007 | RSL | Kyle Reynish | | 2008 | KC | Tom Gray |
Best pick: None have played an MLS match, but Reynish is still around as RSL's #3 keeper.
Position #96
| 2005 | DC | Shawn Kuykendall | | 2006 | LA | Matt Couch | | 2007 | LA | Kiel McClung | | 2008 | CHI | Zach Pope |
Best pick: Kuykendall is the only guy who played in MLS. But it was only for 25 minutes over 3 games for DC in 2005, though he was picked up by NY the following season (and then injured himself). Meanwhile, McClung played for the California Victory in the USL-1, and was just on the USL-2 championship squad in Cleveland (though he only played a couple games). Is that better than a handful of MLS minutes, and should Kuykendall's injury be factored in?
I guess I'll go with Kuykendall for now as he was on an MLS roster for two seasons, so we know he could play at that level. And this has nothing to do with that analysis, but he also enjoys making Youtube videos.
Position #97
| 2007 | DAL | Chase Wileman | | 2008 | NE | Saidi Isaac |
Best pick: Wileman. He's still in MLS, whereas Isaac is back in the PDL. No, he's not the guy who retired to become a priest, that's Chase Hilgenbrink.
Position #98
| 2007 | NY | Danny Cepero | | 2008 | HOU | Kieran Hall |
Best pick: Cepero has been regularly making the bench as NY's backup keeper ever since Zach Thornton was traded. Though NY just signed a new senior roster keeper.
Position #99
| 2007 | CHI | Daniel Woolard | | 2008 | SJ | Tim Jepson |
Best pick: Woolard, who's played in 7 games this season. Jepson not in MLS.
Position #100
| 2007 | KC | Michael Kraus | | 2008 | TOR | PASS |
Best pick: Kraus. Yet to play but still with the team.
Position #101
| 2007 | RSL | Dustin Kirby | | 2008 | RSL | Kenny Anaba |
Best pick: Kirby. He's made a few appearances for Salt Lake, while Anaba is nowhere to be found.
Position #102
| 2007 | CLB | Kevin Burns | | 2008 | LA | Daniel De Geer |
Best pick: Burns. He's still with the Crew. Actually, according to his bio he played a year in the USL before he signed.
Position #103
| 2007 | NE | PASS | | 2008 | CHI | Steve Bode |
Best pick: Bode by default, despite the fact that he didn't make the team.
Position #104
| 2007 | KC | Willy Guadarrama | | 2008 | CHI | Tim Conway |
Best pick: Guadarrama. He was on an MLS roster for a year, even though he didn't play. I wonder if he was more successful with his contest date? Now he's with the Austin Aztecs of the PDL, and I'd imagine should be able to make their USL-1 team next year. We'll see. Meanwhile, Conway was cut in preseason and is now in the NPSL.
Positions #105-112
Due to expansion to 14 teams, this season's 105-112 picks are the only choices and are the best picks by default. Only Thorpe remains on an MLS roster.
| 105 | 2008 | NY | Laurent Manuel | | 106 | 2008 | DAL | PASS | | 107 | 2008 | CHV | Andre Sherard | | 108 | 2008 | DC | James Thorpe | | 109 | 2008 | KC | Andrew Kartunen | | 110 | 2008 | CHI | Melford James, Jr. | | 111 | 2008 | NE | PASS | | 112 | 2008 | HOU | James Georgeff | Labels: superdraft |
