Steve Davis
Jan 17, 2013, 1:33 PM EST
Check back for more analysis later; here are some winners from the first 90 minutes of Thursday’s MLS draft:
New England: Consensus for MLS SuperDraft 2013 was a mix that included just one prime-time, set-and-ready, just-add-water figure – followed by a bunch of guys who may or may not help immediately. The one man, of course, was Andrew Farrell (pictured). So, moving up into the No. 1 spot to get the guy looks like a shrewd move.
New England needed a center back and needed a player who could add something to the roster now. Not down the road. Not next year. Now.
Said manager Jay Heaps: “He’s a player that’s going to be MLS-ready from Day 1, and that’s what we need at our team.”
adidas: The German apparel giant was all over this thing. I’ll be darned if top pick Farrell didn’t thank God first and then adidas second! Before anyone else, parents, coaches, agents, girlfriends (journalists … if only …), etc. Between Farrell’s endorsement and all the talk of “Generation adidas” and the implications of all the salary-exempt men on the draft, the sporting apparel giant sure got its money’s worth from MLS today.
Chivas USA: Perhaps it was luck. But even if it was, who could begrudge this little lost puppy dog of a franchise some rare good fortune? Thing is, Chivas USA’s new-old philosophy is to go with men of Mexican heritage. Other thing is, an apparently quality young man of Mexican heritage was available early in UConn midfielder Carlos Alvarez.
Thus, things fell together brilliantly.
The new deciders Chivas USA, selecting second, could have gotten themselves in trouble if they reached for a Mexican-American with such a high choice. Thanks to Alvarez’s availability, that wasn’t necessary. Again, that may be down to providence, but same difference on the end result, eh?
Alexi Lalas: Considering all the disinformation and the regular old “throwing darts” factor attached to MLS Draft projections, what we all get past the first couple of picks is a series of lucky guesses and wild, swinging misses. Except … the ESPN analyst nailed about five of the early picks. Well done, sir.
FC Dallas: The FC Dallas table was surely shocked, but pleasantly so, to see Walker Zimmerman fall all the way to the No. 7 spot. Even if they didn’t necessarily need a center back, he was simply too enticing to pass on.
Projections for the big Furman center back were all over the place, but some had Zimmerman as high as No. 1. It does create something of a logjam, although surplus is never the biggest problem to have. George John remains a bedrock at center back. Hopefully, Ugo Ihemelu can bounce back from concussion-related problems. And the team loves Matt Hedges, the No. 11 pick last year.
Furman University: The small liberal arts school in South Carolina is hardly a big dog in collegiate athletics. Soccer gives the Paladins a little basking time in the sun. Zimmerman was Furman’s third Top 10 MLS pick of the last nine years, and the others are not bad at all: Ricardo Clark (2nd in the 2003 draft) and Clint Dempsey (8th in 2004).
Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish didn’t dominate the way Akron did a couple of years back – Five of the top 8! Are you kidding me? – although that may never happen again. But the Irish did get two of the top 11, which isn’t bad. Besides, Notre Dame athletics needed a little bit of a distraction from recent, er, unpleasant developments, eh?
Meanwhile, the Top 10 picks went like this:
1. New England Revolution, DF Andrew Farrell, Lousiville
2. Chivas USA, MF Carlos Alvarez, UConn
3. Toronto FC, MF Kyle Bekker, Boston College
4. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, FW Kekuta Manneh, Austin Aztex
5. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Erik Hurtado, Santa Clara
6. Colorado Rapids, FW DeShorn Brown, UCF
7. FC Dallas, CB Walker Zimmerman, Furman
8. Montreal Impact MF Blake Smith, New Mexico
9. Columbus Crew FW Ryan Finley, Notre Dame
10. Seattle Sounders FC, FW Eriq Zavaleta, Indiana
A few early winners from Thursday’s MLS Draft
