MLS SuperDraft: What to look for on Friday
- by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Jan 13, 2017
Here is what to look for ...
1. THE BIG THREE. U.S. U-20 forward Jeremy Ebobisse, who scored in his first game at the adidas Player Combine on Thursday, is expected to go to expansion Minnesota United with the No. 1 pick, but he is one of three players, along with Syracuse defender Miles Robinson and UCLA forward Adu Danladi -- who stand out from the rest.
Ebobisse spent two years at Duke, then sat out a semester as he weighed his pro options, eventually signing with MLS. Robinson was an unknown two years ago before enrolling at Syracuse but is now battling for a spot at center back on the U.S. U-20s, who are deep at the position with pro.
Danladi was a Generation adidas target after his freshman and sophomore years but finally jumped along with three other UCLA underclassmen who have turned pro: GA pick Jackson Yueill and Homegrown players Jose Hernandez (Real Salt lake) and Reggie Cannon (FC Dallas).
2. WINGERS GALORE. The deepest position in the draft is on the wings, where Jonathan Lewis (Akron), Daniel Johnson (Louisville), Bermudan Zeiko Lewis (Boston College), German Julian Gressel (Providence) and Niko Hansen (New Mexico) all could go in the top 10. Yueill also can play out wide.
Jonathan Lewis, a late GA signing, is the best of the bunch. The Floridian has spent time with both Jamaica's U-20s and more recently the USA's U-20s, traveling to Costa Rica with Robinson and Ebobisse in December.
3. PACKAGE DEALS. Three teams have two picks in the first half of the first round -- Atlanta United (2 and 8), Chicago (3 and 11) and Columbus (5 and 9) -- making them the likely targets of other teams looking to deal. Teams have had mixed fortune with a multiple picks early in the first round.
In 2016, Philadelphia picked Joshua Yaro, Keegan Rosenberry and Fabian Herbers at 2-3-6, and all contributed. (Rosenberry is a rare MLS sophomore called into the national team.)
But in 2015, Toronto FC took Alex Bono, Clement Simonin and Skylar Thomas at 6-9-11, yet only Bono, the backup keeper, is still with the team two years later.
First Round:
1 Minnesota United
2 Atlanta United
3 Chicago Fire
4 Houston Dynamo
5 Columbus Crew
6 San Jose Earthquakes
7 Vancouver Whitecaps
8 Atlanta United
9 Columbus Crew
10 Portland Timbers
11 Chicago Fire
12 D.C. United
13 Real Salt Lake
14 Sporting KC
15 Colorado Rapids
16 Seattle Sounders
17 NY Red Bulls
18 FC Dallas
19 Montreal Impact
20 New England Revolution
21 Toronto FC
22 Seattle Sounders
COMBINE GAME 5. Team Copa 2 Team Control 1. Goals: Mfeka 40, Ebobisse 60; Brown 75.
Team Copa -- McGuire; Jones, Abubakar, Rimstad, Mafi; Awuah; Epps, Hayes, Mfeka, Dhaflaoui; Ebobisse. Subs: Cicerone, Dainkeh, Maloney, Bartman, Oduro, Reid, Wright
Team Control -- Klenofsky; Odoi-Atsem, Radjen, Wilson, Nerwinski; Yueill; Thierjung, Gressel, Matsoso, Lewis; Delgado. Subs: Brown, Fernandes, Johnson, Ledbetter, Schmidt, Wheeler-Omiunu, Wingate.
COMBINE GAME 6. Team Tango 2 Team Chaos 0. Goal: Bronico 32, Elliott 77.
Team Chaos -- Moewes; DeGraffenriedt, Sagel, DeVries, Storm; Nanco Thompson, Wehan, Kutler; Gomez Sanchez, DePuy. Subs: Regis, McConnell, Aubrey, Sanchez, Shome, Panken, Bjornethun.
Team Tango -- Cleveland; Nana-Sinkam, Robinson, W. Hume; Dunk, Hamilton, Holland, Dekovic; Bronico; Goldsmith, Lewis. Subs: Danladi, Elliott, Vobejda, Hansen), Galvao, T.Hume.
Who can handle pressure, doesn't panic, and can make things happen?