Mid-season update, featuring Bonji...
Ok, lame Saturday Night Live reference for the title, sorry. This time I want to get back to the original focus of this blog; how are the recent college grads getting along in MLS? The Rookie of the Year race is still wide open as no one has put a solid claim on the prize yet, however it seems that one team could have a couple of candidates.
I looked back at the draft list and found that 38% of the 95 man draft class has been waived. That seems like a high number to me. I would like to see a day where 100% of the draft class makes it through one season of MLS soccer, either on the senior squad or a reserve/minor league squad. These kids dream about making the pros and too many are tossed aside without adequate time to develop to the pro game. I realize that not all of these kids are not equipped mentally or physically to play a full career at the pro level, but they should be given a chance to show what they've got. Getting cut four months, or earlier, into the season isn't enough time.
Before the season started I was excited to see where Jeff Rowland would end up. He made a lot of noise while leading New Mexico through the College Cup in his senior season. Well, he got drafted, got hurt and got waived. Doing a little web research proved successful and I've learned that Jeff is rehabing his ACL tear and he wants another shot at the pros. However, next season there will be another crop of eager kids willing to play for peanuts in the pros. Will there be room for Jeff in MLS? Only time will tell.
Looking at the list of draftees the word waived shows up more towards the bottom of the list, as you'd expect. Leandro de Oliveira has the dubious distinction of being the only first round selection waived. Otherwise, the first round players are doing well for their teams. Half of the top picks have played in over ten games this season. It is always impressive when rookies can step right in and contribute, but in this case I think it is amazing that six guys have played in a large majority of matches to this point. Soccer is a sport where the athletes take time to develop, this shows that many guys are ready to make the jump right from college, and their coaches agree.
I mentioned above that one team may have a few rookie of the year (ROY) candidates. Drum-roll please...Chivas USA did a great job selecting talented young players in the 2006 drafts. Out in LA four out of five draftees made the team and two have played in all sixteen of the Goats' matches. Sacha Kljestan is one of the front runners for the ROY. He has slotted into a midfield that needed a ton of help after last season, and he has adapted to the pros well. Jonathan Bornstein has also played in all sixteen of the teams' games. Amazingly, this rookie defender out of UCLA has played in all but one minute of Chivas' games. Equally impressive is Lawson Vaughn. This defender has played in twelve matches after being selected in the third round of the supplemental draft. Drew Helm is fighting for minutes but that is to be expected when you're behind Mexican star Juan Francisco Palencia and American iron man Ante Razov on the depth chart. These four Chivas rookie has played in 62% of the minutes available to them. I find that impressive. Additionally, Chivas USA isn't the push over they were last season. These kids are adding the winning spark a previously flailing expansion club needed. Credit to Bob Bradley and staff for putting this group together. I'll also point out the American names posted above. Those who were concerned with Chivas USA being a Mexican invasion destined to take over MLS can go back to bed now. The World is safe.
Other 2006 draftees of note:
- Marvell Wynne has not been the revelation many thought he would be. Reading Big Soccer before the draft some people expected Wynne to catch the attention of Bruce Arena and the national team before leaving for Germany, "fixing" the Nats' right back issues. That has obviously not happened and Wynne has shown that athleticism is not enough in MLS. He's learning the defensive end of things and in a couple years I think he could be a star flying up and down the right flank for New York, or another MLS team. But development takes time and Marvell will need time working on his soccer skills.
-I don't know how many people expected Mehdi Ballouchy to go second in the draft but it seems like he deserved the spot. He has played well on a bad team. He is too young to know how to command an offense from the center of the field but he is trying. Sometimes he'll play out on the wing, but I think the creative/attacking (the illusive #10) midfielder is more his role. He's just got to grow into it. This team isn't bad because of his involvement, so that is good for his future. Hopefully a better coach will be brought to SLC so Mehdi can continue growing into an exciting attacking force.
-If you were surprised by Ballouchy at number two then you were shocked when Kei Kamara was drafted in the first round by Columbus. Kei played for Cal State - Dominguez Hills in college and many can't figure out where Dominguez Hills is, let alone tell you anything about their soccer program. However, Kei has come into an aggressive and physical league with some grace and skill. His speed helps him leave defenders in the dust and he is tricky enough to create a few goals. I'm hoping to see him grow into the physical game so he can flourish in the coming years.
-Jacob Peterson fell into the second round when many expected this youth national team star to go in the first round. Jacob has fought his way into the super-sub role for the Colorado Rapids. His speed and work rate gives defenses fits late in the match. He has the wheels to get on the end of a long ball and he can get his eyes up long enough to pick out team mates streaking towards goal. He's proving an effective sub, registering a goal and two assists in limited minutes. Having Clint Mathis and Jovan Kirovski as mentors may be just what this kid needs. We know he has the pedigree, now we just need to see some maturity in his game. He could be a regular starter for the Rapids by the end of the season given their issues finding the back of the net.
-Devon McTavish has the honor of being the last kid drafted who is still on a team. DC United seem to like pulling the rabbit out of the hat at the end of the draft and this midfielder may be the right fit. Devon has a great teacher in Nowak and should be able to improve his game over the remainder of the season. It'll be interesting to see if this late rounder can keep his spot next season when the new crop joins the league.
That's it for today. Until next time, remember to go check out your local MLS matches and reserve matches to keep your eyes on the up and coming American stars.
I looked back at the draft list and found that 38% of the 95 man draft class has been waived. That seems like a high number to me. I would like to see a day where 100% of the draft class makes it through one season of MLS soccer, either on the senior squad or a reserve/minor league squad. These kids dream about making the pros and too many are tossed aside without adequate time to develop to the pro game. I realize that not all of these kids are not equipped mentally or physically to play a full career at the pro level, but they should be given a chance to show what they've got. Getting cut four months, or earlier, into the season isn't enough time.
Before the season started I was excited to see where Jeff Rowland would end up. He made a lot of noise while leading New Mexico through the College Cup in his senior season. Well, he got drafted, got hurt and got waived. Doing a little web research proved successful and I've learned that Jeff is rehabing his ACL tear and he wants another shot at the pros. However, next season there will be another crop of eager kids willing to play for peanuts in the pros. Will there be room for Jeff in MLS? Only time will tell.
Looking at the list of draftees the word waived shows up more towards the bottom of the list, as you'd expect. Leandro de Oliveira has the dubious distinction of being the only first round selection waived. Otherwise, the first round players are doing well for their teams. Half of the top picks have played in over ten games this season. It is always impressive when rookies can step right in and contribute, but in this case I think it is amazing that six guys have played in a large majority of matches to this point. Soccer is a sport where the athletes take time to develop, this shows that many guys are ready to make the jump right from college, and their coaches agree.
I mentioned above that one team may have a few rookie of the year (ROY) candidates. Drum-roll please...Chivas USA did a great job selecting talented young players in the 2006 drafts. Out in LA four out of five draftees made the team and two have played in all sixteen of the Goats' matches. Sacha Kljestan is one of the front runners for the ROY. He has slotted into a midfield that needed a ton of help after last season, and he has adapted to the pros well. Jonathan Bornstein has also played in all sixteen of the teams' games. Amazingly, this rookie defender out of UCLA has played in all but one minute of Chivas' games. Equally impressive is Lawson Vaughn. This defender has played in twelve matches after being selected in the third round of the supplemental draft. Drew Helm is fighting for minutes but that is to be expected when you're behind Mexican star Juan Francisco Palencia and American iron man Ante Razov on the depth chart. These four Chivas rookie has played in 62% of the minutes available to them. I find that impressive. Additionally, Chivas USA isn't the push over they were last season. These kids are adding the winning spark a previously flailing expansion club needed. Credit to Bob Bradley and staff for putting this group together. I'll also point out the American names posted above. Those who were concerned with Chivas USA being a Mexican invasion destined to take over MLS can go back to bed now. The World is safe.
Other 2006 draftees of note:
- Marvell Wynne has not been the revelation many thought he would be. Reading Big Soccer before the draft some people expected Wynne to catch the attention of Bruce Arena and the national team before leaving for Germany, "fixing" the Nats' right back issues. That has obviously not happened and Wynne has shown that athleticism is not enough in MLS. He's learning the defensive end of things and in a couple years I think he could be a star flying up and down the right flank for New York, or another MLS team. But development takes time and Marvell will need time working on his soccer skills.
-I don't know how many people expected Mehdi Ballouchy to go second in the draft but it seems like he deserved the spot. He has played well on a bad team. He is too young to know how to command an offense from the center of the field but he is trying. Sometimes he'll play out on the wing, but I think the creative/attacking (the illusive #10) midfielder is more his role. He's just got to grow into it. This team isn't bad because of his involvement, so that is good for his future. Hopefully a better coach will be brought to SLC so Mehdi can continue growing into an exciting attacking force.
-If you were surprised by Ballouchy at number two then you were shocked when Kei Kamara was drafted in the first round by Columbus. Kei played for Cal State - Dominguez Hills in college and many can't figure out where Dominguez Hills is, let alone tell you anything about their soccer program. However, Kei has come into an aggressive and physical league with some grace and skill. His speed helps him leave defenders in the dust and he is tricky enough to create a few goals. I'm hoping to see him grow into the physical game so he can flourish in the coming years.
-Jacob Peterson fell into the second round when many expected this youth national team star to go in the first round. Jacob has fought his way into the super-sub role for the Colorado Rapids. His speed and work rate gives defenses fits late in the match. He has the wheels to get on the end of a long ball and he can get his eyes up long enough to pick out team mates streaking towards goal. He's proving an effective sub, registering a goal and two assists in limited minutes. Having Clint Mathis and Jovan Kirovski as mentors may be just what this kid needs. We know he has the pedigree, now we just need to see some maturity in his game. He could be a regular starter for the Rapids by the end of the season given their issues finding the back of the net.
-Devon McTavish has the honor of being the last kid drafted who is still on a team. DC United seem to like pulling the rabbit out of the hat at the end of the draft and this midfielder may be the right fit. Devon has a great teacher in Nowak and should be able to improve his game over the remainder of the season. It'll be interesting to see if this late rounder can keep his spot next season when the new crop joins the league.
That's it for today. Until next time, remember to go check out your local MLS matches and reserve matches to keep your eyes on the up and coming American stars.
posted by Bonji at
4:49 PM
2 Comments:
"I realize that not all of these kids are not equipped mentally or physically to play a full career at the pro level,"
I think you have one negative too many in there :)
By
Oscar M., at 9:15 PM
I'm not an English major. :)
By
Bonji, at 9:26 AM
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