Hey look! NYCFC finally have a team!
Well, sorta.
The most challenging thing about this draft – as it was with the Chivas Dispersion that preceded it – is where do you begin? With only a handful of players on the roster, what criteria does one use to organize picks?
NYCFC Expansion Draft
And while the internet is full of elaborate conspiracy theories, one interesting suggestion was that Jason Kreis would pick up players who were familiar with MLS specifically in an effort to balance his star imports. This made a lot of sense for two distinct reasons.
First, several European players have observed that the massive distances teams must cover between games on this continent is something that European players have trouble adjusting to. Or said another way, a Saturday morning coach ride up the M1 is not quite the same thing as a the JFK to LAX to JFK red-eye two-step. Picking up players who were already adjusted to this kind of pre-game ritual would give his Designated Players the time they need to acclimate themselves to North America and MLS.
But there was also another kind of MLS familiarity. Having managed with and against many of the players in the draft, Kreis knows what they’re capable of on a level he isn’t with David Villa and Frank Lampard, no matter how great those players may be. Picking up players he knows will give him the luxury of not having to rely on his two designated players to drive the team right out of the gate, and will let them develop a style of play that works with the whole team.
Thus when Ned Grabavoy’s name was announced as NYCFC’s first pick, it made all the sense in the world. He’s an MLS veteran who’s experienced the vast distances first hand at LA, San Jose and Real Salt Lake, AND he’s someone Kreis has won with. The fact that he was picked by several experts (and we use the term advisedly) to go first only cemented the deal.
Then Kreis bookended his first pick with Chris Wingert – a solid defender with whom he also won an MLS cup – as his final, one could see that balance strategy more clearly.
But Wingert is also interesting because he’s a local boy – Babylon-born and St. John’s educated. And while it’s highly unlikely Kreis would pick someone who couldn’t play just because he was local (which is probably why MY phone didn’t ring once during the draft), one can’t ignore the value of building a fan base for NYCFC with some home boys (Kreis also picked up West Nyack’s Thomas McNamara, former MetroStar Jason Hernandez, and Ryan Meara on loan from RBNY).
In between the two RSL picks, were some very good and very interesting choices, like Patrick Mullins who got everyone’s attention during the playoffs, George John, who’s been solid for Dallas when he’s not injured, and Medhi Bellouchy who, one may recall, RSL traded for Kyle Beckerman around the time of Kreis’s arrival. Maybe Coach is hoping lightning strikes twice. (Note to Medhi: don’t unpack just yet).
So with these two drafts done and no moves in either phase of the Re-Entry draft, it looks like NYCFC fans can finally breathe a little easier about the upcoming season.
Except for the feeling that Pelligrini is holding Lampard hostage at the Etihad. Though with Lampard’s recent form, who can blame him? Let’s hope he keeps it up in the spring.
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