On January 15, 2015, MLS conducted its annual SuperDraft. There was a lot less excitement about it than in previous years, and compared to the four-month circus that is the run up to the NFL draft, this one was barely a blip in the news. This is a shame, because the 2015 draft could end up defining the shape of many teams for years to come, and even result in multiple players playing for their respective national teams. The draft should be appreciated for these facts. The combine and interview process is so important. The strategy of when to pick who, and who may pick when and how unique these facts are within the global context of international soccer is something that doesn’t seem considered enough.
2015 MLS Rookie Watch: The Kids are Alright
Over the course of the season, we will look at a handful of standouts from this year’s draft, how they are performing, and the impact they are making on their team and the league as a whole.
Most of the players are from the first round, but Rob Lovejoy, formerly of UNC but now of the Houston Dynamo, has produced some great results, and he was drafted in the 2nd round. Before his tragic injury, Cameron Porter (Princeton) was making waves with Montreal and he was drafted in the 3rd round. Perhaps most impressively is Dominique Badji, the Senegalese forward from Boston University who has started 3 games and scored already, and yet he was drafted in the 4th and final round.
Now these are all great “feel good stories” (Porter getting injured isn’t feel-good, but him potentially being a long term steal certainly is), however teams draft players as future foundations and cornerstones of their teams. Flyers in the later rounds that pan out are great, but first rounders are expected to produce, and produce quickly, and the following players already have begun to.
Most Impressive
Fatai Alashe – A central defensive midfielder from Michigan State who has already cemented his starting position at San Jose. He has shown a nasty streak needed for the CDM role, but also offensive prowess which has been surprising considering the weight of expectations and pressures put upon him. During the Real Salt Lake game Alashe flat out blanketed Javier Morales and will forever be known as the scorer of San Jose’s first goal at their new stadium. He is playing like a vet and could be an essential part of the spine of San Jose’s team for years to come.
Matt Polster – The Chicago Fire surprised many people by using their 7th overall pick on a player from Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville. However, Coach Yallop did his homework and a strong combine helped propel Polster to the 1st round of the draft. Since then, he has already assumed the starting role as a central defensive midfielder on a team that signed 3 Designated Players and quickly became one of the more exciting teams in the league. Polster has a veteran in Jeff Larentowicz behind him and players with heaps of skills to his side in David Accam and Harry Shipp. Polster has a long way to go but has been playing extremely well thus far and has a supporting cast that should help him thrive despite his inexperience.
Showing Great Signs of Potential
Cyle Larin – Orlando’s Larin and Seattle’s Cristian Roldan have had chances to shine due to injuries to the players in front of them on their respective club’s depth chart. For Larin, it was Pedro Ribeiro who went down with a hamstring tear. Ribeiro looks like he might miss up to 3 months, which means Larin will now have an extended trial as a starter for OCSC. Initially Larin has struggled, exhibiting bright spots followed by head-scratching moves or shots that displayed his rookie status. However, this weekend’s past trip to Portland proved to be his coming-out party. Scoring a striker’s goal in the 30th minute, Larin showed his attacking intuition to be at the right place at the right time and pointing the ball towards goal. He is a true center forward, and with Kaka running point for Orlando, Larin will get his chances. All he needs to do is keep making the most of them.
Khiry Shelton – New York City FC took Shelton with the 2nd pick of the MLS Superdraft out of Oregon State, but he has so far only come on as a substitute. He is learning from one of the greatest strikers of the decade in David Villa and sitting behind both Villa and Adam Nemec will be a good learning experience for him. He is strong, fast and confident. Nemec has not hit his stride yet, and you could argue Shelton would make a better partner with Villa as their skill sets are more complementary than Nemec’s. But until he does, Shelton can only be graded as acceptable thus far.
Wait and See
Seattle’s Cristian Roldan – Roldan is my wildcard. He is only playing because Clint Dempsey has been nursing a groin injury, but he has impressed so far. A graduate of the University of Washington, he has been training with the Sounders since his college years. A self-professed soccer junkie, he has the potential to be the best central attacking midfielder Seattle has never quite had. Osvaldo Alonso is best as a CDM and if Roldan can hold his own, he could push Dempsey up top. Roldan doesn’t need to be an absolute maestro right away with Martins and Dempsey up front, but he has the potential to be.
Montreal’s Cameron Porter* – Unfortunately Cameron Porter needs an asterisk, as he took the league by storm with the goal heard ‘round the world in the Champion’s League that advanced Montreal against Pachuca. Sadly, two games later he tore his ACL and as a result was ruled out for the rest of the season. We are hoping he will come back stronger and more eager to show his great potential.
The truth is, without the MLS SuperDraft, none of these players would have emerged. Matt Polster may never have gotten drafted without the combine. Larin and Shelton may not have gotten the chance to play with Kaka and Villa without the draft order. And Cameron Porter, Rob Lovejoy and Dominique Badji may have been stuck in the NASL or lower without the opportunity brought on by the draft. We still have yet to hear the stories of Leo Stolz, Nick Besler, Romario Williams or other 1st rounders, but no doubt, in time, we will.
It is time we appreciate the draft. It allows teams that struggled in seasons past to pick players that give them the best chance of winning in the years to come. This would never happen in Europe or South America, and it is partly (amongst many other reasons) why there is such disparity in leagues like Serie A, La Liga and others.
Long live the draft and long live the players that embody and strengthen their MLS teams as a result.
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