DirtBall can probably tell more, but iirc Vermes is friends with Salloi’s dad. Convinced his dad to move to blue valley(20 min from SKC) from Europe.
Draft starts shortly, not that many MLS level players in it anymore with HGP and the rise in overall quality of teams.
1. - LAFC - Joao Mountinho - LB - Akron - Portugal The "'tweener" concerns about Moutinho are overstated – I think he'll be fine as a "push up and support" left back, a la Tony Beltran. He won't be an endline-to-endline guy, but that's fine. It's also a bonus that he can probably play two other spots (LCB in a 3-5-2; d-mid in just about any set-up) credibly. I do worry about his 1v1 defensive ability, 2. - LAG - Tomas-Hillard-Arce - CB - Stanford - USA (Traded with DC for $200K GAM) His passing was bad and his movement robotic at the Combine, but that shouldn't in any way overshadow what he accomplished over the course of his college career (three national titles) and how thoroughly he crushed the interview process. Seriously, WATCH THIS. He's never going to be an elite distributor, but he knows his role. He will defend like hell, be a rock in the locker room, and probably win a bunch over the next decade. 3. - LAFC - Tristan Blackmon - RB - Pacific - USA Blackmon didn't have a great Combine, but he's still the top RB option in this draft given his body of work in college and PDL. He's going to overlap like hell no matter where he ends up, and there are no questions about his ability to match up athletically at the next level. There are some concerns about his instincts – his defensive reads are slow – and a few about his decision-making on the ball. But a team that's willing to develop him over a year or two could end up with a starter. 4. - FCD - Francis Atuahene - F - Michigan - Ghana (Traded with Montreal for $200K GAM) Atuahene is capable of the utterly spectacular, as his equalizer on the final day of the Combine showed. He passed the eye test as a player and as a competitor – he really did seem to delight in beating the various defenders arrayed against him – and his soccer IQ is clearly way up there. The problem is that his college production was not as impressive as his Combine performance, and there's a worry about a lack of game-to-game, year-to-year consistency as well as durability. 5. - Fire - Jon Bakero - F - Wake Forest - Spain (Traded with MNU for $75 GAM; 100K TAM) he best player in college soccer and the best player at the Combine and has the best lineage (his dad was a star for Barcelona and Spain in the 1990s). He's a beautiful soccer player who certain teams covet, but 1) what position does he play?, 2) can he create separation? To me he's a playmaking center forward who'd work best when surrounded by aggressive, attacking wingers. I do worry, though, that he'll be Brandon Allen – a smart and cultured player who dominates lesser competition but lacks the burst to shrug off MLS defenders. 6. - OCSC - Chris Mueller - M/F - Wisconsin - USA Mueller might be the cleverest player in the draft, playing pass-and-move combinations all over the final third and combining that intellect with elite-level speed and quickness. He was the quickest player in the 5-10-5 test, second-fastest over 10 meters and 10th-fastest over 30 meters. 7. - MNU - Mason Toye - F - Indiana - USA - only US GA player Toye is similar to last year's No. 1 overall pick, Abu Danladi, in that he's a center forward who's probably, at this point, more comfortable facing up and going 1v1 like a winger. He doesn't have a rifle of a shot like Danladi, but he was more productive and durable in college, is two years younger than Danladi was when he was drafted last year, and is a domestic player. Lots of upside here for a team that's willing to develop him. 8. - NER - Brandon Bye - D - Western Michigan - USA Bye is a project, but he had a simply outstanding season at right midfield for the surprise team of 2017. Like many college players who play in a direct system, he projects better long-term as an overlapping fullback, and he showed some of that ability at the Combine (as well as a little defensive naiveté, which is not unexpected). Athletically he's elite, testing out as the best all-around athlete at the Combine. 9. - NER - Mark Segbergs - D/M - Wisconsin - USA Teams all over the league need good right backs, and Segbers has the tools to become exactly that. He was very productive in college, a gamer going both ways at the Combine, and tested well across the board in terms of speed, quickness and aerial ability. Plus he comes from a youth system (St. Louis Scott Gallagher) that routinely puts players into the pros. Segbers likely plays his first year at the USL level, but he's got a shot at earning MLS minutes right away if he lands with the right club. 10. - Fire - Mo Adams - M - Syracuse - England Because of visa issues Adams didn't get to show out at the Combine, but he was a true wrecking ball for the Orange over the last two years in the nation's best conference. He covers ground, keeps it simple, and makes the game simple for guys around him. 11. FCD - Ema Twumasi - F - Wake Forest - Ghana Another Ghanaian winger, Twumasi lacks the explosiveness of Atauhene but is better on the ball and arguably more clever with it in the final third (even though he didn't show it at the Combine). He was also more productive in college for a better program, and is a year younger. Any team that's trying to keep the ball would be well-served by bringing Twumasi into the fold. 12. SJE - Paul Marie - D/M - Florida International - France 13. SKC - Eric Dick - GK - Butler - USA 14. ATL - Jon Gallagher - F - ND - Ireland Gallagher was hugely productive in his final two years at Notre Dame, putting up 27 goals and nine assists in 41 games while playing in the best conference in the country. He has elite speed and quickness, is great 1v1, and is a finisher. He drops (maybe a little further than he should) because he's kind of limited to one spot: second forward. And that's a spot where MLS teams tend to spend big bucks on imports. 15. - MNU - Wyatt Omsburg - CB - Dartmouth - USA Nobody helped their stock more this week, though it wasn't because of what he did on the field. Omsberg wasn't an unknown – he's been the best player in the Ivy League for a couple of years, and he was heavily scouted in the PDL. People knew he could play. What folks didn't know was the extent of his athleticism. He was literally the fastest player over 10 meters at this Combine, and the quickest defender in the 5-10-5 agility test. Seeing that from a 6-foot-4 left-footer is rare. 16. NYRB - Brain White - F - Duke - USA He was the PDL MVP playing for RBNY's U-23s, bagging 17g/3a in just over 1100 minutes this past summer before putting up a solid senior season in Durham. What's his best position? Don't know, and the fact that he's probably a 'tweener is why he drops here. It's easy to see, though, that he's got a head for the game and a nose for the goal – he's able to figure some stuff out in the final third on the fly. 17. Justin Fiddes - LB - Washington - USA Fiddes struggled during the first two Combine games but was very good on Day 3, even pushing up to get himself a goal. He is an exceptional north-south athlete – easily the fastest available over 30 meters – and fared pretty well in agility tests, too. He's raw, but played at a good program and has a clear role in MLS if a team is committed to developing him over a couple of years. Think Ben Sweat. 18. - SKC - Graham Smith - D/M - Denver - USA 19. NYCFC - Jeff Caldwell - GK - UVA - USA 20. HOU - Michael Nelson - GK - SMU - USA 21. CBUS - Ben Lundgaard - GK - VT - USA 22. SEA - Alex Roldan - M - Seattle Roldan is like his brother: He has energy and brains, and his work away from the ball is as-good-as or better-than his work on the ball. What he seems to lack – at this point, anyway – are Cristian's defensive instincts, which is something he'll have to develop over a year or two at the USL level no matter who picks him. 23. MNU - Carter Manley - D - Duke - USA
Sporting getting jealous and getting in on the young South American game.......with a CB. Actually a good loan from what I’ve seen. Option to buy for $1.2 million after the year. Potential Besler replacement.
Ola and Meram were going to be moved after they came out and requested the moves so I was honestly just hoping he’d go to Spain. Zardes does nothing for me
Damn, don’t like that haul for Ola. 500K plus trash for a top 5ish striker. Compare that to the Dom deal, 1.6 mil for someone who wouldn’t crack the top 10.
Me and the Red Bulls. I'm overly emotionally attached to the teams I'm a fan of and think I'm a part of the operation.
I was 4 when they became a team and I really liked the colors and logo so my family started buying me Marlins stuff (despite being Mets fans) and it just stuck. It was really bolstered when Jack McKeon became manager because he's from the same tiny little city that I grew up in. His cousin actually lives 2 doors down from my parents and his other cousin was on the same volunteer fire company that my dad and I are/were members of. So Jack used to get us tickets in the visiting families section when they'd play in NY and Philly.
Larin is training with Besiktas today so he clearly doesn't care what Orlando/MLS thinks at this point.
He could still switch to the Ivory Coast unfortunately :( We need him to be good, but not too good, until he commits to Canada.
I'm hopeful it succeeds for the sake of the league, but I'll be skeptical until they(Miami/South Florida) prove they can support a pro team
Right. Because fans totally support professional teams in Miami and there’s a long list of proven cases.
I’m not trying to rustle up an argument or be a dick but without doing any research I feel like he has a point. I honestly don’t care enough to research it but what professional franchises has Miami been good about supporting? I can only think of the Dolphins. Yea they supported the Heat when the Big Three were there but do they constantly support the team?
the heat have been top 10 in attendance for close to a decade now and have had something like 300+ straight sellouts this is objectively false. again you’re clearly (willfully) ignorant on the matter, so I’ll drop it
Well considering I got it from my friend from Boca who went to FAU and attended Heat games, and said the crowds weren’t great And then there’s the whole Marlins franchise. Again, I hope they succeed. I’m just skeptical. Which I don’t get why you take offense to.
I take offense to you continually bringing up falsehoods that are easily verifiable with a google search
After a quick google search. “Marlins stadium attendance” Miami Heat attendance(picture from 2010, bron’s first year when the excitement was sky high) It’s great that the paid attendance is so high. That doesn’t mean the fans/City actually give a shit. Again, I hope it is successful. But I don’t get why you’re so up in arms about me questioning south Florida supporting a professional sports team.
I never brought up the Marlins. They have no major support anymore because of multiple reasons. And it’s easy to pull up a picture with zero context and tell me, the lifelong resident of Miami, not fucking Boca, and tell me how it is down here