WVH Mock SuperDraft 1.0

Yes it is that time of the year again. The MLS SuperDraft is less than a month away so I feel its the perfect time to roll out the ol’ mock draft machine and get it up and running again. I imagine the SuperDraft coverage on here should pick up even more in the coming weeks leading up to the draft on January 13th.

Now a lot can and will change between now and then between the order of teams picking, players coming out of college or staying, or guys heading to Europe instead of MLS. I know the Generation adidas class hasn’t been announced but its worth taking a stab at things. Also keep in mind that some players are underclassmen and they may not come out for the draft. But I will do my best to keep you all updated on that news as it comes out.

(Note: later versions should include two rounds but for today’s purposes I’ll only being doing round one)

2011 WVH Mock Draft

(* = underclassmen)

1. Vancouver Whitecaps – Darlington Nagbe*, F, Akron

Nagbe is regarded as one of the top prospects for this draft. Vancouver needs offense based on the roster they’ve built so far to date. If he is truly better than Steve Zakuani and Teal Bunbury then Whitecap fans should be in for a real treat with this kid.

2. Portland Timbers – Omar Salgado, F, Generation adidas

I have a feeling he goes in the top five, Portland right now makes the most sense to me as they’ve seen him enough. He’s a project for the next year or so but he has the talent to be a real ball buster in his first year.

3. D.C. United – Darren Mattocks*, F, Akron

Should he come out I think he’ll go top five with D.C. being a nice spot for him to land. I know they’ve picked up a couple forwards in the Re-Entry draft but he could be a good fit to push them on day one. Landing Ethan White to a Home Grown contract earlier this week makes this pick more seem to be more offensive than defensive.

4. Chivas USA – Zac MacMath*, GK, Maryland

Chivas has to be the hardest team to figure out at this point. With so many moves in their front office recently we don’t know the true direction of this club yet. MacMath is the best keeper in the draft pool if he sign with MLS. I have a hunch he’ll go to Europe but should he stay Chivas will easily be one of the better landing points for him. They could easily go defensive with someone like Valentin or Sarkodi too.

5. Philadelphia Union – Kofi Sarkodie*, D, Akron

The Union are also an interesting team to figure out at this point. I think beefing their defense up has to be a top priority. I also go this direction due to the fact that they’ll likely end up with Penn State’s Corey Hertzog as an academy signing before the draft.

6. New England Revolution – Perry Kitchen*, M, Akron

Should he turn pro he’ll be very hard to pass up for someone like New England. They need defensive cover in the midfield and I can see Steve Nicol loving this kind of selection. Kitchen could easily go as high as number two in this draft but I see him slipping here if he does go pro, which isn’t a sure bet as of today.

7. Houston Dynamo – Zarek Valentin*, D, Akron

I think we could easily flip Sarkodie and Valentin here, either one fits. Valentin can play both outside and in the center of the defense.

8. Vancouver Whitecaps (via Toronto) – Will Bruin*, F, Indiana

I know drafting two strikers in the first round sounds odd but based on what they have right now and what they’ve had in their winter camp getting two strikers early doesn’t seem so far fetched to me.

9. Chicago Fire – Dillon Powers*, M, Notre Dame

This is on the assumption Powers does come out and go pro. A lot of speculation suggest he won’t but should he I can’t see him not being a top 10 pick. The Fire would have trouble passing him up I’d imagine though they could easily go defensive with someone like A.J. Soares from Cal.

(Note: this pick could end up being Seattle’s if Chicago re-signs Freddie Ljungberg before the draft)

10. Sporting Kansas City – A. J. Soares, D, California

Some think he could be the 2011 Tim Ream, so I’d imagine someone will bite early. KC could be that team as they’ve got some work to do defensively now that Jimmy Conrad is gone.

11. Seattle Sounders FC – David Bingham*, GK, California

Should Bingham come out, which I think he definitely will if MacMath passes on MLS, he could end up here. Seattle may have better needs at this point than a keeper but with Kasey Keller playing one more year it would be a good time to groom a young keeper like Bingham who is very talented.

12. Columbus Crew – Anthony Ampaipitakwong

Columbus has basically dropped half of their midfield from last year so stocking back up through the draft seems like a smart way to fill those holes. Ampaipitakwong could move up the boards before this but if he falls here I can’t see the Crew passing up a chance to take a guy that could be a real leader for them.

13. New York Red Bulls – Michael Farfan, M, UNC

I’ve been a big supporter of Farfan the last couple years and hopefully he’s able to land in the first round. A strong Combine will only help that out. New York had some needs in their midfield and grabbing the best senior attacking midfielder is a move worth making.

14. Real Salt Lake – Casey Townsend*, F, Maryland

I think one of the few needs for RSL this winter is adding depth up top with Alvaro Saborio. Should Townsend be in the draft he’d be one solid pickup offensively for Jason Kreis.

15. San Jose Earthquakes – Justin Meram, F, Michigan

This guy really came alive during the NCAA Tournament for some folks. I gotta think he’ll land in the first round and San Jose seems like a decent fit right now as they need to surround Chris Wondolowski with some help up top in 2011.

16. LA Galaxy – Michael Tetteh*, D, UCSB

No secret the Galaxy are going to be praying to get a GA player in this draft even at number 16. Tetteh is a GA target of the league and I like the fit here with Bruce Arena. They need depth in the back and Tetteh could be a very solid fit on the left side for them.

17. FC Dallas – Jason Herrick, F, Maryland

With Jeff Cunningham out the door and the unknown status of whether or not they’ll keep Milton Rodriguez next year I think Dallas has to go on the offensive here in this draft and grab one of the best finishers in the pool.

18. Colorado Rapids – Jalil Anibaba, D, UNC

A big defender that would add solid depth to an already strong defense. He’s dominate in the air which would be a good fit for a club that does well on set pieces.

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Again, a lot can change between now and next month. Once the GA class is fully announced we’ll have a much better idea of things. Plus I based this off of both Philadelphia signing Corey Hertzog to a Home Grown contract and New York signing Matt Kassell to one. Should either of those signings fall through then this draft will change to accommodate them.

I know Akron dominated the top portion of my mock draft and I think it will continue to do so until some guys opt to stay in school. The talent at that school is so deep that they could very well make up a large portion of the first round this year.