Toronto would move up to #1 and of all things Seattle would take some allocation and move down to #4. Yup, that would mean Toronto would own the top two picks. After all the talk about Toronto shipping the second overall pick to the best buyer this deal sounds more reasonable for Toronto.

Apparently this is all stemming from a poor MLS Combine for a couple players that Seattle had in mind for the top pick. Mainly Steve Zakuani isn’t living up to his billing at the Combine so far. Sure Combine results are tough to tell anyways from year to year but they do hold weight with clubs.

Plus the idea of getting some extra allocation for the expansion club is a smart move I think. Moving down to number four won’t be a big swing in the quality of player they could draft. Not to mention there could still be a outside shot that Steve Zakuani would fall to that spot if they were there. Toronto would be at the top two and would probably take Stefan Frei and Sam Cronin with the top picks. Some believe they will take Cronin only to deal him to someone else. Which I could see them do it with Omar Gonzalez as well.

Honestly I like this deal for both clubs if it turns out to be true. Toronto gets better in possible in areas they need help with; Mo Johnston gets to play the trade game like always; and Seattle gets some solid allocation and a good prospect for Sigi Schmid.

What do you all make of this possible pick swap between these two sides? It could be a domino effect that could change a lot of things in this draft.

Some see Husidic as the top attacking midfielder in this draft. His size (at 6’1″) gives him a good advantage over a few others in this draft. Also to go along with this size, his speed is also seen as one of his better assets.

I see Husidic as a mid-first rounder that could move up the board if he continues to impress in some workouts. The need for an attacking midfielder in this draft will be interesting to watch for a few clubs.

Husidic joins a pretty strong Generation adidas class that already includes Maryland defenders Omar Gonzalez, Rodney Wallace and midfielder Jeremy Hall, Akron striker Steve Zakuani, Cal goalkeeper Stefan Frei and Indiana defender Kevin Alston. Some reports suggest other targets Peri Marosevic and Michael Stephens are close to signing and could end up doing so by sometime this week.

The defensive back was a first-team All-Big Ten honoree. He was a part of a stellar backline that produced 10 shutouts this year, including eight against top ranked opponents.

He has decent size and speed and will probably be a good fit with many of the clubs in the league.

More names on the way I am told…could see up to 15 names on the list but more than likely it will be around eight or nine.

To follow up on the other draft discussions click here and here. To view the full list of players that will be at the MLS Combine next month, click here.

Okay now that we’ve back tracked I’ve done more homework on some seniors to keep an eye out for (that’s why it has taken me a week or so to wrap this one up). As always, feel free to pipe in your own discussion on the matter below.

1. Brad Ring (Indiana) – Some regard him as the best defensive midfielder in the draft. I think he is right up there. After watching a little bit of his school play this year I do know that Ring (right) is very savvy in the middle. Plus I love his ability to get forward on free kicks and set pieces.

2. Chris Clements (Tulsa) – One thing about Tulsa this past year, without Clements they struggled, with him they were a very good team. He may be a lower round selection but don’t be shocked to see him rated pretty well in the defensive pool before the draft.

3. Darrius Barnes (Duke) – Another defender on the list that may not get a lot of pub but I think could be a valuable pick up for most clubs. He is the type that knows how to get forward a bunch when it is needed. He’s got some good speed, which will come in handy.

4. Evan Bush (Akron) – Here’s a keeper to watch out for. While I think there are three or four good ones in front of Bush you could see him sneak up there if he has a solid enough Combine. He held a ridiculous goals-against-average while at Akron. He may be a real sleeper in this draft for someone needing a keeper.

5. Graham Zusi (Maryland) – What’s funny is I almost previewed his before the College Cup last week but went against doing it on the last second. Boy was that a mistake as Zusi scored the Terps’ two goals in the Cup to give them another National title. I think his stock will continue to rise with a solid showing at the Combine next month too.

6. Jordan Seabrook (South Florida) – I said during his freshman year at USF that he’d be a MLSer one day and I’m still standing by that statement. Seabrook has good speed and the ability to really mess with defenders.

7. Matt Besler (Notre Dame) – A four year starter that I have some memories of (from his freshman and sophomere seasons). Could be a solid center back in the league if he develops right. Not a high pick but someone that could really provide depth.

8. Akeem Priestly (UCONN) – A guy with a great left leg. Something that plenty of clubs will want as he can cover the left side of the field was ease. But one thing that a lot of people like about Priestly and it’s one thing that I recall from seeing him was his runs that he would make. Very solid in that department.

9. Mike Grella (Duke) – A forward that knows how to score. I kind of see him in that Jason Kries mold. Just has a nose for scoring.

10. Kyle Patterson (Saint Louis) – A product of West Bromwich Albion FC in England. A very calm and cool guy in the middle of the park. Just reads the game very well from what I’ve been able to see in a couple games that I found online.

11. Calum Angus (Saint Louis) – Came over to Saint Louis with Patterson. Very solid defender that could sneak up a lot of draft boards. Reads the game extremely well.

12. Paul Gerstenberger (Boston College) – One of the better left footed defenders that I’ve seen in the college game in some time. Another one of those defenders that are very dangerous at getting forward on set pieces and corner kicks.

That’s it for now…I will return later on this week with another batch of players. It just takes time for me to watch the film that I can find on some of these kids since I don’t see them every weekend like some scouts do out there. But it is still interesting to find these kids and see exactly how they are in the game. If you have or know of any college guys that are worth being looked at just drop me a comment and I will do my best to give them a look for my next preview.

Hall and Gonzalez are the first of a group of players the league is expecting to sign. Many are expecting this draft to be very deep in talent (but don’t they always say that?).

Both guys should be potential first rounders in this year’s draft. But the combine and other workouts could change that outcome (anyone recall Eric Avila fall to the second round last year after being hyped as a top four pick?).

More players are expected to sign in the coming weeks.

Below are the players on the list he was able to uncover. Keep in mind this isn’t the official list but as Carrick puts it a good starting point.

• Stefan Frei – GK (California)
• Gale Agbossoumonde – D (US U17)
• Kevin Alston – D (Indiana)
• Omar Gonzalez – D (Maryland)
• Ike Opara – D (Wake Forest)
• Baggio Husidic – M (UIC)
• Michael Stephens – M (UCLA)
• Andre Akpan – F (Harvard)
• Cody Arnoux – F (Wake Forest)
• Daniel Cruz – F (UNLV)
• Jeremy Hall – F (Maryland)
• Peri Marosevic – F (Michigan)
• Steve Zakuani – F (Akron)

We won’t get an official list from the league until next month but I am willing to bet a good chunk of these guys will be on that official list from the league. We could still see some guys from the U17 roster join this group but for the most part not too many of them are making a buzz right now.

I hope to have more SuperDraft talk up here tomorrow.

Sam Cronin leads Wake Forest into the College Cup Final Four. (via Wake Forest)

With the College Cup this weekend here in Dallas I felt it was a good time to bring up the SuperDraft yet again and mention some players to watch out for this weekend. I’ve had a few emails over the last couple weeks asking me to continue on my SuperDraft talk that I started back at the beginning of last month. I wanted to wait until we were closer to the College Cup before I did and so here we are now.

Last month I mentioned a few players to keep an eye out for. Today its along the same lines but more for this weekend’s Cup, with a few others sprinkled in there that didn’t make it that far.

I pretty much feel like Wake Forest is in the driver’s seat for this weekend’s Cup. It’s theirs to lose at this point but don’t sleep on St. John’s, that’s the one club that could upset them in the final. Then again so could UNC or Maryland, two schools that know Wake better than anyone else that is left. Still, after watching Wake over the past few weeks, they look hungry as ever to finish the job and win the College Cup.

1. Marcus Tracy (Wake Forest): Some people have him very high on their draft boards, and after seeing a few clips of this speedster I can see why. He may be this year’s Patrick Nyarko, lots of pup before the draft but he won’t end up number one to Seattle. I still see him as one of the top strikers of the bunch for this year. He’s a very big part to Wake Forest and their dominate offense.

2. Yohance Marshall (South Florida): I know USF got dominated by Wake last weekend but Marshall is the type of guy a lot of MLS clubs would love to have on their team. He’s big and tough but I just wonder if he will take the jump and leave school early to go to MLS. I would imagine he would be a fairly high pick if he did leave. He has also played for Trinidad and Tobago’s U17 team.

3. Sam Cronin (Wake Forest): Cronin is the type of guy I would want on my club. He’s a shifty two-way midfielder that really controls the pace of the game well. I believe he still needs a strong showing at the MLS Combine to really be a high pick but he just looks like one of those typical late steals that New England always gets.

4. Chris Pontius (UC Santa Barbara): Remember all those UCSB guys that left to the league last year (Eric Avila, Ciaran O’Brien, and Brennan Tennelle)? Well Pontius was the lone start of the bunch that stayed behind and he has definitely taken advantage of the spotlight this year. Pontius has left his mark in the UCSB record books, notching 29 total goals in his career.

5. Lyle Adams (Wake Forest): There is a reason why there are so many Demon Decons on this list. Adams is just another cog in the wheel that is close to a national title this year. The four-year starter has been a big part of the team’s amazing run this year. Plus he is a defender that doesn’t mess around either. Look for him to be high on some draft boards next month.

6. Evan Brown (Wake Forest): Yeah, like I said there is a reason why I favor Wake to win it all this year. Brown is another defender on that amazing backline. He wants to go pro and more than likely he won’t be a high draft pick but he will be a valuable second rounder in my book. Apparently he would love to play for New England if he could.

7. Ryan Soroka (St. John’s): Along with teammate Nelson Becerra, the Red Storm are doing very well for themselves this year as they are in the national semi-final against Maryland. The junior forward may stay behind for another year at St. John’s but from what I’ve seen of him over the last couple years he would be fit enough to try his hand at MLS. Some out there believe he may even be good enough for a Generation adidas contract.

8. Neal Kitson (St. John’s): This redshirt-senior may be one of the few keepers in the pool for next year’s draft. Kitson has the size to be a decent keeper in the league and could get looked at for a late first-round or second or third round pick as long as he has a good Combine. Can’t argue with his production this year, going 19-2-2 with 15 shutouts and 86 saves.

9. Jeremy Hall (Maryland): Hall is a name that few are talking about but he has a decent enough history to suggest that he would be good enough on the MLS level. He’s spent plenty of time in the US residency program (since 2003). Should he come out this year he will more than likely grab a GA contract, I just can’t see a residency player not get one.

10. Zac MacMath (Maryland): Another young keeper (freshman) that could easily come out into the draft and get picked up. I still think he will stay in school for at least another year but keep an eye out for this kid as he has plenty of potential to be another solid US keeper.

11. Brian Shriver (UNC): The Tar Heel’s leading scorer and one of their best players overall. I fully expect this senior to be a good pickup for any MLS club, even as a late round pick. He along with a few other seniors have help lead this club to the national semi-final where they will play Wake Forest. Should Shriver help knock off the best team in the land his stock will rise considerably.

12. Michael Callahan (UNC): One of those UNC seniors that just know how to get the job done. Callahan doesn’t have the super stats to speak of but he is the work-horse of this club in the midfield. That kind of work ethic will get noticed by MLS clubs, especially if he has a good Combine.

The Crew are expected to send allocation money, a first-round draft pick and the rights to swap allocation slots to the Revs for the veteran striker.

A deal could be announced today, if not by the end of the week.

This is the deal that Columbus has been hunting for a while now and to me its a deal they need going forward as they are trying to catch up to New England in the standings. Usually you don’t see two clubs so close at the top of the standings work with one another on a trade like this but New England knew they didn’t want Noonan back and so a trade was going to happen. From what I’ve heard, the Crew were the most interested and appeared to give up enough in a trade for him.

What do you all make of this deal? Crew fans are you excited to get another striker?

If I missed any or got something incorrect please feel free to comment below and let me know.

UPDATE: Added a few more that I missed (thanks for the emails everyone!!)

Chicago Fire
Incoming:
Brian McBride via transfer from Fulham (England)
Marco Pablo Pappa via loan from Municipal (Guatemala)

Outgoing:
Chad Barrett via trade w/ Toronto for rights to B. McBride

Chivas USA
Incoming:
Carey Talley via trade w/ Salt Lake
Roberto Nurse via transfer from Querétaro (Mexico)
Chris Pozniak via trade w/ San Jose

Outgoing:
Brad Guzan via transfer to Aston Villa (England)
Dan Gargan (retired)
Chris Pozniak (waived)

Colorado Rapids
Incoming:
Preston Burpo via trade w/ San Jose
Greg Dalby via signing (previously with R. Charleroi S. C. of Belgium)
Bruno Guarda via weighted lottery

Outgoing:
Rafael Gomes (waived)
Kelly Gray via trade w/ San Jose
Jovan Kirovski via trade w/ San Jose
Bruno Guarda via trade w/ FC Dallas

Draft Picks/etc:
2009 SuperDraft second round pick (Dallas – Guarda trade)
2009 SuperDraft third round pick (Dallas – Guarda trade)
Allocation via Dallas (Guarda Trade)

Columbus Crew:
Incoming:
Cory Elenio (unattached)

Outgoing:
Nico Hernandez (waived)
Guilherme So (waived)

Draft Picks/etc:
2009 1st round Supplemental pick (trade w/Dallas for international slot)

FC Dallas:
Incoming:
Spencer Wadsworth (unattached)
Bruno Guarda via trade w/ Colorado Rapids

Out:
Abdus Ibrahim via trade w/Toronto
Arturo Alvarez via trade w/San Jose

Draft Picks/etc:
1st or 2nd round pick in 2010 draft (from Toronto in A. Ibrahim trade)
International Slot (trade w/Columbus)
International Slot (trade w/KC)
2009 SuperDraft first round pick (Alvarez trade w/ San Jose)
Allocation $ (Alvarez trade w/ San Jose)

DC United:
Incoming:
Craig Thompson (unattached)
Joe Vide (previously w/ San Jose)

Outgoing:
Jose Carvallo (waived)
Jeff Curtin (retired)
Franco Niell (waived)

Houston Dynamo:
Incoming:
Guy-Roland Kpene (previously w/ DC)
Nate Jaqua transfer from SCR Altach (Austria)
Kei Kamara via trade w/ San Jose

Outgoing:
Franco Caraccio (waived)

Kansas City
Incoming:
Kevin Souter (unattached)
Nelson Pizarro (unattached)
Josh Wolff via transfer from 1860 Munich (Germany)

Outgoing:
Eloy Columbano (waived)
Scott Sealy via trade w/ San Jose

Draft Picks/etc:
Allocation $ (from SJ in Scott Sealy trade)
2009 4th round SuperDraft pick (trade w/Dallas for international slot)

Los Angeles Galaxy:
Incoming:
Eduardo Dominguez via transfer from Huracan (Argentina)

Out:
Abel Xavier (waived)

New England Revolution:
Incoming:
Brandon Manzonelli (unattached)
Pat Phelan via trade w/ Toronto
Chris Tierney (unattached)

Out:
Matthew Britner (waived)
Chase Hilgenbrinck (retired)
Spencer Wadsworth (waived)
Brad Knighton via loan to Portland Timbers (USA)
Argenis Fernandez via loan to LD Alejuelense (Costa Rica)

New York Red Bulls:
Incoming:
Andrew Boyens (previously w/ Toronto)
Gordon Kljestan (unattached)
Diego Jimenez via transfer from UAG Tecos (Mexico)
Juan Pietravallo via transfer from Veria (Argentina)
Jorge Rojas via transfer from UA Maracaibo (Venezuela)
Gabriel Cichero via loan from Deportivo Italia (Columbia)

Outgoing:
Kevin Mesa (waived)
Ricky Schramm (waived)
Jozy Altidore via transfer to Villareal (Spain)
Claudio Reyna (retired)

Real Salt Lake:
In:
Robbie Russell via transfer from Viborg (Denmark)

Out:
Matias Cordoba (waived)
Carey Talley via trade w/Chivas USA
Nik Besagno via loan to Seattle Sounders (USA)

Draft Picks/etc:
2nd round SuperDraft Pick in 2010 or 2011 (from Chivas USA in C. Talley trade)

San Jose Earthquakes:
Incoming:
Peguero Jean-Philippe via loan from Brondby IF (Denmark)
Dan Benton (unattached)
Kelly Gray via trade w/Colorado
Darren Huckerby via transfer from Norwich City (England)
Jovan Kirovski via trade w/Colorado
Francisco Lima via transfer from Brescia (Italy)
Amir Lowery (unattached)
Scott Sealy via trade w/Kansas City
Arturo Alvarez via trade w/Dallas

Outgoing:
Dan Benton (waived)
Chris Pozniak via trade w/ Chivas USA
Preston Burpo via trade w/Colorado
Greg Curry (waived)
Adam Sloustcher (waived)
Joe Vide (waived)

Draft Picks/etc:
1st round pick in 2009 SuperDraft (from Houston in K. Kamara trade)
Allocation $ (from Houston in K. Kamara trade)

Toronto FC:
Incoming:
Laurent Robert via transfer from Derby County (England)
Rohan Ricketts via transfer from Barnsley (England)
Amado Guevara via transfer from Motagua (Honduras)
Olivier Tébily via transfer from Birmingham City (England)
Chad Barrett via trade w/Chicago
Abdus Ibrahim via trade w/Dallas
Tyler Hemming (unattached)

Outgoing:
Andrea Lombardo (waived)
Pat Phelan via trade w/New England

Draft Picks/etc:
International Slot (from NE in P. Phelan trade)
1st round pick in 2009 SuperDraft (from Chicago in B. McBride trade)
Allocation $ (from Chicago in B. McBride trade)