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.

I am a big fan of the college draft in MLS, even though I do believe it isn’t producing nearly the amount of talent that the league needs to grow anymore and that I can see the academy system in MLS eventually end the need for a four round draft and Supplemental draft.

I will be the first to admit I don’t see everyone out there in the college landscape like I use to when I was actually in college and was traveling with a team during their runs in the NCAA tournaments. But I will provide my thoughts on a few players right now that I have kept tabs on that I believe will be solid picks in this year’s draft.

If you want real solid information on nearly every player in the country. Wait for Buzz Carrick’s previews on ESPN (assuming he writes for them again this year about it) or head over to 3rdDegree for his Generation adidas tracker. Also, one of my person favorites is the From College To Pros Blog. They always have solid information on everything SuperDraft related.

Now on to the show, I have ten players I want to discuss today. Some will probably be in line for those Generation adidas contracts come January and a couple others may just be safe bets in the draft. Most of you know I enjoy talking about a good defender more than anything, so I apologize if this list is too defensive for you. That’s just the way this draft will probably be anyways though folks. Teams want defense this year and they will look to the draft for it.

1. O’Brian White (UCONN) – Being from a Big East school I got to see plenty of UCONN over the years. White had a solid season a year ago, his production isn’t as good in his senior year but expect him to be fairly high on some draft boards due to his work ethic. The 2007 Hermann Trophy winner should be at least a second rounder on most draft boards.
2. Omar Gonzalez (Maryland) – I fully expect him to get a GA contract if he does go pro. The kid if you haven’t seen him is an absolute beast. Standing tall at 6’3 and 200 pounds, he will be a force on any backline. Most MLS clubs have seen what a tall, physical backline will do after seeing how Columbus did this year, Gonzalez would surely help bring the same kind of physical play to any club that takes him.
3. Jonathan Villanueva (UVA) – Villanueva seems like the typical Steve Nicol kind of pick to me. ACC boy with loads of talent and plenty of room for improvement on the pro level. According to Carrick he was on the 07 GA list for MLS. Will this be the year he gets a GA contract and goes pro? More than likely.
4. Nelson Becerra (St. John’s) – The Red Storm are enjoying a very good season this year, mostly due to Becerra. He’s a controlling type of player in the middle of the park, best of all he isn’t afraid to shoot from anywhere on the pitch. The junior could see the Red Bulls come calling in January if he continues to lead St. John’s in the NCAA tournament.
5. Alejandro Bedoya (Boston College) – FCTP gave me the heads up on this senior a while back. He may not be a high selection (unless his draft camp is strong enough) but do expect some people to have Bedoya on their boards come January. He’s a solid playmaker in the middle and could be someone that would add some much needed depth to a club like LA or San Jose in the middle of the park.
6. Ike Opara (Wake Forest) -Buzz has him on his GA watchlist. I’m talking about him because of his defense. Believe me he is another one of those defenders that could make a real difference after a while. Still young and a bit raw, Opara is one of those kids that can play real physical when needed.
7. Ofori Sarkodie (Indiana) – This kid wanted to go pro before he went to college. I think he will finally go now once he is done with his junior season at Indiana.
8. Sheanon Williams (UNC) -Another young defender. I thought for a while that he would stay at UNC for a couple years since he didn’t go pro last year but after watching some of his games this year I think he is good enough to go this year if he decides to. The US U-20 player has plenty of options as he did have some pro trials in Europe last year as well. I think he will end up in the draft though as a GA this year.
9. Zack Simmons (UMass) – A lot of people had him as their preseason all-american or all-whatever in the keeper department. The keeper list won’t be huge for this draft but Simmons should be fairly high up on the list.
10. Andre Akpan (Harvard) -A lot of people, including Buzz, wonder if the league can get Akpan to sign a GA contract and enter the league. Some feel that once he is done with his senior year at Harvard he will hang it up all together but some in the league think they can get him to sign. If they do they will be getting a very smart forward.

I know there are plenty more players to talk about. Those were ten that were on my mind at the start of the college season earlier this year. I will update this list more as we get closer to the SuperDraft. If you got a player that you think will be going pro, comment below about him.