Time for the forth installment of the WVH Mock Draft. As the MLS Combine is set to kickoff this today in Florida I am extending my Mock Draft to the second round.

Recently I was asked to do a second round selection for an aggregated mock draft over at American Soccer News for the new Philadelphia Union part of the ASN site. You can see more about that here. Just as it was mentioned on Philly ASN my picks weren’t definite at the time but some were pretty darn close.

Other than adding another round to this adventure there won’t be too many changes in the top 10 or so from the last mock draft. Below is the forth edition of the WVH Mock Draft. Feel free to leave you comments below. Continue Reading…

Happy New Year’s Eve everyone! Only two weeks left until the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. A little time has passed since the last Mock Draft but a lot has changed in terms of Generation adidas signings which will cause some changes at the top of the order. I’ve also had a chance to speak with a few folks around the league about their club’s selections which has helped change a couple things here and there as well.

There are a few things that still aren’t clear because of a couple club’s coaching situations. Both New York and Chicago are still a bit dicy in where they could go right now in this draft. Some don’t agree with what I’ve said about New York taking Dilly Duka with their first pick considering how much help they really need right now. I’m still standing by that pick until someone with the club gives me a better reason not to predict it here.

Anyways, below is the third edition of the WVH Mock Draft. Feel free to leave you comments below.

2010 WVH Mock Draft

(* = underclassmen)
(! = Generation adidas signing)

1. Philadelphia Union – Danny Mwanga*!, F, Oregon State

In my first mock draft I didn’t have enough together on this kid but the more I read into, watched film of him and talked with folks around the league the clearer it became, this kid is special. So special that its been reported that he has signed the highest GA contract that the league has ever given out. Now that’s not be the full reason why I am jumping him to the top spot. No, folks in Philly have told me Peter Nowak and company are very high on him and are wanting to take him first overall right now. Continue Reading…

I know version 1.0 was released just last week but a lot has changed since then in terms of players signing with the league and some not signing with the league. With the recent news of a few Generation adidas signings plus a few other rumors out there about other potential signings things needed to be reflected here.

There are changes at the top too. I had said before that I wasn’t totally sold on Philadelphia taking Ike Opara as the top pick and today that change is reflected because of it. I do believe he is still the best player but their needs aren’t in defense right now. It is possible that someone could trade up to that number one spot (maybe Toronto) too.

A lot of things also rest on what New York actually does with their pick at number two. Some believe they won’t take Dilly Duka while some folks like myself can’t see anything but that happening.

Anyways, below is the second edition of the WVH Mock Draft. Feel free to leave you comments below. Continue Reading…

Is Wake Forest's Ike Opara (far left) going to be the top pick?

We’re about a month out of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft and the draft coverage here on WVHooligan continues to heat up. This will be the first of a few mock drafts that I will conduct over the next few weeks leading up to the draft.

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.

2010 WVH Mock Draft

(* = underclassmen)

1. Philadelphia Union – Ike Opara*, D, Wake Forest

Part of me thinks Philly won’t go for Opara if he comes out but seeing how he is arguably the best player (potentially) in this draft class it’s hard not to take him with the first pick. I still think we could see him slide to number three with San Jose though and Union take someone that would fill a need in their midfield like Opara’s teammate Corbon Bone. Just a hunch but for now I’ll stick with Opara at the top spot. Continue Reading…

Time for the final mock draft before tomorrow afternoon’s 2009 MLS SuperDraft. I had meant to do more mock drafts but really I didn’t see enough reason to do it with the reports that came out of the MLS Combine. Some movement happened in my mind after reading about a few players but others seemed to stay the same for me.

A lot of this could change with trades that will happen tomorrow but until then I think this is good enough for now.

1. Seattle Sounders FC: Steve Zakuani (Akron)

He may not be too high on Sigi Schmid’s list right now but if no one makes a good enough deal with the Sounders I see them still taking Zakuani. He has the most upside of any striker on the board. Continue Reading…

Maryland's Omar Gonzalez is a hot prospect for a few clubs.

This may be the first of a couple mock drafts that lead up to next week’s MLS SuperDraft. Of course I will only be working with the first round for this mock draft as the second through forth round order hasn’t been officially announced yet.

A lot could easily change too as some players mentioned are on the fences about going to the draft this year or waiting until next year.

Also there are expected to be a slew of trades between now and next week. While no one is expected as of right now to move up and pull a Kansas City to trade into the top spot this year, I do see plenty of teams looking to package deals to move up to the second overall pick.

Reports right now suggest that New England, Dallas, LA, and DC all have interest in trading up to that second overall pick. From what I am hearing we could see a deal done as soon as the end of this week. Also, with the amount of picks that some clubs have expect them to send them off as some others will be looking extra picks.

Lastly, we will know a lot more after the MLS Combine too which begins at the end of this week. Usually the Combine is a great trading ground for clubs. You can expect to see a few deals worked out at this year Combine for sure.

We are still waiting on a few guys to declare or not to declare for the draft right now too. Guys like UNC’s Sheldon Williams have been quiet about their potential professional outlook. Some guys like Wake Forest’s Ike Opera are staying in school for now, a move that could really benefit them next year.

Anyways, on to the Mock Draft number one. Continue Reading…