The MLS Superdraft will be at 9 AM on Thursday morning. The annual draft allows MLS teams to draft young talent from US universities. For the second year some international players were invited to the just concluded MLS Combine. The Galaxy hold the 19th selection in the draft, the last pick in the first round as well as the 38th selection. So before the Galaxy actually begin drafting we will take a look at some potential holes on the roster and who they might select to fill the holes.
Forward
The Galaxy may look to add another forward to the team as Chad Barrett is coming off an injury and Robbie Keane will miss part of the summer while he is at the European Championships with the Irish National Team. Adam Cristman and Jack McBean are the only other forwards on the roster. Miguel Lopez has left the club. They may look for a speedy forward, but this is not a primary need, because while they may have absences throughout the season, Mike Magee, Landon Donovan, and Paolo Cardozo can all move to the front line if necessary. They might look to get McBean more time throughout the season, as he trained with the team last year but only played in friendlies and one regular season game.
Midfield
The Galaxy have three definite starters assuming David Beckham eventually signs a contract to rejoin the team. Beckham, Donovan, and Magee will be starting, but the fourth starter could be a number of people. Chris Birchall has not signed a contract yet, the Galaxy have offered him one, but he is weighing his options. Newly signed Brazillian, Marcelo Fazzio Sarvas could be an option as could Michael Stephens who has impressed in the training camps he has been participating in with the US U-23 National Team. They also have Daniel Keat and Dustin McCarty who they drafted last season. They could look for a defensive midfielder type who they could pair with Beckham or a playmaker to eventually replace Beckham.
Defense
They will return three starters from last season’s lockdown defense in Sean Franklin, AJ De La Garza, and Todd Dunivant. However, Omar Gonzalez’s ACL tear in training with Bundesliga club FC Nurnberg could leave a big hole. The Galaxy drafted Ryan Thomas last season and have Frankie Hejduk to backup Franklin. They could maybe use a developmental right back prospect, but Gonzalez’s injury leaves a big hole in the center of defense. Gregg Berhalter retired and they have not signed Andrew Boyens, who they drafted in the MLS Re-entry draft. Before Omar’s injury they may have been looking for a developmental center back who could start next season should Omar elect to leave when his contract expired. However, with the injury this could be a first round need.
Goalkeeper
The Galaxy have Josh Saunders as one of the best starters in the league. They signed Nick Noble to compete with Brian Perk for the backup keeper spot. Noble is 27 and Brian Perk is 22 so it is unlikely they will select a keeper even as a developmental prospect.
Potential 1st round picks
Austin Berry, Central Defender, Louisville- a 6’2” defender who is not the quickest but is an intelligent player and is very strong in the air
Tommy Meyer, Central Defender, Indiana- Meyer is a good distributor from the back. He is a very smart player, but is still strong in the air as his 6’2” frame would suggest
Aaron Maund, Central Defender, Notre Dame- Maund is an extremely athletic central defender who has seen his stock slip of late due to questions about his ability on the ball.
Andy Rose, Defensive Midfielder, UCLA- A defensive midfielder who can play some center back. He went to UCLA with Michael Stephens, Sean Alvarado, and Brian Perk so he knows numerous players on the Galaxy already. He generally plays as a defensive midfielder sitting in front of the back four where the Englishman can attack the ball.
Kirk Uso, Defensive Midfielder, UNC- Similar to Rose he likes to play a typical defensive midfield position that sits in front of the defenders. Both are fairly even in most draft boards, but expect Bruce Arena to take Andy Rose ahead of Uso if both are still on the board when the Galaxy pick.
Colin Rolfe, Forward, Louisville- Rolfe is an experienced attacker who has a knack for finding the goal. He has good speed, but has been surpassed by other prospects in some evaluator’s eyes. This could allow him to fall into the second round.
The MLS Superdraft can be very unpredicitable at times as teams make trades throughout the day. Sometimes players inexplicably fall, and some if not all these players could be selected before the Galaxy pick. The Galaxy have fairly good depth, and Bruce Arena is good about finding international talent. The Galaxy’s pick falls late in the draft, so while they do have needs along the back line, and midfield, expect Arena to either make a trade to get someone he really likes in the draft or to sit back and take the best player available. If he goes the best player available route the players listed above could all be options, or he could look for a playmaker like Luis Silva or Arthur Ivo. Center Back may be the only position where a draft pick could reasonably expect to start for the defending champs. A pick at another position would probably see time similar to Paolo Cardozo this past season. Where he works into the rotation, and comes on later in the season. Even a talented Defensive midfielder like Rose or Uso would have to beat out Michael Stephens, who was very impressive his rookie season, or Daniel Keat who showed flashes of great play last season.
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