Columbus Crew forward Alejandro Moreno, Seattle Sounders forward Sebastian LeToux and Chivas USA defender Shavar Thomas were among two of the ten players chosen by the Philadelphia Union in Wednesday's MLS Expansion Draft.
Here is the list:
Brad Knighton, David Myrie, Shavar Thomas, Jordan Harvey, Shea Salinas, Stefani Miglioranzi, Andrew Jacobsen, Nick Zimmerman, Alejandro Moreno, Sebastien LeToux
Surprising omissions? Amado Guevara was considered a good bet to be chosen, while Frankie Hejduk and Eddie Robinson were also considered good possibilities.
Sources also tell SBI that Philadelphia is in talks with Real Salt Lake about a trade for goalkeeper Chris Seitz. The Union could stick with Seitz and Knighton as its two goalkeepers if it deals for Seitz, but Philadelphia could deal Knighton back to New England.
What do you think of the list? Which is your favorite selection? Which player are you sad to see your team lose? Who are you surprised to see not picked?
Share your thoughts below.
They must have some big names in mind, cause they didnt spend any money.
wow, didnt see any of this coming. sad to lose our sebastian
boooo
not sure of moreno’s salary, but everyone else is very reasonably priced. they must have some bigger foreign signings planned.
Way to go Red Bull. We just gave away Zimmerman. A promising young player. You know, because we just had to protect Goldthwaite, Mendes and Wolyniec. This organization is a joke.
Sucks to lose Zimmerman. He showed real promise last year.
Best of luck Seba
Who’s David Myrie?
They swerved everyone by steering away from Philadelphia-area players.
C. you are dead on. Mendes over Zimmerman??? makes zero sense.
ahahahha seriously!
Zzzz. Average players at best.
Glad to see RSL did not lose Robby Russell.
We’ll miss LeToux
Agreed with the signings idea. Knighton isnt a starter in net for this team and theres good depth in this group but maybe a handful of starters. Surpised by the number of International slots used though, especially if we are making big name signings.
Costa Rican guy they just signed in September. Never saw the field, so I don’t really have any idea beyond that.
LeToux is hard to figure out. Great pace and work ethic, decent feel for positioning, terrible footwork and skills. Apparently he has been a defender in the past in France, he was a very effective striker in the USL, and he was OK as an outside midfielder in Seattle. The sad part is that he was the very first Sounder, signed from USL. He will be a good player for Philly. Seattle will be OK, especially that we get to keep Riley, King and Levesque.
I won’t miss Le Toux, that’s for certain.
LeToux isn’t exactly cheap at $100k, especially for a guy who was trying to fight his way off the bench at the end of the year. We’ll miss the hell out of him though. I hope Philly appreciate the class act they picked up.
AGOOS
sucks.
This is great for Crew fans! We get to keep our defenders and we lose that idiot Moreno who trusts his diving ability over his shooting ability!
Crap
Woly wasn’t protected.
still get to the jersey shore
Yes, Nick is the next Joe Vide.
At least he and his hair can get to the Jersey shore on the weekend.
I’m a bit shocked by that pick. Seba will be solid though.
Looks like Seattle will be looking for a #9.
How in the world did Houston get away without losing anyone?
Pretty conservative list in terms of spending… I feel Knighton may be part of a deal to get Seitz from RSL…
DAMN IT!!! As a quakes fan,I feel for you Red Bull fans. Just when i thought the quakes and Red Bulls FO could not pull a stupider move, they dont protect promising young players like Shea Salinas and Nick Zimmerman to protect old or those that just dont have obvious potential like Corrales and Goldwaithe
Shocked they didn’t go for more talent or at least potential talent. So far the team doesn’t look like they’ll be come out of the gates storming like Seattle…
Wow what a sh*tty a$$ team
who is “they”?
Philly, expect to win a lot of free kicks next year. It will be sad not to see Moreno in those bright golden Crew kits.
Fire
Chicago Fire
Couldn’t be happier that RSL didn’t lose Grabavoy or Robbie Russell. I will be very interested to see what is in the works on a deal for Seitz. I expected RSL to shop Seitz around a bit, but I just have a hard time seeing what the Union can give in return for him, (I suppose draft pick(s), allocation #, etc.).
Overall, I think the Union was wise with its selections. They followed the Sounders model in taking solid, young, (i.e. inexpensive) role players, and saved top dollar that they can now use in building their team under their system. The Union will be a great addition to the league…
Apparently we’re not allowed to have right footed mid feilders.
Alejandro Moreno?????? No Dynamo picked–Robinson, Chabala, Onstad….
Houston is definitely breathing easier.
Thanks for the years of service to the Crew, Alejandro. Good Luck!
I heard rumours about them trying to make a trade for Riley in Seattle….they better,because unless they have an owner from Thailand this squad doesn’t look like its going anywhere except for last (it will be a dogfight with NYRB) in the east.
why not Mayen?
From Soccer Insider blog: Union has apparently acquired goalkeeper Chris Seitz from RSL for allocation money and the promise not to select any of its players in the expansion draft.
David Myrie is a Costa Rican defender that was signed at the end of the season and Ives’ coach of the decade candidate Denis Hamlett did not feel he was good enough to even crack the 18.
Quakes losing Shea Salinas is a travesty. The FO will need to do some serious spin control on the decision to leave him unprotected. Salinas has all the attributes to be a high quality wing player in MLS. I am equally disappointed and disgusted that SJ let this happen.
Yeah, if I’m remembering correctly this looks more like San Jose’s expansion draft than Seattle’s. And I think you are right; they will probably come out a little more like San Jose than they will like Seattle (unless they have some big international signings coming).
I wish Philly could have drafted agoos
These players are very average, looks like they didn’t want to spend much money on some savvy veterans, like Robinson, Guevara, and Hejduk. Salinas, Zimmerman, and Moreno were the only solid picks and possibly Shavar Thomas can start at defense. Looks like Novak has some Foreign signings planned for Philly Phans!
Wasn’t Robbie Rogers available?? from the Crew
Looks like the Quakes gamble paid off and they kept Convey and Salinas. A bit surprised that Jacobsen was taken. He is ok, solid back up defensive mid with some promise. Don’t think that was predicted by most.
Just another in a long line of crappy player decisions….Frustrated beyond belief…
not really sure what they are trying to do here..use a lot of international roster spots, no local players, no recognizable team leaders, mostly cheap players; i hope they have some tricks/trades/signings to come..
They lost Salians
he was protected
they lost salinas….
too bad, i thought we were all past those days.. at least with expansion teams. but this only day one, still a few months to put together a team that will compete with the rest of the league.
Yeah, I too am shocked at the lack of quality Philly picked up. As of right now, this team doesn’t scare me at all.
I agree about Houston, but I am a Dynamo fan so happy about how it turned out
Count me in as another highly disappointed Quakes fan. Not protecting Salinas was really, really stupid.
Trade news, anyone?
These picks are sort of weird.
No Philly playas.
WOW. I did not have ANY of these guys on my list.
A great day indeed!!!
I feel that nobody here remembers that Seattle used literally 3 players from their expansion draft. Yeah, they were more active in player movement pre-draft, but the expansion draft is not the place to build your team. Seems like they missed some opportunities but you can’t write them off based on their expansion draft…
Glad the G’s didn’t lose Saunders.
I’m sure they will force him to take a pay cut.
I’m glad Le Toux is gone actually. It became clear fairly early in the season his limitations at the MLS level. He runs around a lot but really has no idea what to do with the ball when he gets it. Maybe a fresh start in Philly is what he needs.
Here here! I don’t get what people see in him. He looks lost out there sometimes.
good point, only Jaqua, Riley and Evans became big parts of their team while King, Vagenas and Wahl served secondary roles for Seattle. so i guess we can look forward to what they pull in over the next few months
Good lord folks–the expansion draft is not the core of your team! The last time a team looked “good” after the expansion draft was probably Real Salt Lake (who used the draft to get guys like Mathis, Pope and Kreis either by selection or trade) and folks gushed about how that team was ready to compete from day one!
Here’s the real insight on the expansion draft–it is not an effective tool (at least as presently configured) to make a team. Maybe there’s a gem or two out there, or a gamble or two worth taking (that player supposed to go to Europe who’s offer falls through). But mostly it’s about getting cheap, young talent who gives you depth. Philly evidently worked a deal with RSL to get Seitz. Seitz and Knighton is a combination of decent young GKs. I wouldn’t be surprised if they worked a deal with Houston. So Philly and Nowak end up getting a lot of depth, maybe 2 starters (from the combination of the two GKs, Moreno, Thomas) and preserved all of their cap. And they avoided locker room cancers (like Guevara) or players who have had reps of playing dumb at times (like Riley and Khano Smith). It’s obvious from this draft that rather than go out and choose “the best available player”, Philly has a plan.
Mock draft for MLS expansion teams.. not a specialty for IVES.. 1 out of 11 hahaha.
Since it is Thanksgiving tomorrow.. I want to thank Ives and his crew for this fantastic website!
Go Dynamo!!!!
(SBI-The point of mock drafts isn’t to get them right, it’s to spark conversation. Find me somebody whose list had more than half these names and I’ll nominate them for a GM position in MLS.
Happy Thanksgiving to you as well.)
meh losing Nick Zimmerman is hardly the end of the world… i’m just surprised NY wasn’t bypassed altogether
Got that right…..how is this team going to score any goals with Moreno flopping around on the ground all the time?
Am I right here in saying they acquired only about $650k in payroll based on last year’s numbers? There’s a TON of cap space remaining. Any clue on potential signings?
Good point to make to those of us here that are quick to critique the Union’s selections in the draft. Nowak isn’t an idiot, and this draft was a perfect way to collect your typical role players/backups.
In the mean time, I’m sure he’s been scouting players and mulling over potential signings for months now. He’ll find that impact player, certainly one that’s actually worth the types of salaries Convey, Hejduk, and Guevara make.
Although I have to say, even though I’m not a Union fan (yet), I’m disappointed Bobby Convey wasn’t selected (and surely I’m not the only one)! But what the hell, they did get Salinas and based on the comments of San Jose fans, he’s a talent, an inexpensive to boot.
I’m glad to hear Chris Seitz may finally be getting a chance. I remember seeing him in the U-20 world cup a few years back and he was a beast in between the pipes.
Why, they is the plain and fancy they, that’s who “they” is! Caught you, didn’t they? Tied a tin can to your tail. Led you in and waltzed you out again. Oh my what a bunch! Big tough ones, hunh? Here you are with a handful of holes, a thumb up your ass, and a big grin to pass the time of day with. They? Who the hell is “they”?
i have almost 100% confidence in Nowak, but these picks are too say the least very pathetic
they MUST be looking at some great international talents, b/c these ten definately cant do it….ale moreno is the highest profile here which is kind of funny when you had the likes of Convey, Robinson, Guevara, and Hejduk to choose from
Ive heard Myrie is a good talent, i thought miglioranzi was pretty good for LA this year, Le Toux was quite sloppy at times for Seattle but has decent skill, Harvey has great potential, Moreno is a veteran MLS striker, Zimmerman is one of the brightest US youngsters in the league in my opinion and funny enough could have been NY’s best player last year, Knighton is what i dont understand….he was decent when backing up Reis last season, but they have GOT to find a starting keeper, and again Jacobson is a good young talent as well, and Thomas is just some1 who i personally wouldnt pick, but i just have never big a big fan of his at all
why or how did SJ keep Salinas? if thats the case do they get to pick another or what? how did that happen?
And as far as Robbie Russle…SEITZ.
even if in the past teams havent used many from expansion, this is still a surprise seeing that there hasnt been much talk about players elsewhere besides this Roger Torres kid out of south america
i can only see them using Moreno, Thomas, and Miglioranzi out of the draft as starters if they expect to be successfull
Did not see this coming…thought only one of these guys would get picked up (Shavar Thomas), but then again, I didn’t crunch the numbers to see what salaries would be with the guys I would’ve taken.
Sad to see Moreno leave The Crew…he may have flopped at inopportune times on the field, but he was a class act who helped lead us to a championship in 08. At least the Sons of Ben have a guy with a ready-made song to sing to the tune of 7 Nation Army. Best of luck Ale.
And do we get to laugh at you for your lack of math skills? Only 10 players were selected, genius.
Damn. Riley’s still a Sounder.
He fustrated the hell out of me most of the year.
I was thinking they would pick Nyassi (has more upside than LeToux).
LeToux is a OK pick, good character, huge motor, his shot betrays him though.
Well, that certainly appears to be what Nowak did. The more I think about this draft, the more I like it. There’s some good young prospects in that group, he drafted for the long term.
Still, not taking any of Houston’s talented defenders is criminal…
Ives wrote: “Surprising omissions? Amado Guevara was considered a good bet to be chosen”
I saw Ives post that prediction several times; but I’m not sure it was a “good bet” with anyone else. Most journalists/pundits I saw on the matter seemed to think there was next to no chance Nowak would pick Guevara. He’s a locker room cancer on a big salary and everyone knows it — including Nowak. If Philly had picked him up, it would have been the Guevara/Chivas USA situation all over again, and why would Nowak want anything to do with that?
(SBI-And which journalists/pundits were those? Most lists I saw had Guevara on them, with the prevailing belief being that he’d be picked and traded.)
Le Toux is a perfect player to come off the bench, that is what the Sounders will miss. That being said there were others I am suprised that they didn’t take.
You’d be crazy to want Convey over Salinas. The only reason the Union would’ve chosen Convey is for his personal ties to Philly. Salinas is a better player.
why did Riley frustrate you? that was his best MLS season he has had thus far in his career, he is still developing, and he was very dependable last year making very little mistakes, while he showed good speed and tackling
if i was a sounders fan, i would be very happy!
Uhh… I’d really like to know the story behind this, because this is a really weak haul. Guevara and Robinson seemed like no-brainers. Seitz is a great pickup though, and I’m really sad to see Zimmerman go.
Good point Blake. I really can’t see more than 3 players being used from the ones they drafted. Lets wait until the draft to see what other players they can pick up from it as well as internationals.
He would back off wingers until they were deep in the box and got the cross off.
Good tackling only when Hurtado or Marshall came up to double team the wing.
I will admit he became more aggressive toward the end of the year.
David Myrie LOL!!!!!!
I guess we know where Denis Hamlett will end up next, as Nowak’s assistant.
Myrie was the defensive Tico Denis picked up during the last transfer window while we were suffering defensive injuries.
Denis signed David Myrie then announced that Myrie would play no role in our 2009 squad, that he was a project. GENIUS!!!!
Have fun in Philly Denis!
I think they did that just to spite you Ives. I don’t think they selected any of the players in either of your two predictions
I’m just bewildered at these picks. Aside from Shavar Thomas and Nick Zimmerman I wouldn’t have picked any of the other guys, even if it is for cheap role players.
Role players still have to actually play a part and pretty much to a man there was someone better equipped to do that at each position and/or at each club that lost a player, to do it….without necessarily breaking the bank of going for the biggest names. My opinion anyways…
They better start signing more players or they’re gonna suck
He better have some big names in mind considering has only three experience players. Most of these guys are rookies and sophomores.
The Quakes boards are lighting up with criticism of Frank Yallop and John Doyle over this one. The consensus is that they protected an average defender, Burling, and gave up Salinas, an up-and-coming attacking winger who had huge upside and a low salary.
It’s really, really, really hard to be a Quakes fan anymore.
Unless Seattle signs another RB then I don’t think it’s going to happen. Philly doesn’t have anything worth Riley.
So says the san jose fan, im sure.
Ives — you know what? You’re right. I’ve seen a lot of commentary downplaying Guevara on e.g. BS, user comments in various blogs like here, Goff’s, and so on; but looking around now, most professional journalists who offered opinions seemed to suggest it would happen. So far, Beau Dure’s the only journalist I’ve found who offered predictions and didn’t pick Guevara. My apologies.
And in fact, looking at what Beau Dure wrote, it’s not so much a set of predictions as analysis of likely outcomes for each team, with Toronto’s being “nobody.”
They eventually have to go after domestic players. I think they already used 4 international slots here, unless Thomas or Letoux has a green card. Perhaps we will see a Yank or two coming back from the lower level leagues abroad: Lee Nguyen, Clarence Goodson, Hunter Freeman, Jeremiah White, Benny Feilhaber (I wish) just to name a few. If MLS is going to be succesful, it has to retain this type of player.
this teem is going to suck
no way is feilhaber coming back….white was reportedly leaving denmark, goodson’s contract is up in december, and nguyen is a good possiblity
i dont know about freeman, but i wouldnt want him on philly
Thanks. I know Feilhaber is not coming back, not like he was ever here in the first place. It is a pipe dream lol.
Guys,
This was my prediction:
Hohlbein (KC)
E. Robinson (Hou.)
A. Wallace (Dal.)
Bellouchi (Crd.)
Zimmerman (nyrb)
Christian Gómez (DCU)
S. Nyassi (Sea.)
Amarikwa (SJ)
A. Moreno (Cmb.)
Heaps (NE)
I only got 2 right!
Woly wasn’t protected and I was hoping they would pick him too.
For the record, SBI got 2/10, not 1/11. And for the record, I appreciated the mock draft. I, too, was pretty surprised by the results.
On MLS opening day in 2010 the standing ovation at Qwest won’t be for your team Philly.. we will be showing our appreciation for Le2
Does anyone think Vincenzo Bernardo might be coming back to the states to play in the MLS. I heard news a while back but nothing lately so far. VB10
Color me intrigued. Methinks Nowak has plans
It’s mindboggling to me that Nowak didn’t take any of the following:
Iro
Convey
Nyassi
Saunders
Dunivant
Eskandarian
Grabavoy
Thompson
Sturgis
Igwe
All brilliant opportunities missed in my opinion, ESPECIALLY Iro.
i think Le Toux was terrible, with mere moments of decency. whenever they subbed Montero out, and Le Toux went in, i gulped and said -so much for any more goals this game-. glad to see him leave the Sounders.
No Schelotto, no moreno. Looks like Lenhart will be given the start. I hope they’ll sign someone else.