Soccer By Ives

2010 MLS Draft: A look back

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So what will the 2010 MLS Draft be remembered for?

Will it be remembered for the fans from Philadelphia, New York and Washington D.C. converging on the Philadelphia Convention Center? Or will it be remembered for the plethora of young talents who helped make this draft one of the most promising in recent years? Hopefully for Zach Schilawski (pictured), the draft won't be remembered for him forgetting which team he was drafted by.

The 2010 MLS Draft will definitely be remembered for Philadelphia's truly impressive haul, but it could also be remembered for the number of teams that passed on playmaker Corben Bone (much like the 2009 draft should be remembered for the number of teams that passed on Stefan Frei).

Here is a closer look at the draft, including some thoughts, projections, and great picks and terrible picks:

Your MLS Draft Questions Answered (Part 1)

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The 2010 MLS Draft will be remembered as the Philadelphia Union's first, and may be seen as the expansion's best draft for a long time.

Between Philly's impressive haul, Chicago's surprisingly strong class and the New York Red Bulls drafting of Tony "The Franchise" Tchani, these are just some of the stories to discuss coming out of the draft.

The first part of the MLS Draft Q&A features questions about players who slipped, which players should surprise and also who will wind up being the cream of the 2010 crop.

Now, onto your MLS Draft questions:

JEFF IN KC-Can you discuss the Jimmy Conrad trade talk. I know Peter Vermes said he wasn't shopping Conrad around, but do you think there's a chance Conrad gets traded?

It's Q&A Time (2010 MLS Draft Edition)

 

The 2010 MLS Draft is in the books and while it is easy to see which teams made out on draft day, I'm sure SBI readers have plenty of questions about the selections made on Thursday.

We will provide some in-depth analysis on the draft on Monday, but if you want some breakdowns on how teams did, you can check out my MLS Draft Grades piece on ESPN.com.

In the meantime, it feels like a good time for a draft-themed Q&A. Please submit your draft-related questions in the comments section below and I will post answers next week starting on Monday (though I might post some tonight). If you're wondering when the next regular Q&A will be, I will post one next week.

Wondering about your team's top pick? Still trying to figure out how a certain player didn't even get drafted? Think somebody made a big mistake? Send your draft questions our way.

Wake Forest talent factory produces again

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By AVI CREDITOR

PHILADELPHIA - Stepping up to the microphone and saying the words have become a regular part of Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber’s annual offseason duty.

"From Wake Forest University…"

With four more first-round selections – Ike Opara (third overall to San Jose), Zack Schilawski (ninth to New England), Corben Bone (13 to Chicago) and Austin Da Luz (14 overall to New York) – Wake Forest left yet another emphatic stamp on the MLS SuperDraft.

“We call it ‘The Franchise,’” said Opara, a member of this year’s Generation adidas class and considered by many pundits to be a franchise centerback. “We’ve produced so many players, it’s a joke with the guys. Coach Jay Vidovich creates a professional environment, and that’s why so many good players make the jump to MLS or Europe.”

The list is impressive. Including the four first-rounders this year, Wake Forest has had at least one player selected in the first round of every draft since 2005.

2010 MLS Draft Commentary

Welcome to the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The draft is just 15 minutes away and Don Garber is addressing the crowd.

Sorry about the late start, but some technical difficulties have forced a computer change. Excitement is building as the draft nears.

I'll be providing commentary below. Feel free to share your thoughts on during and after the draft in the comments section. Enjoy the draft.

2010 MLS Draft (Pre-Draft Commentary)

The day is finally here.

After months of trying to figure out which players MLS teams might want to draft, and weeks of trying to figure out who the top prospects are, the day has arrived when we will find out which top college and youth national team players will be heading to which teams.

The Philadelphia Union will select first in today's 2010 MLS Draft (2pm, ESPN2), but with the Union already coming to terms with Oregon State striker Danny Mwanga, the suspense over the first pick has already been erased.

There were multiple trades made on Wednesday evening, though only one has actually been officially reported. D.C. United dealt the No. 7 overall pick, midfielder Fred and an allocation to the Philadelphia Union in exchange for the top spot in the MLS Allocation Order, which D.C. used to acquire goalkeeper Troy Perkins.

What other trades have gone down? The New York Red Bulls have packaged picks No. 31 and 48 (not 34) to the New England Revolution for a player to be named later (well, a player who will be named once he is notified of the trade). I'll let you know who the player is as soon as possible. Feel free to speculate.

I will discuss other trade talk in the pre-draft commentary, along with thoughts on the DC-Philly trade, and various other tidbits. I will be writing the live commentary on the draft for ESPN.com so you can feel free to follow my take on the draft there. If you are an SBI die-hard who plans to spend your draft day here, Travis Clark will be providing live draft commentary from Philadelphia as well.

Let's get started:

SBI 2010 MLS Mock Draft (FINAL)

You've seen all of the mock drafts before. We have one more for you to see.

Here is the final 2010 MLS Mock Draft by SBI. It is two rounds long, and I may even add a third round at some point today, time permitting. I'm battling some flu-like symptoms and will be making the drive south shortly.

This Mock Draft's first round isn't quite an exact copy of the ESPN.com mock draft I did on Tuesday. This one has some changes toward the later end of the first round.

Here is my last 2010 MLS Mock Draft:

Your MLS Draft Questions Answered (Part One)

The 2010 MLS Draft takes place tomorrow and since I know SBI readers have tons of questions, I will try to answer as many of them as I can in the hours leading up to the draft.

I will be looking to post one more Two-Round Mock Draft and one final MLS Big Board later on today. For now, here is the first segment of Your MLS Draft Questions Answered (look for another segment in the late afternoon or evening):

AVERY-Ives, do you see any way that the Red Bulls could select either Tchani or Opara with the second choice and find a way to still get Duka by trading up?

Also, what are the trade rumblings that you mentioned before?

MLS Combine's Top Performers

By FRANCO PANIZO

The 2010 MLS Combine is history, but before it gets put to bed, we're going to look at the combine's top performers.

While several players impressed during the three days worth of matches in freezing Fort Lauderdale, FL., only a few can be labeled as the cream of the crop. Now this list is not a list of the most talented guys at the combine, nor is it a list of who will be selected first. This is simply just a list of the players with the best overall performances at the combine.

With that said, here are my top performers from the combine:

It's MLS Draft Q&A Time

With the MLS Combine in the books, it is time to start looking toward Thursday's 2010 MLS Draft.

In case you haven't seen them, here is my First Round Mock Draft for ESPN.com, as well as my list of players who had their stock rise or fall at the Combine. As far as the stock moving story, those were far from the only players to help or hurt their stock, but just a handful of each.

Since I know many of you have all sorts of questions about the draft, I figured it was as good a time as any to do a Q&A. Post your draft-related questions in the comments section below and I will answer as many of them as I can for Wednesday. I will also be posting a new two-round Mock Draft (maybe three rounds if time permits) as well as the final Big Board before the Draft. Both posts will appear on Wednesday.

Send your questions my way.

MLS Combine Day 3 Recap

 

By FRANCO PANIZO

The MLS Combine has come to a close, and the final day of action saw some of the lesser-known players raise their stock.

Both of the day's games ended 1-0, with defender Tennant McVea heading home the winner in F50i's match vs. Predator X, and a long-range blast from midfielder Eric Alexander proving to be the difference in Condivo's win over Jabulani.

Alexander and McVea ended their four-day stays in South Florida with solid performances, but they weren't the only ones. Midfielder Michael Stephens looked good, showing off some creativity with his nifty passing while also coming close to finding an equalizer by hitting the crossbar with a shot from distance.

2010 MLS Combine: Matchday Three (Live Commentary)

The last day of the 2010 MLS Combine is underway and this morning should help solidify draft places for many of the top spots in the draft.

I will be providing some live commentary (and sharing some of the good tidbits of info) throughout the morning (power supply permitting). Feel free to follow along, and as always, share your thoughts below.

Enjoy the action.

MLS Combine Day Two sees prospects improve

 

By FRANCO PANIZO

The second day of the MLS Combine is complete, and as expected, there were much better performances from a team and individual standpoint.

The weather conditions improved in Ft. Lauderdale and so did the level of play, with some of Day One's top performers continuing to impress.

Midfielder Tony Tchani continued to deliver the goods, as did defender Ike Opara, who only played the second half of Condivo's 2-1 victory over Predator X. F50i forward Teal Bunbury and Jabulani midfielder Drew Yates also enjoyed strong second day showings.

MLS Combine: Matchday Two

The second day of the 2010 MLS Combine is about to get underway and it's a MUCH better day weatherwise. Players are anxious to build on (or forget) day one, so today should offer better insight into the draft class.

I will be providing live commentary throughout the day so please feel free to follow along here. As always, you are welcome to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action:

FC Dallas could hold key to the 2010 MLS Draft

With the 2010 MLS Draft just days away it is becoming increasingly clear that FC Dallas will be one of the key controllers of the action at Saturday's draft.

FC Dallas currently holds the No. 5 and No. 6 picks in the draft, and with a roster that is already one of the youngest in MLS, Dallas is poised to be the target of teams interested in moving up in the draft.

The young roster doesn't mean FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman has to trade his picks, not in year with a strong and deep draft class.

"Half our team is below 23 and we've got six Generation adidas players and just graduated one in Anthony Wallace," Hyndman said. "We've got the 5 and 6 spots and looking out here (at the Combine) you can see there are some pretty good players so we may be able to pick up a Generation adidas player and the other would have to be a senior player."

MLS prospects eager for second day at Combine

By FRANCO PANIZO

The MLS Combine resumes today after a break in the action following a cold and rainy first day in Fort Lauderdale, and for some of the MLS draft prospects looking to impress, day two could not have come any sooner.

The first day of the combine displayed better soccer than most pundits have come to expect from day one, but for most of the MLS prospects, the games were difficult to play in for a myriad of reasons. Shaking off the cobwebs that come with being out of action for (at least) a month, as well as the miserable weather and the unfamiliarity with teammates, contributed to some rough first days on Saturday, and are reasons players are eagerly looking forward to the second round of games.

"I think now I kind of have an idea of every player, how they play, how the want the ball, so next game is definitely going to be better," said midfielder Dilly Duka, who had a quiet first-day performance. "We'll have a little more chemistry and connect more and hopefully we'll get by all that dirty, scrappy stuff."