The draft is over and preseason training is just around the corner.  This would be a good time to take a look at the Rapids roster situation.  Coach Smith has only been with the Rapids since February 2008, and has only been the head coach since July 2008. Although we don’t know too much about Smith right now, he has given us some clues as to the team he hopes to build.

Formation and Direction:

It is obvious that he prefers the 4-4-2 and is willing to go with a more defensive posture.  Smith believes in attacking football even though he implemented a defensive approach when he took over for Clavijo. His lineup choices and draft picks show a preference for fast workmanlike players.  He also has faith in youth, starting players such as Harvey, Kimura, and LaBrocca regularly.  Smith has conceded though, that the roster restrictions will make it difficult for young players this year.  He sees the elimination of the Reserve League as the first step backwards MLS has taken.

Goalkeepers: Preston Burpo, Matt Pickens, Justin Hughes, Steward Ceus, Mike Gracyzk

Smith only wants to keep two goalkeepers on the roster. With Bouna out of the picture the top two candidates are Burpo and Pickens.  Because of Burpo’s age (37) Smith might have to keep a 3^rd keeper or sacrifice Burpo for youth. Ceus, Hughs, and Gracyzk should be competing for the backup spot.

Defenders: Jordan Harvey, Jose Burciaga, Facundo Erpen, Kosuke Kimura, Ugu Ihemelu, Cory Gibbs, Stephen Keel, Ty Harden, Michael Holody, Henry Kalungi

Smith is also looking for full backs to push Harvey and Kimura.  Jose Burciaga, Jr. won’t be one of those players.  Injuries and a lack of confidence have pushed him out of the lineup and possibly out of Denver.  Draftee Henry Kalungi out of Winthrop will be one of the players challenging for a full back spot

Ugo and Gibbs are his first choice in the middle of the defense.  Facundo Erpen looks to have gotten a lifeline with Petke’s departure and should be a backup for those two.  Stephen Keel also looks like a capable option in the back.  If Ty Harden actually shows up, Draftee Michael Holody might not to make it out of training camp.  Holody will likely need to convert to fullback, but his lack of pace will make that difficult.

Midfield: Colin Clarke, Terry Cooke, Pablo Mastroeni, Nick De Labrocca, Christian Gomez, Mehdi Ballouchy, Ciaran O’brien, Nico Colaluca, John DiRaimondo, Greg Dalby, Cesar Zambrano, Kwame Sarkodie, Brian Grazer

The midfield doesn’t need too much tinkering.  Colin Clarke is a sure starter on the left but the right side is still questionable.  Cooke was benched later in the season for the preferred Ballouchy, who is more comfortable playing centrally.

The middle of the pitch isn’t as big of a mystery. Resigning Mastroeni will provide a veteran presence in the middle.  Ballouchy and LaBrocca will probably battle it out to start next to him.  Christian Gomez is the questionable player in the middle.  At his best, the former MLS MVP is a sure starter.  He was benched by Smith during the last 3^rd of the season and isn’t happy about it.  If Gomez stays, Smith has stated that he wants to integrate him into the system.

Forwards: Omar Cummings, Conor Casey, Jacob Peterson, Tom McManus, Jordan Seabrook, Schunk, Pomboe

Smith wants 4 forwards and there are 7 on the roster.  Conor Casey and Omar Cummings look to have a secured spot.  Tom McManus should be the third and that only leaves one spot.  Peterson seems to have found a home as a wide mid with the occasional minutes up top.  His versatility should save him from the cut. That leaves Schunk, Pomboe, and Seabrook fighting for that last spot.  Seabrook and Pomboe could be converted to wide mids and Schunk’s size will make him an ideal back up for Conor Casey.

Who will make the final roster?:

I’m not even going to take a shot at the final 24 because there are still a ton of moves to be made.  Here is a list of the players that are almost guaranteed to be back: Mastroeni, Perkins, Conor Casey, Colin Clark, Ugo Ihemelu, Cory Gibbs, and Nick LaBrocca.  I would be pretty surprised if they let any of these guys go.  Nico Colaluca and Ciaran O’brian are both Generation Adidas players and should be around due to their contracts.

Gomez wants out, but his salary and age make him a tough sell.  Burciaga is as good as gone.  Peterson, Harvey, Ballouchy, Kimura, Keel, and Dalby could be good trade bait.  Players such as McManus and Cooke take up a lot of salary space and might be offloaded to bring in other international signings. The odds of any of the draftees making the final roster are slim.  Pomboe looks like a good prospect and Seabrook has the speed to the play the pro game.  Ceus might lose out because of the numbers and Schunk, Kalungi, and Holody might not be good enough.

So the madness is finally over and we can all go back to our regular lives . . . well at least that is how I feel.  The draft is always fun because you get to see some kid’s dreams come true.  Some of these players I’ve been following since they were with the U17′s and it is nice to see them rise through the ranks.  You never really know what you are going to get with draft picks.  For most of these players the next few months will be a rude awakening and most will not make the cut, but that is the life of a pro athlete.  It should be exciting.

Here is how the Green Army did with its mockdraft guesses.  I only did the first 2 rounds.

On the money:

The Green Army got 10 out 15 first rounders correct, with 2 exactly right.  Nineteen of the first 30 picks were for players that played in the position that I thought the team would want. For example, I knew LA would take a defender third, but I predicted that defender to be Alston not Omar Gonzalez. Overall, 22 of the players I thought would go in the first 30 did get drafted in the first 30.

Just a little off:

I had Omar Gonzalez going #1, but Steve Zakuani took that honor. I only had 5 players end up with the team I predicted (Wallace to DC, White to Toronto, Gustomav to NE, Cronin to Toronto, and Graham Zusi to KC).  I missed Gerstenberg, Traynor, Shriver, Demartin, Kocic, and Even Brown in the top 30.  Here are the 8 players that I had in my mockdraft, but didn’t get drafted in the top 30: Cruz, Barnes, Amarikwa, and Boateng went in the 3rd round; Seabrook and Patterson went in the 4th round; Brito and Marshall went undrafted.

I was going to grade the draft but Ives has already done it and I pretty much agree with his assessment. Here is what he wrote:

ESPN Superdraft Report Card by Ives Galarcep

Some of my thoughts about the draft:

Toronto, DC, and LA were the clear winners in this years draft.  Toronto left with the best goalkeeper in Frei, the best midfielder in Sam Cronin, and maybe the best forward in the draft in O’brian White.  LA was able to draft the highly coveted Omar Gonzalez with its #3 pick.  The Galaxy was also able to pick up standouts Delagarza, Patterson, and Boateng in the later rounds.  DC passed up on Frei in the first round but was able to draft the next best keeper in Milos Kocic.  DC used its first round picks on probably the best forward in the draft Chris Pontious and defender Rodney Wallace.  They were also able to get highly rated defender Lyle Adams who, surprisingly, was still available at #26.

I think Ives was a little harsh on what the Rapids did in this draft.  In my opinion they are in the B or B+ category.  The Rapids had little to work with but they walked away with two highly rated speedy forwards (Seabrook and Pomboe), a veteran goalkeeper (Perkins), and 3 defenders (including Harden).  They also picked up a target forward in Schunk who will probably be back up for Casey and a long term prospect in goal (Steward Ceus).  For those of you wondering about the Bouna situation.  The front office at the Rapids didn’t ‘F” up again.  They actually offered Bouna a contract that would make him one of the top 5 payed goalkeepers in the league.  Bouna turned down the offer and is looking for work in Europe.

Seattle did Ok. They were able to land Zakuani with their #1 pick but didn’t really light up the day with some of their other choices.  San Jose were lucky to score Brad Ring in the second round, but Amarikwa is a long shot.  Houston and Columbus both have strong rosters so I’m not surprised they took some chances on players.  Houston will be a perfect environment for Danny Cruz to develop.  Chivas walked away with top prospect Lahoud, who is likely to fill in after Kljestan leaves. NY was able to get Jeremy Hall at #11, this is a guy who people projected to go top 3.  RSL was the flop of the day.  Granted they only had one pick in the first 3 rounds.  I think Alexandre was a good pick up and he wouldn’t have been around if they passed on him with their first pick.

Who will we see on the field come March 19:

I doubt many of these players will become starters but I can definitely see a lot of these guys making an impact off the bench.  The guys I think might get time right way: Omar Gonzalez, AJ Delagarza, Jeremy Hall, Michael Lahoud,  Rodney Wallace, Lyle Adams, Sam Cronin, Peri Marosevic, Seabrook, and Pomboe.  These guys aren’t necessarily the best players, but they might be in the best situation.  Draftees such as Alston, Pontious, Frei, and Zakuani might be ready to start but are facing a tough challenge replacing the veteran starter at their position.

Dane Richards has a hold on the right wing, but Hall could see time on the left. Word on the street is that Rojas is going to man the left wing for NYRB, but Jeremy Hall is more athletic than Rojas should make a case for himself.

Omar Gonzalez and Delagarza were drafted by a team that is rebuilding. There is ample opportunity with the Galaxy for these two to get a starting job.

Kljestan might not return to Chivas, Mendoza is gone, and Victorine is out injured.  That is good news for Michael Lahoud, who is an attack minded midfielder.

DC United needs to fill gaps in the back after letting Gonzalo Martinez and Gonzalo Peralta go. Rodney Wallace and Lyle Adams have a shot at landing a spot on the backline.

Most people are speculating that Sam Cronin will get traded.  Whether or not he starts this season will be up to where he goes. I think he can find a starting job with LA, San Jose, NY, Seattle, Dallas, and Real Salt Lake.  If he goes anywhere else he might have to spend time on the bench.

Peri Marosevic is lucky to get drafted by Dallas for two reasons.  First, FC Dallas needs forwards, and second, Schellas Hyndman is likely to give a young player a chance to prove himself.  Cooper is a lock, but Cunningham’s spot is up for grabs.

Colorado Rapids need a scoring threat and a right mid.  Coach Smith values speed, likely why he picked two of the fastest players in the draft.  Right now the Rapids have Cooke, who is too slow on the right, and Cummings, who’s production isn’t enough to lock up a starting position up top.  Seabrook and Pomboe are both fast and skillful and might be able to edge there way into the starting lineup at either position.

What did you guys think of the draft?  Who do you think will make the match day roster in March? Are you surprised that Zakuani went #1?