FSW broadcast the first hour of today’s MLS SuperDraft 2005 earlier (I’m about halfway through watching now) and moderately useful commentary was supplied by network regulars Sean Wheelock and Allan Hopkins. The strange thing is that after giving commentary on each pick, they both turn to the camera and put such motionless, unemotional looks on their faces that I mistook them for robots.
The Earthquakes selected midfielder Danny O’Rourke, this past season’s Hermann Trophy winner (college MVP) out of two-time NCAA champion Indiana University, with their first round pick. He looked good in a brief chat with Wheelock and Hopkins, has the credentials, and likely the skills and maturity to step right into the starting lineup.
Which is really important given the loss of Landon Donovan and so many other key members of last season’s team. San Jose traded their two first round slots (#6 & 29) to FC Dallas to move up two places to take O’Rourke. FSW didn’t show us at the time, but the web listing does now, is that involved in the swap are starting MF Richard Mulrooney and youngster Arturo Alvarez, a winger who couldn’t earn much playing time in his two seasons with the club, going to Texas while coming our way is MF Brad Davis. With the remaining picks, we chose:
- D Kevin Goldthwaite, Notre Dame (2nd round)
- MF Victor Arbelaez, UNLV (3rd)
- F Orlando Ramirez, Fresno Pacific
- D Craig (CJ) Klaas, University of Washington
- F Antouman Jallow, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (4th)
- D James Twellman, Stanford (brother of Revolution goalscorer Taylor Twellman?)
The three 3rd round picks were consecutive (30-32 overall) as were the two 4s (41-42); none of these players are teenagers.
Real Salt Lake opened the league’s 10th draft by taking U.S. U-17 star defensive midfielder Nikolas Besagno, who might be a terrific player but showed none of the polish and charm we saw from the even younger Freddy Adu after he was last year’s first pick overall. Get ready, the New England Revolution come to San Jose on Opening Day, April 2, to face the Quakes!
BillSaysThis 