The MLS SuperDraft is less than a month away and for Toronto FC it represents an easy way to improve its quality and depth.
On Jan. 12th in Kansas City, Toronto FC will have the fourth and 12th overall picks, barring a trade. The first selection is the Reds’ own pick and comes as one of the few rewards for such a poor season. Their second pick in the first round was acquired from the New York Red Bulls as a part of the trade that saw Dwayne De Rosario leave Toronto.
Toronto having an early selection in this draft is a fairly new experience for the club — in their five seasons they’ve only selected in the top five a total of three times. They’ve had six picks in the top 10, but the fact that the highest pick still on the roster is Stefan Frei, who was selected at 13th overall in 2009, goes to show just how hit and miss the SuperDraft can be. Under the previous management the draft seemed to be something that they really did not care all that much about — in 2010 and 2011 the club traded away its first round pick.
Over TFC’s history the draft has not really been a source of great talents. Maurice Edu was the club’s very first pick back in 2007 when they selected him first overall and he is clearly the standout talent, having earned himself a transfer to Rangers in Scotland where he continues to do well. Along with Frei and Edu, the Reds have selected Andrew Boyens (2007), Pat Phelan (2008), Julius James (2008), Sam Cronin (2009), and O’Brian White (2009). All of them have had decent MLS careers but for the most part it has been for other teams.
Hopefully Toronto takes advantage of having an early pick and finds at least one player who is capable of contributing to the first team in 2012. Many fans will be looking to see if the club uses at least one of their selections on a centre back but that will only happen if they are the best player available. If you look at Paul Mariner’s record in the draft from his time with the New England Revolution he prefers to select the best player available rather than try to meet a specific need. It is an approach that is probably the best bet in the MLS when the high-level talent in the draft can be quite limited.
In this year’s draft if TFC does decide to go with a defender with either of their first round picks the names they might be looking at include Matt Hedges, Austin Berry, Eric Schoenle, Andrew Jean-Baptiste, and Aaron Maund. Hedges is the most likely name on that list to end up signing a Generation Adidas contract, which might at least put him on Toronto’s radar with that fourth pick.
If the club decides to pick the best player available at that slot you could see them going for a creative midfielder like Nick DeLeon, Kelyn Rowe, or Enzo Martinez who could all be up for Generation Adidas contracts.
For this year’s draft the consensus top two picks (held by the Montreal Impact and the Vancouver Whitecaps) are Darren Mattocks and Andrew Wenger. It remains to be seen if either or both will sign on to play in the MLS next season or head to Europe, but if they do it could mean that the likes of DeLeon and Rowe are available to Toronto FC at number 4.
One could make the case that for Toronto FC fans the ideal outcome would be to get a talented midfielder with the fourth pick and then a defender with a lot of talent and upside at 12th. If Toronto ends up drafting Rowe or DeLeon and then Jean-Baptiste or Maund, most fans would probably be satisfied.
As is always the case with the SuperDraft, though, it is tough to tell how a player will turn out as the transition from NCAA to MLS can be tough for many players. One thing that we do know is that TFC has been doing their homework and will be prepared come draft day as the club has had many scouts covering the MLS and will have a strong presence at the combine.
David Rowaan is a Toronto-based writer and key contributor to Waking the Red, a blog about Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. Follow Waking the Red on Twitter.