yes Jim's 'big' little brother -- will be a solid addition and grabbing Indiana's Brian Plotkin with the 20th pick reminds me a bit of Ned Grabavoy slipping to the 2nd round in the 2004 SuperDraft. Grade: B+
Chivas USA -- L.A.'s other club only had two picks in the entire draft and traded the certainty of Marvell Wynne with the Metrostars to get Sacha Kljestan, a very good player that can be the future in central midfield for Chivas, and defender Jason Hernandez. They needed more than what they selected and should've been more aggressive in adding draft picks as the roster has many holes to fill. Grade: C-
Colorado Rapids -- The Rapids also had just two selections in the draft, but getting forward Jacob Peterson, another winner from Indiana, with the 21st overall selection could be a real find as Colorado looks to fill the void left by Jeff Cunningham. Peterson could step in and play next to Jean-Philippe Peguero straight away. Grade: C
Columbus Crew -- A by-product of the new blurred line between college and pro sports is that we sometimes penalize the kids who stay in school and do the right thing. Until draft day, Jason Garey was one of those kids. The M.A.C. Hermann Trophy winner can score goals in a variety of ways and did it 22 times for the NCAA champs Maryland. Kei Kamara was probably the biggest surprise of the first round, but you know head coach Sigi Schmid loves college kids and is more than comfortable with Kamara having watched him up close in his own backyard. IU defender Jed Zayner was considered by most to be a first-rounder. Brandon Moss, Dayton O'Brien, and Duke Hashimoto will add to the second-deepest class (six) of rookies in the league. Grade: A
D.C. United -- Over the years no team has had an eye for young talent in the draft like Kevin Payne and D.C. United. Midfielder Justin Moose is just one of those guys you love to have on your team. He knows where the ball should go and is a feisty competitor like D.C. coach Peter Nowak. The Wake Forest product could figure to be a contributor right away despite his size. Rod Dyachenko and Jeff Carroll (Brian's brother) could surface as contributors. Grade: B-
FC Dallas -- Seven new players for FC Dallas means new GM Michael Hitchcock and head coach Colin Clarke will need name-tags for the rookies. Dax McCarty ends up where he wanted to be in Dallas. Justin Moore and Blake Wagner both going in the second round are solid players with Wagner being one of the top U-17 players in the nation. Forward Dominic Oduro of Virginia Commonwealth (Hitchcock's alma mater) is one of those intriguing picks. Maryland's Michael Dello-Russo (42nd) is a real find 4th round selection. Grade: A-
Houston --Patrick Ianni is ready for MLS right now and can step in for the departed Danny Califf. What Ianni lacks in experience he makes up in moxie, maturity and has all the intangibles to go with his physical tools. Andre Schmid is big, physical midfielder at 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, and Mike Chabala is rated by some coaches as a possible sleeper. I don't think they did enough with what they had as Ianni is the only known quantity. Grade: C
Kansas City Wizards --Yura Movsisyan was the most intriguing curiosities of the combine and draft, and his rapid ascenion was punctuated with being picked fourth overall. Second-rounders Lance Watson, Tyson Wahl, along with third-rounders Matt Groenwald and Stephen Shirley add immediate quality depth in a team without much beyond their top 13 a year ago. Eric Kronberg could be best goalkeeper selected in draft (40th). K.C. selected well in the middle rounds. Grade: B+
Los Angeles Galaxy -- When I spoke with Galaxy President/GM Doug Hamilton minutes before the draft he said no one was talking to him about anything or anyone. Makes sense: Other teams aren't jumping at the chance to help the champs. Looking for left-sided depth, Clemson standout Nathan Sturgis was clearly the best player available and an easy choice at No. 12. But Maryland's Marc Burch - selected 24th - could be even better. Aaron King will also add to the competition in the midfield. When you identify your needs despite being 'sidelined' by the competition on a transaction-filled day, you've done your homework and job on draft day. Grade: B+
MetroStars -- President/General Manager Alexi Lalas made lots of noise with his first draft in charge of the Metros. Trading up from fifth pick to first to get the best pro prospect in the draft Marvell Wynne was shrewd. Snatching Josmer Altidore, a first-rounder on most team's draft boards, with the 17th overall pick was a hint new coach Mo Johnston, a great striker during his terrific career, saw something special in the 16-year-old. Blake Camp is solid and will have a chance to prove himself at the next level. The draft is all about finding the most potential and upside and maybe no two players in the draft have more than Wynne and Altidore. Grade: A-
New England Revolution -- Head coach Steve Nicol and assistant coach Paul Mariner almost have the formula perfected after a superb season, from start to finish, and a berth in the MLS Cup Final. The Revs could afford to be picky and plucked Alabama-Birmingham midfielder Leandro de Oliveira in the first round. The Brazilian has battled injuries the past couple of seasons and missed the combine, but if healthy could be the slick provider for a potent and talented Revs attack. No one's stock fell at the combine like Willie Sims', who played his way out of a trip to Philly. But he was the highest pre-Combine rated player still available at No. 23 in the second round. No risk, no reward, could sill surprise in right environment. Kyle Brown reminds me a bit of an Andy Dorman type, the right player in the right situation can do wonders. Grade: B
Real Salt Lake -- The second-year outfit got their man in Mehdi Ballouchy, considered the best 'player' in the draft. If the Moroccan can fill -- and excel -- the playmaking void left by another 'playa', Clint Mathis, RSL will have their No. 10 for the future. Ballouchy is the best pure attacking midfielder to enter the MLS in the past three seasons. The team's only other selection was Jamaican Ryan Johnson will add size (6-foot-1, 180 pounds) and depth to an overly Jason Kreis-dependent frontline. Grade: B -
Allen Hopkins, who anchored the broadcast of the 2006 MLS SuperDraft, is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
