Houston Dynamo manager Dominic Kinnear always calls it as he sees it. And it’s pretty clear to him that it will be Akron teammates Darlington Nagbe and Perry Kitchen going No. 1 and No. 2 in the MLS SuperDraft (12 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and MLSsoccer.com).
On Wednesday, Kitchen was busy helping the US Under-20 national team close its training camp on a high note with a win over Miami FC.
At No. 3, DC United are giving strong clues as to what they plan to do with their third overall selection. Don’t expect them to trade it.
James Madison forward C.J. Sapong is confident enough he’ll get picked that he’ll be making the trek to Baltimore, he’s just waiting to decide what tie to wear this morning. He also reveals the names of the clubs that interviewed him.
Opinion is divided as to where Generation adidas forward Omar Salgado will go in the draft. His parents, who will be in Baltimore, hope he gets to stay in Texas.
The fact that the San Jose Earthquakes are keen on re-signing attacking central midfielder Khari Stephenson, might influence the type of attacking player Frank Yallop is looking for today.
Also impacting what Sporting KC does in Baltimore is the fact that they are bringing back the captain of Gambia’s Under-20 side for a trial. He’s a central defender with great size.
With the confusion surrounding which team will select which player, we consulted a dolphin to make sense of it all. It was very decisive with its pick.
Regardless of who’s available for selection, the Columbus Crew say they are focused on signing players from their youth development system instead of taking unknowns in the draft.
The young players eligible for today’s SuperDraft will hope time does not show them to be among the worst draft picks of all-time in MLS. Instead, they want to be remembered as players who made an impact in the history of the SuperDraft.
Here’s a bit of a taste of what’s in store for the young guns in MLS. Toronto FC defender Nana Attakora is in the spotlight in Toronto for declining a contract offer from the club of late. He’s now practicing damage control with the fans.
Another player positioning himself for a long-term future in MLS is former Mexican national team captain Pavel Pardo, who says he’d like to make the summer move. (SPANISH)
The Whitecaps love their Robbies. After rumors linking Vancouver to Robbie Keane, on Wednesday it was Derby County’s Robbie Savage who confirmed he was considering a move to join the MLS expansion outfit. Savage says that the Whitecaps’ presentation blew him away.
Over in England, Colorado Rapids forward Omar Cummings is hoping that a few reserve games with Aston Villa can seal the deal on a loan.
Tomorrow is a big day for former Real Salt Lake forward Robbie Findley in his hope to land a work permit to play for Nottingham Forest.
So much for NYRB’s star Thierry Henry pumping up the players at his former English club Arsenal during his two-week training stint. They dropped a 1-0 decision to Ipswich in a Carling Cup semifinal first leg.
Back in New York, the Cosmos discuss what exactly the “inspirational games” will be all about in 2011 as part of a wide-ranging Q&A with club official and former David Beckham confidant: Terry Byrne.
Speaking of Beckham, reports in England are that the LA Galaxy star suffered “an injury scare.” Maybe they were stretching just a bit.
Showing some Beckham star power was Brazilian Ronaldinho, who drew 20,000 fans in his official presentation with Flamengo back in his native Brazil. Watch video of how fans literally knocked the doors down to see him. (VIDEO)
Throngs of fans are also sure to show up for the Mexican national team, which will face Ecuador on US soil on May 28 … the venue is still TBD. (SPANISH)
The Chicago Fire’s Nery Castillo, who is hoping to one day get another call-up to join El Tri, is reportedly in negotiations with a Greek club, according to what he has said on Facebook. Rumors say it’s the club Aris again.
What say you? Lionel Messi was not deserving of the FIFA Balon d’Or as Player of the Year? The Argentine put all doubts aside as he registered a hat trick in the Copa del Rey drubbing of Real Betis, after parading his trophy around the stadium during a pregame ceremony.
Because we know you’ve been waiting around for this one … Find out which league FIFA president Sepp Blatter says is the best in the world. (VIDEO)
Liverpool’s American owner John Henry believes it to be the EPL, which is why he bought the club. Now he is traveling to England to evaluate Liverpool FC in person after another EPL loss on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, it will be Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarterfinal series (4 p.m. ET, GolTV).
Lastly, he might be one of the highest paid players in international soccer, but that does not mean that Franck Ribery doesn’t like to “horse around” on the field when he can. (VIDEO)
MLSsoccer.com Must-Reads:
The latest and greatest MLSsoccer.com Mock Draft
New York Red Bulls will wait and see on whether to pull trigger on third DP
How the San Jose Earthquakes should maneuver in the 2011 SuperDraft
