It can be overwhelming to jump into the middle of the Sounders' expansion draft talk. Just today scores of news stories and blogs are out about who Seattle might take. I wagered my guess in the GS forums, but made it a 'rough draft,' because frankly so many things need to be considered that all any of us can do is guess.
Adrian Hanauer and Chris Henderson have a running start at this. They have been speculating and preparing for months, waiting for the list of available players to be released. Now that it has they are in San Francisco using a multitasking system of software and video to evaluate the players further. Meanwhile the club will also be manning the phones in case other MLS clubs come calling to offer trade incentives. Who knows which current clubs might need or want an 'unprotected' player and be willing to give Seattle something in return for drafting him.
For those who are brave and willing to jump right into the fray, our forum thread on the draft is essential reading. For those who just want a few calm, rational voices to give them a sense of a few options, I'd suggest reading Beautiful Game Seattle's take and also Peter Wilt's (former Chicago Fire GM) blog. Both do a good job of listing some choices and also addressing the salary challenges. SoccerByIves calls the draft a "game of chicken." Good thing Hanauer is a nationally respected poker player, then.
The Sounders are on the clock and must start making selections on Wednesday at 10:00 AM Seattle time.
In other Sounders FC news it appears that league champion Columbus Crew are on edge about losing their head coach Sigi Schmid to Seattle. Talk is that Columbus might have filed tampering charges against Seattle.
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For me, I think you might end up paying for Sigi right now, I think Mariner is a great choice from a team that always seems to get talent at a low cost.
ReplyDeleteAs far as picks go, I think you gotta look to get as many good cheap defenders as possible. I think Parke is a good choice, Wahl, and I think you gotta look at Ianni. Some otherse out there too, and I undertand the want for Jaqua, but you can get Galindo back up there fairly easily I think, and then you have him and Le Toux. I think you can get a solid defensive core here and still have lots of cap room for forwards and some mids to use on international players.