Today was an exciting day for the Sounders as they welcomed 5 new members to the family. They entered the day with 5 total draft picks including the 11th overall pick. Most experts expected them to go with a goalkeeper such as Zac MacMath or a creative midfielder with their first pick. After MacMath was selected 5th by Philly (not really sure what is going on with the Union - they are going through goalies like my kid goes through pants), the Sounders decided to trade down. Shockingly, their trade partner was the hated Portland Timbers, which for management is no problem, but for fans is a little hard to swallow. Anyways, we traded the 11th pick and an international roster spot for the 20th overall pick and allocation money. Thanks to the good folks at gosounders.com, I learned what exactly this means...apparently allocation money can be applied to bring down salaries on new signings or for transfer fees. It is a way to get provide cap relief but cannot be used on current salaries. While we don't exactly know the specifics, we do know that they are hurting for cap space, so receiving some allocation money will be huge. (For those interested, Portland then traded the 11th pick to Houston for allocation money which means that they essentially traded their second round pick for an international slot).
When I left the draft to put my daughter down for her nap, I was left to dream of who we might get with our back to back picks at 20 and 21. My hopes were John Rooney and Anthony Ampaipitakwong, two players who some experts had going to Seattle in the first round. Turns out that they lucked out and Michael Tetteh, the final Generation Adidas member, was still available. Hanauer was seen buying a lottery pick after the selection as the Sounders not only got a left-footed defender/midfielder, but they got one that won't count against the cap for a minimum of one year (can be more if he doesn't get enough playing time). For a team with salary cap issues, that is HUGE. Now I won' pretend that I know much about any of these guys, Tetteh describes himself as an attacking defender who is going to work his butt off and who is really excited to come to Seattle. He is 22 years old on Saturday, from the UCSB and originally from Ghana
Then with the next pick, they selected Juan Leon Cruz, a center back out of SMU and member of many US Youth National Teams. The guys at Soccer by Ives think highly of him, saying that he "provides the team with a lot of depth at a position that they having nothing at besides their two starters... and will most likely leap frog Ianni and Wahl in the pecking order."
Then, two picks after John Rooney came off the board, the Sounders selected Servando Carrasco, a midfielder from Cal-Berkeley. He is being described as a creative midfielder, with definite potential who was the key for the Bears attack. Then, in what should be considered a complement, the SBI guys said he is a vocal leader that should fit in very well in that Osvaldo Alonso mold.
Two picks later, they selected a Jersey boy, GK Bryan Meredith (Monmouth Univ) to provide some depth at goalkeeper. I don't know much about him, but 2011 will provide the opportunity for him to convince the Sounders that he should take over the starters job from Keller in 2012. And finally, with their third round pick, they selected Alex Caskey, a midfielder from Davidson University.
Overall, a very impressive haul. They may not have gotten a stud, but they got five guys who can fight for playing time and provide depth. Hanauer and Sigi were absolutely thrilled, noting that all 5 guys were ranked in their top 25 prospects. I don't think either of them are envisioning these guys to start, but they realize how important depth will be this year after flaming out of Champions League last year. I personally am excited to see what these guys can do. Even if they don't get much playing time this year if they can develop like Mike Fucito, Mike Seamon and David Estrada then I think this draft will be considered a success.
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In a completely unrelated note, huge props to my Bucknell Bison for their 75-60 win at American on Wednesday. The Eagles were the pre-season conference favorites and I was a little worried after the Bison's lack-luster performance against Navy over the weekend. There was no need for me to worry though, as Mike Muscala scored a career high 33 and the Bison rolled. I am really excited and all in with this team. Not since 2006 have I felt this good about our team. I am starting to envision the glory days again. Hopefully they won't end up hurting me.
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