2014 MLS SuperDraft Mock Draft v.1.0

December 27, 2013

ORDER	TEAM	NAME	COLLEGE	POS	HEIGHT	WEIGHT
1		Steve Birnbaum	California	D	6-2	180
D.C. United needs help now and Birnbaum is the best prospect in this class at center back. After missing the 2012 season due to a knee injury, there are red flags about his health. However, he enjoyed a pretty complete 2013 and was a dominant force in a fairly strong Pac-12 campaign.
2		Christian Dean*	California	D	6-3	198
If Christian Dean signs his Generation adidas deal, he is not going to last long in the 2014 MLS Draft. He is an interesting prospect and possesses more athleticism than his teammate. However, Dean's distribution needs to improve at the professional level especially for any club that wants to build out of the back.
3		Andre Blake*	Connecticut	GK	6-4	175
It's Andre Blake. He is the future face of the franchise.
4		Schillo Tshuma*	Maryland	M/F	5-10	162
Tshuma is about as raw as they come in this draft, but cap relief and Generation adidas status will make him an early pick on draft day. He has the potential to develop into an attacking talent that can destroy outside backs, but he is probably a few years away from hitting that level consistently.
5		Patrick Mullins	Maryland	F	6-1	172
FC Dallas needs some excitement to the ranks and Mullins can fill a few holes as well as a forward or an asset on the wing. The Maryland star is smart, hungry, and skillful. Regardless of who FC Dallas hires to sit on the bench, Mullins will be a valuable piece for the roster.
6		Steve Neumann	Georgetown	F/M	6-0	165
The familiarity of Neumann to the Philadelphia Union program - the Georgetown star spent his summer with Union's PDL side - makes this a likely selection. And there is a full expectation that Neumann will carve out a nice career for himself at the MLS level. He has been remarkably concistent in college - a trait that typical translates well to MLS.
7		Cyle Larin*	Connecticut	F	6-2	190
The Connecticut freshman surged into the conversation as a Generation adidas candidate late in the season and has not left the discussion. He has a great first touch and a keen knowledge of where to be on the field to make his presence felt. There are still some raw spots in his game, but a Canadian attackers with skill are hard to come by at any level.
8		Eric Miller*	Creighton	D	6-1	175
Creighton produces professional players and it looks like this might be Eric Miller's season to step forward. The right back has been an invaluable piece for the Jays over the past few seasons. Fire looks likely to add to the depth of its midfield through the Home Grown player rule, so the draft might be used to addressed other needs.
9		JJ Koval	Stanford	M	6-1	175
Earthquakes hit one out of the park with Adam Jahn in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft. They should look at Stanford again for the next diamond in the rough. Koval is an easy prospect to love - he dominates the game from the center of the park. He also wins everything in the air, which is the key trait that the Quakes coaching staff will love.
10		AJ Cochran*	Wisconsin	D	6-3	195
The loaded class of center backs might push a few of the quality prospects out of the first round especially if Cochran decides to exit college early. The former U.S. U20 Men's National Team defender grew into a leader in 2013 and earned the Big Ten Defender of the Year award.
11		Pedro Ribeiro	Coastal Carolina	M	6-3	208
Coastal Carolina's success over the past few seasons has been much to the credit of Ribeiro who has pulled the strings in the midfield. On many levels, he is similiar to Dillon Powers - he strikes the ball cleanly, he likes to create for the attack, and he is difficult to knock off the ball.
12		Marlon Hairston*	Louisville	M	6-0	157
Hairston might benefit more from another season in college - and waiting until the 2015 SuperDraft, but if he does leave school early, he is a likely first round pick and could climb into the top ten. His game is similar to Shalrie Joseph. He has a swagger and an ease to what he is doing on the field that is easy to spot.
13		Ben Sweat	South Florida	D	6-2	170
With the departure of Marc Burch, Seattle needs reinforcements at left back. Sweat is the best option at that spot in this draft and arguably one of the very few options. The hard-working defender enjoyed a great career with South Florida.
14		Luca Gimenez	Wake Forest	M	5-10	160
If LA Galaxy is willing to spend an international roster spot on a player out of college, Luca Gimenez is the best option. He is a skillful midfielder who could push for minutes on the left side immediately.
15		Mackenzie Pridham	Cal Poly	F	6-1	180
Toronto FC needs everything and Pridham is a known product for them after spending much of his summer with the club in 2012. Pridham is bull of a forward and has been very successful in college - two-time Big West Off. Player of the Year.
16		Kyle Venter	New Mexico	D	6-3	190
Those who love Kyle Venter will cite his games when he shut down Gyasi Zardes in college. Those who lean the other way will cite the games when Zades broke free. There is a division among the ranks in scouting Venter, but he has attributes that could manufacture into a solid MLS Center back.
17		Aodhan Quinn	Akron	M	6-0	155
Every Zip goes to Portland: part seven.
18		Jared Watts	Wake Forest	M	6-1	155
Real Salt Lake will need cover at center midfield during the World Cup window. Watts is not Kyle Beckerman, but he is a player that got the job done in college without much attention.
19		Mamadou Doudou Diouf	Connecticut	F	6-1	170
After an injury riddled senior season, Mamadou Doudou Diouf enters the 2014 MLS SuperDraft with a lot of red flags but he is a big body that scored goals in college when he was on the field.

ROUND 2

ORDER	TEAM	NAME	COLLEGE	POS	HEIGHT	WEIGHT
20		Enrique Cardenas	UC Irvine	M	5-6	150
The creative midfielder falling into Chivas USA's laps would be a nice boost, as he could offer depth at his attacking midfield spot and fit nicely into their system.
21		Grant Van De Casteele	Notre Dame	D	6-2	165
Seattle can never have too many center backs, and by nabbing Van De Casteele in the second round, add a quality and experienced option who can compete for minutes in 2014.
22		Nikita Kotlov	Indiana	M	5-9	160
Wide depth is occasionally troublesome for the Red Bulls, and the selection of a winger like Kotlov provides someone who can man the left flank.
23		Nick Hagglund	Xavier	D	6-1	187
Hagglund, who grew up playing for Crew affiliates Cincinnati United Premier, should be no strange to the Crew coaching staff. He'll be a welcome addition after the club traded away Chad Marshall this offseason.
24		Kevin Cope	Michigan State	D	6-1	175
A technically solid center back, Cope could potentially spell TFC in the middle of the back line, and he'd certainly welcome the chance to learn from the club's head coach and former defender Ryan Nelsen.
25		Victor Chavez	UCLA	MF	5-11	170
Creativity is something the Union lacked last season, and while they already picked up Neumann in the first round, Chavez is a former U.S. youth international with the pedigree and skills to contribute in the final third.
26		Reinaldo Brenes	Akron	D	5-10	155
Another Zip goes to Portland, this time the Costa Rican forward who if healthy, could end up being a major steal in the draft.
27		Kadeem Dacres	UMBC	F	5-10	155
Pace and speed is Dacres' game, and the Reading United veteran should be no stranger to the Union coaching staff. He'd add a wide bench option if he can make the roster.
28		Marco Franco	UC Irvine	D	5-11	155
A team in need of outside backs, Franco slipping to the Quakes in the second round is a welcome sight.
29		Pete Caringi	UMBC	F	6-1	175
A clever and crafty forward, Caringi gets the oppotunity to learn from Italian legend Marco Di Vaio after the Impact snap him up.
30		Joey Dillon	Georgetown	M	6-0	160
Under the old regime the Whitecaps loved defensive midfielders. And while they still have them in abundance, Dillon at this stage of the draft would be a nice pickup.
31		Robbie Derschang	Akron	M	6-0	165
The versatile Derschang, a left back or midfield possibility at the pro level, offers the Revolution an option off the bench provided he can raise his game.
32		AJ Corrado	Indiana	M	5-10	160
In need of a wide player to create chances on the flank opposite of Brad Davis, Corrado's a bit of a wild card, as he sometimes lacks consistency but has the skills that would translate to this level if he can deliver the performances he's capable of on a regular basis.
33		Romena Bowie	VCU	M	6-1	165
Throw Bowie into a midfield behind Dillon Powers and he might be able to add something with his passing range and decent athleticism. Could offer up some depth.
34		Mark Sherrod	Memphis	F	6-3	185
An injury-plagued campaign hampered Sherrod's goal tally, but he's a target forward with a big body, the kind of player that can taste success early on in an MLS career.
35		Fifi Baiden	UC Santa Barbara	M	5-8	165
The UCSB defensive midfielder would be a nice addition to a quality midfield, though minutes might be hard to come by.
36		Jimmy Ockford	Louisville	D	6-1	185
Ball-playing center backs are crucial to the Timbers in Porter's system, and Ockford has enough ability both on the ball and man-marking to potentially make this Portland roster.
37		Bryan Ciesiulka	Marquette	M	5-4	-
His size is a definite concern when projecting Ciesiulka at this level, though if giving the chance, the diminuitive midfield could offer a creative sparkplug in the middle of the park.
38		Alex Martinez	NC State	M/F	5-8	145
A creative midfielder/attacker, Martinez has potential to slot in as one of the wide players in Sporting KC's formation.