2014 MLS SuperDraft Mock Draft v. 2.0

by ESNN

January 10, 2014

ORDER	TEAM	NAME	COLLEGE	POS	HEIGHT	WEIGHT
1		Steve Birnbaum	California	D	6-2	180
The focus for D.C. United has not changed - the club needs help now. United would ideally like to add a Generation adidas player to the roster, but it is difficult to pass up a center back who has all the tools to start tomorrow and could revitalize the franchise. Birnbaum makes those around him better, and United needs that type of leadership in the squad.
2		Christian Dean*	California	D	6-3	198
Dean is inked to a Generation adidas deal and would be a welcome addition to Philadelphia, which has struggled to find a solid center back over the past few years. If Union's staff elects to keep Amobi Okugo at center back, the pairing of Dean and Okugo could be one of the most athletic and talented in the league. However, both are relatively green in terms of learning the position, which could offer some early struggles.
3		Andre Blake*	Connecticut	GK	6-4	175
It's Andre Blake. He is the future face of the franchise. And the Caps new coaching staff loves him.
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		Marlon Hairston*	Louisville	M	6-0	157
Oscar Pareja, the rumored new coach of FC Dallas, has done miracle work with young center midfielders in the past and Hairston would do well learning from the tactican. Hairston still needs to grow as a player before he will make a difference in MLS, but he has the foundation to turn into a key piece of a franchise in the future.
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 consistent in college - a trait that typically translates well to MLS.
7		Patrick Mullins	Maryland	F	6-1	172
The slight fall for Mullins has little to do with his skill or ability. It is just difficult to overlook the Generation adidas players out there who do not count against the salary cap for clubs up against their limit. Mullins will be a candidate for a team to trade up and select on draft day. He is the best forward in the draft class - by some margin.
8		AJ Cochran*	Wisconsin	D	6-3	195
A big center back who is good in the air is on the wish list of pretty much every team in MLS, and Fire lands just that talent in AJ Cochran. The Wisconsin standout and former U.S. U20 MNT defender will have time to adapt to the MLS level if he does land at Fire, which is not pressing for a center back at this time but could use the depth.
9		Eric Miller*	Creighton	D	6-1	175
Either at center back or right back, Miller will have a shot to make an immediate impact with the Quakes, which shuffled the roster some during the offseason. Miller enjoyed three years with Creighton where he showed the technical ability to build possession out of the back and command one of the best defenses in college soccer.
10		Damion Lowe*	Hartford	D	6-3	175
The Jamaican center back played in 44 games over three years with the Hartford Hawks. He finished his career with five goals and two assists for the America East finalists. Montreal finds a player who does not count against the salary and could step in as an option at center back in the near future, having earned All PDL honors in the summer of 2013.
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. He's also left-footed and could play a number of positions on the field.
12		JJ Koval	Stanford	M	6-1	175
The Stanford center midfielder offers depth to the Revolution roster, which showed some real growth in 2012. Koval is great in the air and decent in distribution. He should fit in well with the Revolution at either the No. 6 or No. 8.
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		Marco Franco	UC Irvine	M	5-10	160
LA Galaxy has some options at right back including Homegrown player Oscar Sorto, but Franco is a better player right now and could push immediately for first team minutes.
15		Kyle Venter	New Mexico	D	6-3	190
The center back from New Mexico is a welcome sight for Toronto FC, which could use help in a bunch of positions. However, TFC could be on the look out for a Generation adidas player to slip as salary cap relief will be the ultimate goal in helping build the squad around the rumored arrival of Michael Bradley.
16		Kevin Cope	Michigan State	D	6-1	175
The former PDL Defender of the Year should be over the moon to land with Houston, which has a coaching staff fully capable of nuturing a player out of college into an MLS All Star.
17		Aodhan Quinn	Akron	M	6-0	155
Every Zip goes to Portland: part seven.
18		Luca Gimenez	Wake Forest	M	5-10	160
The talented midfielder from Brazil could be cover for Luis Gil and others as Real Salt Lake looks to build the roster with the new coaching staff now in place. He could play a number of positions in their midfield diamond.
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. An athletic striker who looks to have the ability to play out wide.

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		Jared Watts	Wake Forest	M	6-1	155
Seattle grabs another solid player here in Watts, who can play both as a center midfielder and back up Osvaldo Alonso, and slot in as a center back as well.
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		Mackenzie Pridham	Cal Poly	D	6-1	180
A Canadian with a green card, Pridham may not attract the same kind of hype as Mullins but is a dangerous striker who does a lot of good things in the box. He'll need to prove his ability to finish chances at the pro level, but is a great option for TFC at this stage of the draft.
25		Victor Chavez	UCLA	F	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		Joey Dillon	Georgetown	M	6-0	160
The Earthquakes can use depth in a number of spots and would welcome Dillon at this stage of the draft. The Hoya midfielder is a solid prospect who can offer backup to Sam Cronin.
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. A goal poacher extraordinaire, Carinigi is your prototypical fox in the box finisher.
30		Robbie Derschang	Akron	M	6-0	165
The versatile Derschang, a left back or midfield possibility at the pro level, offers the Whitecaps an option off the bench provided he can raise his game.
31		Taylor Peay	Washington	D	6-2	185
The former RSL Academy player is part of the deep center back crop, and could give New England's defensive depth a shot in the arm. Good size and decent enough with the ball to make a roster.
32		A.J. 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		George Fochive	Connecticut	M	5-9	172
Fochive was one of the most consistent players on Connecticut over the past two seasons. He was the piece in the midfield that made everything else around him work thanks to his ability to win the ball back and keep possession with pressure. Plays simple and tidy in the middle of the park.
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		Grant Van De Casteele	Notre Dame	D	6-2	165
The veteran of the Notre Dame defense will be an interesting name to watch on draft day. There are some limitations to his game, but he has shown the intelligence on the field to make teams overlook those shortcomings.
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		Alex Martinez	NC State	M/F	5-8	145
Montreal went in search of a dynamic playmaker on the wings in the last draft with Blake Smith. This time, they could go after Alex Martinez who has a similar skill set and could be the mirror of Smith on the opposite side.
38		Peter Schmetz	UC Santa Barbara	D	6-6	205
The German center back is fully fit and could be a steal on draft day.