Click on each Union pick for a brief profile. Check out Maryland’s video of MacMath putting work in.
Updates:
- Salgado says he had no idea he would go #1 before his name was announced.
- From PSP’s Ed Farnsworth on the reaction in Baltimore: “A very, very tiny pause (some folks wanted Hertzog) then a big cheer.”
- Portland acquires Seattle’s first round pick (#11)
- PSP looked at the success MLS teams have had drafting goalies early yesterday.
- AJ Soares was the first college senior drafted today.
- Akron (now Houston) right back Sarkodie out-scored #2 pick Nagbe, a striker, last season.
- How much easier was it for Vancouver to take out-and-out striker Salgado instead of M/F Nagbe after they acquired Shea Salinas in the expansion draft?
- 5 of the first 8 picks come from Akron’s College Cup winning team. PSP profiled Akron’s talent today.
- Corey Hertzog, NY’s first round pick, is a Philly kid and wanted to play for the Union. Will he hold this snub against the club?
- RSL trades #14 pick to Chivas USA for allocation money.
- PSP’s Dan Walsh reacts to the MacMath pick: “Ohhh no! Really!? Well I guess… Wow.”
- The Union and Revolution pick UNC midfielders back-to-back. It will be interesting to see who turns out better.
First Round
- Vancouver Whitecaps – Omar Salgado, Striker
Salgado, img via usfutblog.com
- Portland Timbers – Darlington Nagbe, Striker (Akron)
- DC United – Perry Kitchen, Defensive Mid (Akron)
- Chivas USA – Zarek Valentin, Defender (Akron)
- Philadelphia Union – Zac MacMath, Goalkeeper (Maryland) (video here)
- New England Revolution – AJ Soares, Defender (Cal)
- Houston Dynamo – Kofi Sarkodie, Defender (Akron)
- Vancouver Whitecaps (from Toronto) – Michael Nanchoff, Midfielder (Akron)
- Chicago Fire – Jalil Anibaba, Defender (UNC)
- Sporting KC – CJ Sapong, Striker (James Madison)
- Houston (from Portland via Seattle) – Will Bruin, Striker (Indiana)
- Columbus Crew – Rich Balchan, Defender (Indiana)
- New York Red Bulls – Corey Hertzog, Striker (Penn State)
- Chivas USA (from RSL) – Victor Estupinan, Striker (Ecuador)
- Columbus Crew (from San Jose) – Justin Meram, Striker (Michigan)
- LA Galaxy – Paolo Cardozo, Midfielder (Uruguay)
- FC Dallas – Bobby Warshaw, Midfielder (Stanford)
- Colorado Rapids – Eddie Ababio, Defender (UNC)
Second Round
- Vancouver Whitecaps – Jeb Brovsky, Midfielder (Notre Dame)
- Portland Timbers – Michael Tetteh, Midfielder/Defender (UCSB)
- Seattle Sounders (from DC United) – Juan Leone Cruz, Midfielder (SMU)
- Portland Timbers (from Real Salt Lake via Chivas) – Chris Taylor, Defender (Tulsa)
- Philadelphia Union – Michael Farfan, Midfielder (UNC)
- New England Revolution – Stephen McCarthy, Midfielder (UNC)
- New York Red Bulls (from Houston) – John Rooney, Midfielder (England)
- Toronto FC – Demetrius Omphroy, Defender (Cal)
- Seattle Sounders (from Chicago) – Servando Carrasco, Midfielder (Cal)
- Columbus Crew (from Philadelphia via KC) – Cole Grossman, Midfielder (Duke)
- Seattle Sounders – Bryan Meredith, Goalkeeper (Monmouth)
- New York Red Bulls (from Columbus) – Tyler Lassiter, Defender (NC State)
- DC United (from New York) – Chris Korb, Defender (Akron)
- Sporting KC (from Real Salt Lake) – JT Murray, Defender (Louisville)
- San Jose – Anthony Ampaipitakwong, Midfielder (Akron)
- LA Galaxy – Hector Jiminez, Midfielder (Cal)
- FC Dallas – Charlie Campbell, Midfielder (Louisville)
- Colorado Rapids – Colin GIvens, Defender (Michigan State)
Third Round
- Vancouver Whitecaps – Bilal Duckett, Defender (Notre Dame)
- New York Red Bulls (from Portland) – Billy Cortes, Midfielder (Maryland)
- New England Revolution (from DC United) – Steven Perry, Striker (Notre Dame)
- Chivas USA – Jon Okafor, Midfielder (Brown)
- Philadelphia Union – Levi Houapeu, Striker (UMBC)
- New England Revolution – Ryan Kinne, Midfielder (Monmouth)
- Toronto FC (from Houston) – Matt Gold, Defender (Ohio State)
- Toronto FC (from Colorado via… Toronto) – Junior Burgos, Midfielder (Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo)
- Chicago Fire – Jason Herrick, Striker (Maryland)
- Sporting KC – Konrad Warzycha, Midfielder (Ohio State)
- Seattle Sounders – Alex Caskey, Midfielder (Davidson)
- Columbus Crew – Bernardo Anor, Midfielder (South Florida)
- Toronto FC (from New York via Chicago) – Joao Plata (LDU Quito)
- DC United (from LA via RSL via LA via RSL) – Joe Willis, Goalkeeper (Denver)
- Columbus (from San Jose) – Davis Paul, Striker (Cal)
- Real Salt Lake (from LA) – Jarad van Schaik, Midfielder (Portland)
- FC Dallas – Scott Gordon, Defender (Lynn)
- New England Revolution (from Colorado) – Alan Koger, Striker (William & Mary)
My immediate reaction is that I hate the pick. Why grab another inexperienced GK? Especially so high in the draft. Did we learn nothing with Seitz last year? Hopefully the kid proves me wrong.
It’s as the coaching staff think that goalie doesn’t matter. Just through anyone in there and we should be fine. Why have three of them?
He is from Maryland again. Nowak needs to stop listening to Vartugian. First Seitz, then get rid of Perk, then get rid of Seitz and gain nothing.
Farfan is a logical pick though. He’s an attacking midfielder, can play on the wing. I hear the Union have a slight need for that.
I like the Farfan pick. Hopefully he’s not thrown into outside player purgatory like Shea Salinas was.
So the presumed pecking order between the pipes would be Mondragon-Knighton-MacMath. I’m happy with this set up … let BK18 learn from the Dragon while the rook pulls some valuable reserve squad time.
levi houapeu in the third round. i like it. between farfan and houapeu we actually picked with width in mind.
Vancouver’s 6th round expansion pick (Shea Salinas Messi) had absolutely nothing to do with their choice of top overall pick. In fact, according to Grant Wahl’s Twitter, it was Nagbe pulling a Steve Francis on them that led to them reaching for Salgado.
I had pegged Salgado as their likely pick because they’d been trying for him for months and he has such a huge upside. They had him with their D-2 team and tried to get him outside the confines of the draft. I think that yeah, the Nagbe thing probably clinched it, if there was any doubt.
Whether Salinas’s presence on the roster encouraged Vancouver to take Salgado over Nagbe isn’t the question. It’s whether Salinas’s presence makes picking an out-and-out striker over a guy who likes to sit behind the striker or run wide easier.
Is there any chance MacMath is given a shot to start after the Seitz disaster? What if he dominates in preseason?
No chance. It’s the reserve league for him.
I wonder if the Union are attempting the Seitz Experiment again with a new ‘keeper, since the original didn’t quite work out as they planned. The new variable this time, which I think will greatly benefit MacMath’s development as a pro, is the new reserve system, which will give him a place to play regularly that isn’t in league matches. Presuming we get Mondragon, the veteran can then pick up most of the league starts and MacMath can potentially make a few appearances in the first season if he impresses in the reserves.
That makes a lot of sense to me. The return of the reserve league can only be seen as a good thing for the development of some of the younger players. MacMath can get some reps down there while the Dragon (hopefully) and Knighton get the starts for the Union.
Hopefully they’ll be some more quality friendlies again this year where MacMath can get some competitive action.