No, that’s not a typo.

Until recently I was thinking this SuperDraft would be a ho-hum affair and wouldn’t occasion any of the usual (well, usually hoped for) blockbuster trades. That’s because I thought it was a weak draft and that most coaches would look to stand pat, and, even if they wanted to make some trades, they wouldn’t be able to leverage the draft much to complete them. Now I’m thinking I was wrong. Very wrong. If I believe what I read on the internet (and, as a general rule, believing what you read on the internet makes life more interesting), then we’re about to see some unrivalled Major League Soccer wackiness.

Take, for instance, the enigmatic genius of Fernando Clavijo. No other coach would have seen the wisdom of trading a perfectly good player for Clint Mathis. But Fernando replied “it’s a deal” when Real Salt Lake said “we’ll give you Mathis and a crate of Doritos if you give us Cunningham.” And now it appears Fernando’s agreed to trade Joe Cannon to Kansas City for whatever’s behind Curtain Number Two? Is it an allocation? Is it a pair of Jimmy Conrad’s used socks? As yet nobody knows. Oh, and Nat Borchers is apparently going to Europe. (Buck up Rapids fans. At least you’re getting a stadium.)

Then we’ve got the the man who wore the second finest hat at the MLS Combine. The rumor persists that Sigi’s trading up to get Marvell Wynne. I don’t know about this one. I suppose Chivas USA is under quite a bit of cap pressure, and I suppose Columbus should still have the “you suck” allocation from last season. Could be something here. Maybe.

Rumors continue to swirl in MetroLand that Lalas is planning a major house cleaning. Gaven’s apparently gone to Ohio for Buddle, and Razov has gone to Chivas USA for a partial allocation. But the real intrigue is, of course, the continuing saga of Guevara and Johnson. Everyone was saying it’s a done deal, but then this morning there’s word from Colin Clarke that “Eddie Johnson will not be traded. We aren’t looking to trade for Guevara at the moment.” I know I said as a general rule you should believe everything you read on the internet because it makes life more interesting, but I’m thinking this is an exception to that rule.

Report earlier this weak is there are a some disgruntled players in Houston. It wouldn’t surprise me if Kinnear isn’t looking to make some moves simply because an unhappy squad is a losing squad. Meanwhile, they say Jesse Marsch has already been traded to Chivas, but there’s no word on what Chicago is getting in return. Steve Nicol and Company have been pretty quiet in these days leading up to the SuperDraft. This suggests, as usual, they know something we don’t.

Then there’s Crazy Steve Sampson. I am of the firm belief that Steve has a pathological need to do at least one bizarre thing on draft day. And what he did last year was pretty bizarre. It worked out well in the end and he looked pretty smart by the end of the season, but that doesn’t change the fact that on draft day he seemed a raving lunatic. He’s gonna have to work hard to top that performance, but I have faith in Steve; I believe he can do it.

And if all that weren’t crazy enough someone from DC United’s front office is reading this blog. That’s right. I see you. I’m like the freaking NSA.

… the server is pretty funky today.

I’m led to believe it’s a temporary condition.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, step right up and enter the Meadowlands where we have assembled the most incredible sights and sounds for your entertainment. You won’t believe your eyes; you won’t believe your ears! You’ll be amazed by feats of stupidity; you’ll gasp at scenes of monstrous incompetence! Step right up and witness the greatest sideshow in Major League Soccer …

In the first ring we have Mr. Mo Johnston who neglected to pay the taxes he owed the authorities of some quaint little island off the coast of Europe. Yes, the taxmen are none too pleased with Maurice, and they’ve petitioned the Glasgow courts to insure the “pompatus of love” pays the $791,821 he owes.

In the second ring we have Alexi Lalas who was so keen to demonstrate those cutting edge managerial techniques he learned from the big boys at AEG that he went and pissed off Amado Guevara. Yes, Alexi, a public falling out with one of the better players on the MetroStars is obviously the way to build a SuperClub. I don’t know why I ever doubted your general manager abilities. Now Alexi’s got a high-priced disgruntled player whose made it so clear he won’t again play in any serious fashion for the MetroStars that he’s effectively forced Lalas and Company to trade him.

In the third ring we’ve got word from a reputable source that we should expect an “avalanche” of trades from the Metros in the next few days. “This week,” the report says, “should not be for the faint of heart.”

Back in November when the Great Goateed One elected to remove “interim” from Mo Johnston’s job description I suggested that the MetroStars might finally be getting on track. Now I see I spoke too soon.

The MetroCircus is back in town.

I looked back over my reports from 2004 and 2005. This is, by far, the weakest combine I’ve seen. That doesn’t mean there are no good players here, but this group doesn’t seem as deep or as interesting as previous years. I also trust there’ll be both a few diamonds in the rough that nobody but Steve Sampson caught (who knew about Ugo?), and that some of those diamonds weren’t invited to the combine and will have to take the Bobby Boswell road to MLS and national team success.

That’s the long way of saying my summary lists the last two years were longer than the one I’ve got this year. As usual, I’m not trying to put together anything as comprehensive and objective as a “best of the combine” list. Rather, these are the guys that made an impression on me, the guys that for one reason or another I thought were interesting prospects. Often that’s because I thought they were really good. Sometimes it’s just that they seemed to be my “kind” of player. Or, as with the “wildcards,” there’s just some intrique about them.

(Sacha Kljesten and Jason Garey did not play in the combine so I’m not including them in the lists below.)

Goalkeeper

I think it’s particularly unfair to evaluate goalkeepers at the combine. Still, it seemed that only one goalkeeper survived the weekend without embarrassing himself. That was Ray Burse. If I had nothing but the combine to go on, and I had to take choose a goalkeeper from this year’s crop, then I’d take Burse ahead of the rest. He was more certain and more commanding than the rest. But that’s really not saying much.

Defense

Kyle Veris is the first name here. He’s a big, hard tackling player with the physical tools for Major League Soccer. It’s just a question of whether he can make the mental jump. Nathan Sturgis is in some sense the opposite of Veris. He’s got the mental tools, but can he make the physical jump? There were better central defenders than Anthony Noreiga (like, perhaps, Trevor McEachron) but I liked Noreiga’s game. He’s the kind of player who probably needs the combine, and I think he took full advantage of it. With a little time and patience I suspect he could make the jump to MLS. (But at 23 he doesn’t have much time to waste.) And then there’s Marvell Wynne. He really is just that good.

Defense/Midfield/Defensive-Midfield

A bunch of guys in the combine rotated all around defense, midfield and defensive midfield. I’m putting them in their own category because I’m not sure where they’ll end up playing in MLS. Of this bunch Jeff Carroll was far and away the most interesting to my eye. He won’t go first round, and in a certain objective sense that’s undeserved, but he’s gonna be an absolute steal in the later rounds. Patrick Ianni is in this group too. Something about his quiet and sure play appeals to me. He reads the game well, but he needs to work on communication and he’d do well to develop a bit more of an aggressive physical edge if he hopes to do well in MLS. I liked Justin Moore in this group too.

Midfield

I’ve said it before, but there’s something in the water down there at Wake Forest. I expect good things from Justin Moose. Dax McCarty is another quality player in this group. He’s got the skills and the smarts, and on the wings I don’t think his small stature will be as big a hindrance as it might be in the middle of the field. Still, it remains a question whether he can keep up with the level of physical play in MLS. Drew Helm, on the other hand, has the size and speed to hang in MLS. I think he’s got the soccer smarts too; others may disagree.

Forward

I have to admit the forwards were pretty bad this year and that Josmer Altidore was the most interesting prospect out there. Others would take him in the first round. Depending on the circumstance I might not. He remains a very young player and if my team had any real immediate needs I’d look to fill those needs before looking to pick him. On the other hand, I’ve seen the suggestion that several teams feel pretty good about their existing squads. If that’s the case then, by all means, draft Altidore and build for the future. In a couple years we’ll probably all be jealous you.

Wildcards

I might be right about these guys or I might be wrong. The story of the combine was probably Yura Movsisyan. He’s an 18 year old forward that nobody had heard of before last weekend. From what I saw there’s a decent chance he’ll do well in MLS. I’d take a flier on him in the later rounds. There’s nothing to lose and maybe a heck of a lot to gain. Then there’s Mehdi Ballouchy. Maybe I’m wrong, but no matter how highly regarded he is I just can’t see him doing well in MLS. To my eye he’s too soft and too slow for MLS, particularly if he hopes to play attacking midfield. Play him at #10 and I think he gets slaughtered.

The Kevin Ara Award

2004: Kevin Ara (Drafted by DC United, taken by RSL in the expansion draft and then cut in pre-season.)
2005: Simone Salinno (Undrafted. Current whereabouts unknown.)
2006: Justin Moose

Either you know what that last one’s about or you don’t.

I think I’m posting this a little later than promised. The spirit was willing but the flesh was weak. (Translation: I fell asleep on the couch before I finished writing.)

The games at two out of three combines I’ve attended have been great on the first day, OK on the second day, and lousy on the last day. This time it was lousy on the first day, great on the second day, and OK on the last day. Well, actually, that second game between the Dark Blues (DBs) and the Light Blues (LBs) was fairly lousy.

The combine felt like it was effectively over before kickoff. And it was obvious from watching the coaches that many of the important decisions had already been made. Team staffs seemed to break with their usual practices of the last two days. If they were all sitting together by the field (like New England) now they were talking with other teams and joking around by the field. If they were all sitting separately in various parts of the stadium (DC United) they were all now assembled together at midfield.

(Speaking of DC United, Nowak and Kasper kept sneaking smokes under the bleachers like a couple of schoolboys hiding from the principal.)

Near my vantage point Preki was holding court over the Chivas camp. I don’t think he shut-up for a single moment the morning, and as far as I could tell he wasn’t talking about soccer the entire time. I think the man could have a second career as a standup comic.

Not every operation was in “get it over and get out of town” mode. The RSL camp was notably insular. While everyone else was chatting and back-slapping and deal-making, Ellinger and company were all alone watching the games in the stands. Tell you the truth, the RSL staff seemed particularly insular throughout the combine.

There’s very little to say from Sunday that hasn’t already been noted in my previous reports. As the song goes: “if you don’t know me by now …”

But Yura Movsisyan finally started to make an impression on me on the last day. He notched one nice goal (though in MLS he wouldn’t have had all the time he took to make the shot) and he almost got another with a long range rocket that banged off the crossbar. I suppose he’s not a well known player, but he’s a guy I’d take a late round chance on. (Contrary to reports elsewhere, my notes say he was assisted by Ianni.)

At central defense Veris continued to play well; he’s gone up in my book everyday. On the other hand, Noreiga seemed to be having an off-day. His passing was pretty miserable at times. Ianni has a quiet quality about his game. I mean that in two ways. First, he’s a very good player, but there’s nothing ostentatious about his game. It’s simple and understated – quiet quality. Second, he’s also very quiet. He does his thing and does it well, but he doesn’t communicate with anyone on his line. That’s a flaw in his game and one he’ll need to fix if he hopes to make a name for himself in MLS.

I’ve seen solid defensive mid performances at past combines. Jeff Carroll blows all those performances out of the water. He’s in a somewhat different class. I’m pretty sure he’s practiced with DC United in the past, and maybe those experiences helped him develop that little something extra. On Sunday he moved around the field quite a bit – right back, central midfield. He’s alright in the back and maybe he’d develop quickly into a formidable right back with a little time. However, if I wanted to draft a defensive midfielder there’s no question in my mind he’s the guy I’d choose. (And then I’d send him to the weight room to bulk up.)

Drew Helm played up top on Sunday. I guess that’s where he played in college, but I prefer him on the wing. I’m guessing that’s where most MLS coaches would put him too. Actually, he could probably be converted into a pretty decent wingback also. He’s certainly got the speed.

Willie Sims has been less and less impressive each day. He’s also really, really slow. Still, for some reason I think Steve Sampson will draft him. He’s his “kind” of pick.

Dax McCarty continues to go up in my eyes. He played right wing for the most part and he’s worked his way into my list of interesting wingers who are worth a high pick.

I’m also pretty confident at this point that Justin Moore will be a very solid MLS player.

Lastly, I looked for it, but I don’t see the “the there, there” in Plotkin. Other than the occasional long range shot I don’t think he’s contributed much.

The first game ended 1-0 for the Greens courtesy of the man from Azerbaijan.

The second game ended 2-1, but with quality of play deteriorating as it was I’m not sure it’s worth reading too much into the player performances there. A few players, it seemed, were getting desperate to make some final impression, other players looked like they’d already spent whatever they had, and still other players were going at half-speed because they knew they’d already done what they needed to do. All in all it was a pretty ugly game.

I believe it was Sturgis who scored the first goal off a free kick. It was weak kick, but somehow it managed to dribble its way through some incompetent defending and into the goalmouth. I believe the term is “campfire defense.”

I’m really not feeling it for Bertz and Wahl. I think this draft is pretty deep at central defense, and I wouldn’t be inclined to take either of them.

Altidore was stuck on the left in midfield on Sunday. And other than “take up space” and “look lost” he did diddly-squat in that position. Altidore is a forward. Play him up top or don’t bother playing him at all.

Wynne came in during the second half and relieved some of the tediousness of this match. Assisting Hashimoto on a quality goal was a nice bonus. It’ll be a genuine shock if he’s not the first pick in the draft.

Calen Carr finished up the day with a goal assisted by Lancos.

I’ll post a final assessment of the combine in the next day or two.