MLS Draft Results Analysis 2006 – Post Season…

There are a lot of ways to look at and evaluate the 2006 MLS Draft class. Some teams got a lot of players who could settle into reserves and develop for the future, other teams drafted selectively and either struck pay dirt or lost big time. Did the team that got the most production out of their rookies win the draft lottery? Or did the team that selected the best talent still waiting for their shot do better? It is always interesting after the MLS season to look back at the most recent draft class to see who the winners were and who the losers. So let’s jump into it.

First, some basic statistics on the 2006 draft class and who’s left. Over 96 selections only 95 players were taken because Houston decided to pass on their final Supplemental Pick. Of those 95 players, 37 were dropped from their teams’ rosters, leaving 58 draft class rookies. One player, Goal Keeper Pete Dzubay, is included in the above numbers but is the league’s emergency backup keeper. While he was drafted by the Red Bulls, he isn’t considered to be on their roster and didn’t see any first team action this season. Pete isn’t included in the numbers for New York.

First off I need to set my paradigm… If a player was dropped in the middle of the season and MLSnet.com doesn’t list them with the club, they’re not counted here, they are considered to be waived before the regular season starts. Additionally, I’m only talking about rookies acquired in the MLS SuperDraft and Supplemental Draft.

We’ll start with the easy one, who drafted the most players?

	Players Selected
FC Dallas	12
Kansas City	11
Chicago	10
Columbus	9
Los Angeles	8
Houston	7
New England	7
Colorado	6
DC United	6
New York	6
Chivas USA	5
Real Salt Lake	5

Looks like FC Dallas took the biggest group of players while Real Salt Lake chose to trade picks for veterans. Chivas USA seemed to do the same thing; maybe it is an expansion club tactic. You can see the three teams who like to trade for the hope of finding the next diamond in the rough with lots of picks; Dallas, Kansas City & Chicago.

Now, let’s see how each club did with keeping the players they drafted:

	Selected	Finished Season	Finished Season %
DC United	6	5	83%
Chivas USA	5	4	80%
Real Salt Lake	5	4	80%
Columbus	9	7	78%
Chicago	10	7	70%
Colorado	6	4	67%
New York	6	4	67%
Kansas City	11	7	64%
New England	7	4	57%
FC Dallas	12	5	42%
Houston	7	2	29%
Los Angeles	8	2	25%

Looks like DC United wins this category. They drafted just about the number they needed. Of the double digit clubs, Chicago has the most room for the young players to stick around. What happened in LA and Houston? A combination of older, more expensive players must have made them cut down the group. Or their scouting needs some serious help. Dallas too!

Now let’s switch gears and see how many games those 58 players participated in with the senior team:

	Matches Played
Chivas USA	89
Chicago	77
Columbus	77
Kansas City	50
Real Salt Lake	50
Colorado	45
New York	34
Los Angeles	25
New England	23
FC Dallas	20
DC United	17
Houston	2

Chivas got 89 matches out of their rookie class. I think that speaks volume to the scouting and coaching at Chivas USA this year. They got the guys who could contribute immediately and they helped them learn to adapt to the professional game. Houston…only 2! Houston, we have a problem. Once Ching and DeRo leave, what are you going to do?

So how does that stack up on an average games/player basis?

	Rookie Games Played	Rookie Class at End of Season	Average Games/Rookie
Chivas USA	89	4	22.25
Los Angeles	25	2	12.50
Real Salt Lake	50	4	12.50
Colorado	45	4	11.25
Chicago	77	7	11.00
Columbus	77	7	11.00
New York	34	4	8.50
Kansas City	50	7	7.14
New England	23	4	5.75
FC Dallas	20	5	4.00
DC United	17	5	3.40
Houston	2	2	1.00

Once again, with a small class, Chivas USA really got a lot from their rookies. The success they’ve seen can be attributed to many of the veterans they brought in and their rookie combo of Sacha Kljestan & Jonathan Bornstein. Those two really took the league by storm. Bob Bradley and his staff really won the draft game if you’re looking for immediate payback. Bornstein’s six goals and four assists make him look like a league vet.

On the other hand, I mentioned earlier that the draft isn’t all about getting the immediate bang for the buck. Kljestan & Bornstein had such successful opening seasons, they may be on the scouting lists for leagues around the world by now. Those who are late bloomers, may stick around the league longer. However, if you ask me I want a guy who can come in and contribute…today. Chivas USA really needed that kind of player and they got two.

Now let’s look at each team and their Class of 2006 rookie situation.

Chicago – Drafted 10 guys, kept 7. 70% is a good percentage in this league, especially when you consider Houston and LA. Calen Carr and Dasan Robinson got the most playing time of the bunch. Carr became a huge success in the Open Cup, helping the club get to the finals and win the competition. Robinson became an important part of their defense that allowed a stingy 1.3 goals per game. Brian Plotkin was their only other rookie to get meaningful playing time over ten games.

Chivas USA – We’ve discussed the rookie combo of Sacha Kljestan & Jonathan Bornstein at length already. The only strike against the super twins, their production tapered off at the end of the season. Maybe they weren’t ready for the long MLS season. It’ll be interesting to see how they do in the playoffs. Bornstein is the MLS Rookie of the Year, even though it hasn’t been announced yet, and it has to be noted he was selected with the 37th pick…diamonds do stick around to later rounds of the draft. Lawson Vaughn is another Chivas rookie who saw the field in 17 matches and showed he can defend in this league. Drew Helm is the only other draftee who made the squad and he got some playing time. Bob Bradley really won this draft by getting his rookie combo. However, what would he have been able to do with 7 more picks like FC Dallas?

Colorado – Colorado has a history of bad drafts, if I was writing on the success of teams in MLS drafts all time, Colorado would be towards the bottom of the league list. So it was refreshing when Colorado picked Jacob Peterson in the second round of the SuperDraft with their first pick. It took Peterson awhile to get into the swing of things, but he came on strong at the end of the season and his fourth goal was the one they needed to tie Houston and clinch a playoff spot. Daniel Wasson was the 86th pick for the Rapids and he’s the only other rookie who got playing time for the Black and Blue. He seems like a solid prospect and if he continues to progress next season, he’ll be a steal that late. The Rapids kept 4 of 6, but only 2 of 6 contributed…they need to do better.

Columbus – Sigi Schmid had a tough season in Columbus. The team was the league’s worst and first to be eliminated from the playoffs. So, rookies got some good playing time, for better or worse. Columbus drafted 9 players and kept 7, so that is a good ratio. #3 pick in the draft, Jason Garey, had a strong season getting 5 goals and making 2 assists. #9 Kei Kamara also did well as a rookie with 3 goals. Brandon Moss was selected at #27 and got some solid playing time. Of all the teams, this class of rookies really came in and contributed. That shows in their average of 11 games across 7 guys. However, you can’t build a team just of rookies. So maybe Sigi was looking more towards 2007 with the class he selected in 2006.

DC United - Let’s face it…DCU didn’t need a good draft class. Top to bottom they have the most talent with their veterans and youngsters already in place. So their average of 3.4 games/rookie should come as no surprise. Rod Dyachenko, selected 31st, was their top rookie in the playing time department. So long as guys like Adu, Gomez, Moreno, Eski and Boswell are on the roster, rookies are going to have a hard time breaking through.

FC Dallas – Colin Clarke likes the draft. He always seems to come in with extra picks and takes a big group. This time around he selected the most players, 12. However, many of them weren’t worth the time and only 5 made it through the season with the team. Those 5 guys only averaged 4 games each. I think Dallas was in a position like DC. They had good veterans so the rookies can sit and learn. Look for Dax McCarty & Blake Wagner to get more playing time in the coming years.

Houston – Houston probably had the worst draft in the league this year. They got one big name prospect, Patrick Ianni, but only had three picks in the SuperDraft while the other five were in the Supplemental. Ianni is the only player who got any playing time and he saw two matches. While Houston is deep, as I said earlier…what happens when the senior veterans retire or go abroad?

Kansas City – The Wizards are another club that went in there with a big paint brush and took eleven guys. They even managed to keep seven on the roster. 4th overall pick, Yura Movsisyan, was a surprise to most and when he only got into 10 games and didn’t score a goal, it kind of proved why. Matt Groenwald was their biggest impact rookie and he was taken with the 28th pick. Their average games/rookie score of 7.14 shows they didn’t get a lot from this class. Since they didn’t have the solid veteran base, they struggled and the rookies couldn’t help prop them up.

Los Angeles – Well, the Gals tried to get some good talent taking eight players in the draft, but something made them only hold onto two. Trevor McEahron was the biggest name not to make the roster, but LA took him 60th knowing he may not work out. Nathan Sturgis has good US U-20 experience and should be on the roster in seasons to come. But I guess Landycake’s salary made things too tight to keep the rookie class of 2006. Let’s also remember Steve Sampson was in charge, so you knew it wasn’t going to work out too well.

New England – The Revolution are good in the draft year in and year out. This time around they earned mediocre marks. Their first round pick, Leandro de Oliveira, got injured and was waived before long, The rest of the class didn’t get into too many games and their 5.75 games/rookie average is among the bottom third of the league. They had a good team having just been in the MLS Cup, so they didn’t need their rookies too much. I guess they’re kind of like DC United on this one.

New York – Since the Metros…I mean Red Bulls are always bumping around the bottom of the league, they always hope to go big in the draft. This time around they traded up to the number one spot and snagged Marvell Wynn. Wynn became the top prospect after his display in the Youth World Cup in 2005. He got good playing time on that Red Bulls back line, but showed in the opening match against DC that he has a lot to learn. Josmer Altidore was a flier for the Red Bulls at 16 years old, but that one paid off big time. He got playing time at the end of the season and scored some screamer goals. He shot up to a top American prospect really quickly.

Salt Lake – Real needed a lot of help after last year and with the second pick in the draft they selected a creative midfielder with a lot of flair in Mehdi Ballouchy. While he was thrown into the lions den this season trying to right a sinking ship, he performed well. There were many times where I was dazzled with his quick feet and ball control. His scoring didn’t dazzle, but I have little doubt that he’ll continue to progress and improve in MLS. Ballouchy is one of the gems from this draft, and his number two position was well justified. Willis Forko is a solid defender SLC picked up in the Supplemental Draft and he got a lot of playing time on that back line. However, SLC let in a league high 49 goals this season, showing there is a need for improvement in back. Forko may be able to adapt and stay in the league, or he may be a short term solution while SLC fills the holes.


So, do I have to pick winners and losers? Of course I do! Chivas USA is the clear winner. Columbus, Chicago, Colorado, New York and Salt Lake all did well. DC United didn't need to do much, neither did Dallas or New England. The last two may have the kind of class that pours it on in a couple years when holes apear Losers: Houston take first there. Followed by LA & Kansas City. That's where I think it falls out...how about you?