A few expansion draft thoughts [soccer post]
Nothing but North American soccer chatter below. You were warned.
So, first thing that stands out to me is the loss of Sturgis and Nyassi from my guys. I was a bit surprised that N'kufo wasn't picked. A lot of folks were assuming that Vancouver would snag him - he's a good forward player with a lot of experience and has family in Vancouver. He would *want* to play there. But he's also a designated player and has a non-trivial price-tag. He may also be someone that Seattle just flat-out trades to Vancouver in exchange for something in response to the rest of the draft.
Losing Sturgis and Nyassi are both bummers. Nyassi was a 'speed' man for us and Sturgis was a solid midfielder and the two of them together are a nice attacking combo for Vancouver. As a team, we're deep enough that this isn't going to cripple us, but it is unfortunate. I liked these guys, they were good people.
What else happened?
Robbie Findley from Real Salt Lake and John Bornstein from Chivas USA were tagged by Portland. They're both a little bit of a surprise, since they've both expressed interest in leaving the league. I'd be surprised if this works out for Portland long-term. It's definitely a gamble.
Jordan Graye from D.C. United is going to Portland. Graye was an okay defender for DCU, but was forced into some odd positions (switching left and right) and let slip more than a few goals.
I don't have a huge opinion of the other picks, though it was noted that most of the picks were midfield and attack oriented. Very little emphasis on defending players, especially by Vancouver. All in all, I think Vancouver made the better picks. Portland picked a lot of iffy players that may come back to bite them. I expect there will be a flurry of trades, deals, etc in the next week or so in reaction to all of this.
One thing I do really like about this process is that it gives some good, skilled, solid but second-string players getting to move up into starter positions. Philadelphia last year grabbed Sebastian Le Toux from us. Le Toux was a good player, but wasn't starting-material for us. It was a bummer to see him go, but in Philly he had a chance to start and to shine. He was really one of the amazing breakout players in 2010.
So, first thing that stands out to me is the loss of Sturgis and Nyassi from my guys. I was a bit surprised that N'kufo wasn't picked. A lot of folks were assuming that Vancouver would snag him - he's a good forward player with a lot of experience and has family in Vancouver. He would *want* to play there. But he's also a designated player and has a non-trivial price-tag. He may also be someone that Seattle just flat-out trades to Vancouver in exchange for something in response to the rest of the draft.
Losing Sturgis and Nyassi are both bummers. Nyassi was a 'speed' man for us and Sturgis was a solid midfielder and the two of them together are a nice attacking combo for Vancouver. As a team, we're deep enough that this isn't going to cripple us, but it is unfortunate. I liked these guys, they were good people.
What else happened?
Robbie Findley from Real Salt Lake and John Bornstein from Chivas USA were tagged by Portland. They're both a little bit of a surprise, since they've both expressed interest in leaving the league. I'd be surprised if this works out for Portland long-term. It's definitely a gamble.
Jordan Graye from D.C. United is going to Portland. Graye was an okay defender for DCU, but was forced into some odd positions (switching left and right) and let slip more than a few goals.
I don't have a huge opinion of the other picks, though it was noted that most of the picks were midfield and attack oriented. Very little emphasis on defending players, especially by Vancouver. All in all, I think Vancouver made the better picks. Portland picked a lot of iffy players that may come back to bite them. I expect there will be a flurry of trades, deals, etc in the next week or so in reaction to all of this.
One thing I do really like about this process is that it gives some good, skilled, solid but second-string players getting to move up into starter positions. Philadelphia last year grabbed Sebastian Le Toux from us. Le Toux was a good player, but wasn't starting-material for us. It was a bummer to see him go, but in Philly he had a chance to start and to shine. He was really one of the amazing breakout players in 2010.