My initial take is also that this appears to be a somewhat weaker selection of guys than I was hoping for.
The highlights:
Nate Jaqua Tyson Wahl Brad Evans Khano Smith
Not sure:
Jeff Riley Steven King
Risky: Jeff Parke (suspended 4 matches, wants to go to Europe) Nathan Sturgis (injury-prone, inexperienced) Jarrod Smith (24-year old New Zealand international with one league goal) Peter Vagenas (aging defender with recent injury issues)
Underwhelmed at first glance. These guys don't look all that trade-worthy, either.
I now suggest that we've got some players coming from elsewhere and from the USL group. Let's hope so, anyway.
Quakes/Sounder fan here. Riley was a good pick up. Young, quick, solid defender. A good possession player who came with a cheap price tag. Was also active in the community the short time he was in San Jose. Quakes fans are sad to see him go.
I wouldn't get too excited or disappointed by the draft. I think the Quakes only have 4 of their original 10 choices.
True. In 10 games & 3 starts as a mid got 0 goals and 1 assist. And Jarrod in 20 games & 6 starts as a striker got 1 goal and 0 assists. So on record alone it is tough to make your case.
Johann seemed to be a much more dynamic, quick and exciting player. But the choice has been made. You think it is a good choice, I don't. I hope what Henderson saw emerges. If he wears our jersey I'll be cheering him on.
Joined: May 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 13,293 Location: The Sound of Soccer
Re: Expansion Draft thread: TODAY'S the Day! « Reply #215 on Nov 26, 2008, 12:49pm »
Club press release. It's a long one...
Eugene’s Jaqua Among 10 Taken in Expansion Draft
7 of Seattle’s choices were MLS starters in 2008, 8 have international experience
RENTON, WASH. – The Seattle Sounders FC is now stocked with 14 players following the selection of 10 individuals during today’s Major League Soccer Expansion Draft.
Among the players chosen by general manager Adrian Hanauer and technical director Chris Henderson was a Northwest native and U.S. National Team member, forward Nate Jaqua (pronounced JAKE-wuh) of the Houston Dynamo.
In addition, three other draft selections have international experience at the senior level. Kahno Smith (pronounced KAHN-no), a midfielder from New England, has over 20 caps for Bermuda, including three World Cup qualifiers earlier this year. Jarrod Smith, a forward from Toronto FC, has represented New Zealand. Peter Vagenas (pronounced Vye-YAY-nuss), a midfielder from the L.A. Galaxy, earned the U.S. caps in 2000.
Also drafted were Brad Evans (midfielder, Columbus), Stephen King (midfielder, Chicago), Jeff Parke (defender, New York), James Riley (defender, San Jose), Nathan Sturgis (midfielder, Salt Lake) and Tyson Wahl (defender, Kansas City). Evans, Sturgis, Vagenas and Wahl have played for U.S. youth international teams, with Sturgis being named to the 2008 Olympic team.
“We feel like we got a great mix of players,” said Adrian Hanauer, Sounders FC general manager. “We got an experienced veteran who has been there in the trenches and played lots of MLS games in Peter Vagenas. We got mid-tier experienced guys in Parke, Jaqua and Khano Smith. We’re very excited about the young players we were able to select.”
“We weighted the draft a little more defensively, rather than the attack,” said Hanauer. “We feel very good about our expansion draft players as they complement our existing four players. Together, they comprise a very solid core.”
Sounders FC has already signed four players for its inaugural season: Kasey Keller, goalkeeper; Sebastien Le Toux, forward; Freddie Ljungberg, midfielder; and Sanna Nyassi, midfielder.
Six of the new Sounders FC players started at least half of their teams’ league games in 2008; Jaqua, who joined Houston in midseason, started 11 times.
Seattle’s selections average 24.9 years of age, and 3.8 seasons of MLS experience. There were five midfielders, three defenders and two forwards selected.
Seattle, which will become the 15th MLS team in the 2009 season, could claim only one player from each existing team; four teams did not lose a player.
Listed below are thumbnail bios for those players selected in the MLS Expansion Draft by Seattle.
Nate Jaqua
Pronunciation: JAKE-wuh
Position: F Height: 6-3
Weight: 180 Birthdate: October 28, 1981 (age 27) Hometown: Eugene, OR Last club: Houston Dynamo
College: Portland
MLS Seasons: 6
2008: Played in 14 games after joining team midseason, starting 11 … Scored four goals and had four assists … Played in two playoffs, starting one.
Career: Last 29 games over two seasons with Houston … Previously played for SC Rheindorf Altach (Austria), 2008; L.A. Galaxy, 2007; Toronto FC, 2006-07; and Chicago Fire, 2003-06 … Appeared in 131 games, starting 93 … 32 goals and 17 assists in 6 regular seasons.
International: Three appearances for U.S. National Team since 2006, including at Wembley vs. England in May.
Jeff Parke
Pronunciation: PARK
Position: D
Height: 6-1
Weight: 185
Birthdate: 3/23/1982 (age 26)
Hometown: Downington, PA
Last club: New York Red Bulls
College: Drexel
MLS Seasons: 5
2008: Played in 24 games, starting 23 … 0-0 (0-0)
Career: Appeared in 132 games, all for New York, starting 126 … Named team’s defender of the year in 2007… 2006 named Red Bulls Ironman of the Year for logging in a team-high 2,771 minutes and was named co-unsung player of the year by members of the soccer media.
Stephen King
Position: M
Height: 5-8
Weight: 153
Birthdate: 3/06/1986 (age 22)
Hometown: Medford, NJ
Last club: Chicago Fire
College: Maryland
MLS Seasons: 1
2008: In his first MLS season, played in 20 games, starting eight … Scored two goals and had one assist … Had first MLS goal against the New England Revolution (5/3/08).
College: College Soccer News First Team All-American and ESPN Academic All-American for Maryland as senior.
Nathan Sturgis
Position: M
Height: 5-10
Weight: 150
Birthdate: 7/06/1987 (age 21)
Hometown: St. Augustine, FL
Last club: Real Salt Lake
College: Clemson
MLS Seasons: 3
2008: Played in three games, starting two.
Career: Appeared in 32 games, starting 30 … 2007 played nine games, starting eight with LA Galaxy before being traded to RSL (6/21/07), where he started five of six played … 2006 started all of his 15 appearances for LA.
College: All-American and ACC Defensive player of the year for Tigers as sophomore … 12th pick in 2006 MLS SuperDraft.
James Riley
Position: D-M
Height: 5-10
Weight: 150
Birthdate: 10/26/1982 (age 26)
Hometown: Colorado Springs, CO
Last club: San Jose Earthquakes
College: Wake Forest
MLS Seasons: 4
2008: Played 24 games, starting 23 … Had two assists.
Career: Appeared in 77 games, starting 94 … Scored one goal and had five assists … Played first three seasons (2005-07) with New England Revolution … Member of New England’s Open Cup championship team in ’07 and MLS Runner-up (2006-07).
Khano Smith
Pronunciation: KAHN-no
Position: M
Height: 6-3
Weight: 190
Birthdate: 1/10/1982 (age 26)
Hometown: Warwick, Bermuda
Last club: New England Revolution
College: Lees-McCrae
MLS Seasons: 4
2008: Played in 23 games, starting eighteen … Had two goals and three assists.
Career: Appeared in 85 games, starting 54, all for New England … Scored eight goals and had 11 assists … Played in two MLS Cups (2006, 2007), starting in 2007 vs. Houston.
International: Bermuda National Team striker.
Tyson Wahl
Pronunciation: wall
Position: D
Height: 6-2
Weight: 185
Birthdate: 2/23/1984 (age 24)
Hometown: Newport Beach, CA
Last club: Kansas City Wizards
College: California
MLS Seasons: 3
2008: Played in 16 games, starting all 16 … Started both playoff games.
Career: Appeared in 36 games, starting 26, all with Kansas City.
College: All-American defender at California, where he started every game of career.
Jarrod Smith
Position: F
Height: 6-1
Weight: 180
Birthdate: 6/20/1984 (age 24)
Hometown: Havelock North, New Zealand
Last club: Toronto FC
College: West Virginia
MLS Seasons: 1
2008: In first MLS season, played in 20 games, starting six … Scored first and only career MLS goal at LA Galaxy (4/13/08) … Selected first round, first overall in 2007 MLS Supplemental Draft.
College: Compiled 32 goals in 74 appearances … Scored 14 goals in just 16 appearances as a senior.
International: Member of New Zealand National Team … made debut vs. Malaysia (2/23/06).
Peter Vagenas
Pronunciation: vye-YAY-nuss
Position: M
Height: 5-8
Weight: 187
Birthdate: 2/6/1978 (age 30)
Hometown: Pasadena, CA
Last club: LA Galaxy
College: UCLA
MLS Seasons: 9
2008: Played in 14 games, starting 11 … Scored one goal and three assists.
Career: Appeared in 183 games over nine seasons, starting 164, all with the Galaxy … Scored 14 goals and 25 assists … Captained Team to the 2005 MLS Cup, U.S. Open Cup double, while setting a career high with five goals.
College: Played first three years at UCLA with Sigi Schmid as head coach … Had 15 goals and 30 assists in 82 career games … Led Bruins to the 1997 NCAA Championship.
International: Led the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team in goals scored with three en route to a fourth place finish, the best U.S. finish ever … Has made two U.S. National Team appearances.
Brad Evans
Position: M
Height: 6-1
Weight: 160
Birthdate: 4/20/1985 (age 23)
Hometown: Phoenix, AZ
Last club: Columbus Crew
College: UC Irvine
MLS Seasons: 2
2008: As a member of the MLS Cup champions, played in 26 games, starting 18, including a full 90 minutes in the championship game … Scored five goals and one assist.
Career: Appeared in 30 games, starting 19 … Scored five goals and two assists … Made first career start at New York (5/19/07).
College: Started 66 of 75 games, scoring 31 goals and 7 assists in his four-year career for the Anteaters
Joined: Aug 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 1,229 Location: Currently exiled to SF
Re: Expansion Draft thread: TODAY'S the Day! « Reply #216 on Nov 26, 2008, 12:52pm »
As others have said, the picture will become clearer as time passes. It's quite possible that Henderson and Hanauer have trade plans for some of the selections made today that don't seem to make sense. Or not. We just don't know. It doesn't seem farfetched to me that H & H have had conversations with various teams about their needs and that a few of these selections are aimed at getting trade material for players that weren't available through this draft.
What we do know is there are a lot of players still to be added and a lot of time left for wheeling and dealing.
Re: Expansion Draft thread: TODAY'S the Day! « Reply #217 on Nov 26, 2008, 12:57pm »
You have to understand how we are shaping our team. We are not going to play creative attacking football, lots of fancy footwork... We are going to play defensive, longball, set piece, cross...we already have an attacking midget player Nyassi.....but we need big/strong targets in/around the box to get the ball into the net.
It also appears Johann Smith is not much of a team player and that is not how the Sounders have been built in the past.
As others have said, the picture will become clearer as time passes. It's quite possible that Henderson and Hanauer have trade plans for some of the selections made today that don't seem to make sense. Or not. We just don't know. It doesn't seem farfetched to me that H & H have had conversations with various teams about their needs and that a few of these selections are aimed at getting trade material for players that weren't available through this draft.
What we do know is there are a lot of players still to be added and a lot of time left for wheeling and dealing.
Spot on! don't forget the transfer window this winter... oh and can I get a Freddy Montero Please
Joined: Jul 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 1,742 Location: Just behind you...
Re: Expansion Draft thread: TODAY'S the Day! « Reply #223 on Nov 26, 2008, 1:22pm »
Quote:
Also, they have stated they want to bring in an Asian player ala Ichiro to add marketability.
When did they say that? I have read almost every word in relation to the team, and have never ONCE read that from Hanauer, Roth or Henderson. It's been speculation on the part of fanboys and writers, but never once have those words passed the lips of the big three, so far as I am aware. If you can provide a source, I'll believe you. But until then, I call 'shenanigans'.
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