The 2010 MLS SuperDraft was held Thursday afternoon in Philadelphia, formally inaugurating the league’s 16th franchise and kicking off the new year for the American league.
The big winners on the day looked to be Wake Forest, which had three players taken in the first round, and the Gen Adidas development group, which saw nine players picked in the first round.
Generation adidas players do not count against team salary caps, and have traditionally been taken early by teams in the SuperDraft.
But hovering over the draft floor was the specter of a work stoppage as the result of an increasingly tense struggle between the MLS Player’s Union and MLS’ management and owners.
If a deal is not reached by January 31, MLS could choose to lock its own players out.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, MLS commissioner Don Garber said, “We believe we are making progress on labor deal.”
The players’ union might disagree ... MLSPU head Bob Foose said bluntly in an interview to Fox Sports that: “It’s not just the paycheck here. It’s the system.”
According to sources on both sides of the debate, while time remains, little substantial progress has been made in rectifying the situation.
Fact also is that the draft is one thing the union might like to change. Currently, MLS as a single-entity operation owns all the players — meaning that, unlike in other countries, youth players are not wooed and pursued with signing bonuses, nor are they rewarded with the high salaries top rookies in other sports receive.
As a result, the SuperDraft helps MLS, because it works as a brake on costs.
That’s a major reason a number of top young players decided to sign elsewhere — for example, Mattre Dunn with Cologne and Charles Renken and Joseph-Claude Gyau with 1899 Hoffenheim in Germany.
And, then, there’s the uncomfortable fact that that top-round SuperDraft selected players have historically fared poorly in MLS.
Some of those top picks — Steve Shak, Freddy Adu and Jason Moore come to mind — have been busts, and looking down the lists, a shockingly small percentage of draftees work out.
None of this dampened the enthusiasm of the fans and the players selected in the draft this afternoon. Philadelphia’s fan group, the Sons of Ben, were in full voice on the draft floor, and each pick was greeted with rapturous cheers.
Yet, aside from the very top picks, most of the key moves were made among established talents, with Real Slat Lake’s Clint Mathis being shipped to Los Angeles, Chris Albright joining the Red Bulls, and D.C. acquiring the rights to Troy Perkins while sending Fred to Philadelphia along with some cash.
Here’s a quick look at the top sixteen men drafted today by MLS’ franchises:
1. Philadelphia: F Daniel Mwanga (Oregon St.) [generation adidas]
Mwanga, is a big, fast striker who turned down chances to try out for teams in France. Reportedly, Union head coach Peter Nowak flew out to visit with Mwanaga in an effort to gain the sophomore’s signature, and he got it.
The 18 year old D.R. Congo native has a lot of tools — and a green card —but will have to show he can play at the professional level. Nonetheless, Mwanga has many admirers in a draft widely thought to be rich with forwards.
2. New York Red Bulls:¿ M Tony Tchani (University of Virginia) [generation adidas]
The ACC freshman of the year chose to leave school after winning the NCAA title. Considered to be versatile, Tchani can play as either a midfielder or a forward, both of which NYRB need (heck, they need anyone and everything).
New coach Hans Backe will have to get the kid up to speed and pray he can lift NY’s anemic scoring rate.
3. San Jose: D¿ Ike Opara (Wake Forest) [generation adidas]
The first of three Demon Deacons picked, the U-20 national team defender could be a good fit for a leaky San Jose side that won just one game on the road all season. Opara is good in the air and burly, but there are questions about his positioning and he did not impress at the weather-shortened MLS combine.
4. Kansas City: F¿ Teal Bunbury (Akron) [generation adidas]
Bunbury became the first player to follow his father, Alex, to the same MLS team, and the Canadian U-20 F is considered one of the best forwards available this year. K.C. certainly needs some help up top as Herculez Gomez decamped for Mexico. New coach (and GM) Peter Vermes has a lot of work to do, but hopes Bunbury can provide some bite.
5. Dallas: M Zach Loyd (UNC)
Dallas lost Kenny Cooper and Drew Moor in the offseason and Loyd may be being groomed to slot in to Moor’s role. Thing is that Dallas has a lot of youth but not a lot of experience, with a team largely content to houk the ball up the field. Loyd isn’t a potential starter, and his pick here was a surprise of sorts, but he showed well at the combine as has the reputation of being cool and collected on the ball. He’d better be: This has to be considered a make or break year for FCD coach Schellas Hyndman.
6. Philadelphia¿: M Amobi Okugo. (UCLA) [generation adidas]
A defensive midfielder, Okugo shone at the combine and has performed well on the U-20s. The Pac-10 freshman of the year, Okugo is a pretty solid player for an 18 year old, but isn’t expected to step right in and start. Another young player that Peter Nowak will need to mold.
7. Philadelphia: F Jack McInerney (U-17 MNT, Cobb SC) [generation adidas]
This one is a flier of sorts: McInerney is a straight out of club soccer player who was openly disdained when Wilmer Cabrera snagged him for U-17s. He silenced his critics, and opted to skip college, but this kid is not ready for prime time. A pick perhaps for the future?
8. Columbus¿: M Dilly Duka (Rutgers) [generation adidas]
The Red Bulls might be smarting about this one. The sophomore (and all-Big East standout) was trained in their academy system and has logged time with U-20s. He’s not very big, but considered to be a hard-working player who will fight for his place. Some see him as a legit scoring threat; others see a kid who has raw talent but not a lot of first-rate skills. Time will tell.
9. New England¿: F Zach Schilawski (Wake Forest)
The Revs need cover for to injured players: out-of-contract Steve Ralston and Taylor Twellman, and coach Steve Nicol has a good eye for guys who can excel in his system. It helps that Schilawski is a four-year player with plenty of experience and smarts. Might start right off the bat in Boston.
10. Chivas USA: M Blair Gavin (Akron) [generation adidas]
A decent but unspectacular midfielder who was part of the near-miss Zips team this year. Usually plays a bit further back and could develop into something, but not one of the top prospects this year.
¿11. Seattle: David Estrada (UCLA)
Sigi Schmid — whose Sounders team needs very little — made a shock pick here in taking a guy who wowed as a frosh and then tailed off badly. He’s got raw skills and he looked very good on the ball at the combine. It helps that Schmid, a UCLA guy, knows him well.
12. Columbus F Bright Dike (Notre Dame)
Dike is a big, burly forward who could develop into a Kenny Cooper-type player. His technical skills are lacking, but he is bullish and creates some havoc. Does the Crew need another hard worker? Well, they seem to think so.
13. Chicago: Corben Bone (Wake Forest) [generation adidas]
A solid pick here for the Fire as they took a midfielder known for creating and passing. His stock plummeted at the combine, but with the Fire needing help after the departures of Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Gonzalo Segares, this isn’t a bad move.
14. NYRB: ¿Austin da Luz (Wake Forest)
Another Deacon, this one a left sided midfielder, who displayed a good touch on the ball and sensible distribution at the combine. Did we mention NYRB need everything?
15. Real Salt Lake: Collen Warner (Portland)
See below. Warner performed well in South Florida, and has good speed and vision. Could indeed help Salt Lake if he has anyone to pass the ball to.
16. Los Angeles: Clint Mathis and Michael Stephens (UCLA)
This one was a bit confusing. Bruce Arena picked up Mathis from RSL in exchange for the 15th pick, and then took a guy he could afford to waste. Stephens is nothing special, but he is a local kid and if he does okay, he could be a squad player.
Now, that labor deal. As we noted, hanging over everything is an impending lockout. The union believes MLS is at a crossroads.
The league thinks it has a structure that has allowed it to weather good times and bad. And, Garber said today that he believes the two sides are finally “really talking.”
The negotiations have been stalled because of fundamental philosophical differences between the owners and the players.
The owners feel they hold all the cards, and point out that many of the MLS players would not be able to get jobs elsewhere. The players counter that without them, there would be no league.
Adding to the tension was a recent SportsBusiness Journal report that cited sources as saying Garber will be rewarded a $3m/a year deal — if he can wrangle a new CBA.
That money that is hardly stratospheric by CEO standards, but in MLS terms would exceed the amount each franchise currently spends on its entire roster per year. And some players found that news provocative.
What the union wants is simply some sort of free agency, guaranteed contracts (80% of MLS’ players don’t have them) and a raise in a salary cap that does leave many players struggling to make ends meet.
“What we want is to have just is in existence everywhere else,” said Foose.
“We believe that players need to have the freedom to decide where they should play. We don’t understand the logic of a system that decides for teams what a player is worth rather than the individual teams. We are not proposing to get rid of the salary cap, and we are working to provide cap certainty, but we feel there is a better way.
“If the league is going to grow, which we all want, we have to start acting like leagues around the world. Take the training wheels off, because it is holding the league back in attracting and retaining players and in the quality of the competition on the field.”
What happens next will be up to both sides behind closed doors.
But both say that growing the league and the game is their objective. The fans and the 16 young men on the podium this afternoon certainly hope that is the case.
Jamie Trecker is a senior soccer writer for FoxSoccer.com.
