MLS "SuperDraft" 2013

[Phall]

Major League Soccer presides over a draft for unaffiliated collegiate prospects. While this concept might seem foreign to foreigners, it is simply a custom here. The draft is diluted at present because pro teams can assign "Homegrown Player" status to a few young men at a time, so long as they align themselves with their respective local youth academy. Unlike European youth academies, American programs tiptoe around "professional" status to preserve college eligibility.

Logically, before any draft, the league will host a "combine". Do you think the 40 yard dash is overemphasized as a measurable of pro (American) football talent? Well, let's try it in soccer!

MLS Combine: Who turned heads in speed, agility, power tests?

SPEED: 30-meter sprint
1. Don Anding (Northeastern) 4.04 seconds
2. Erik Hurtado (Santa Clara) 4.09 seconds
3. Blake Smith (New Mexico) 4.11 seconds
4. Kekuta Manneh (Austin Aztex) 4.17 seconds
5. Nico Clavijo (unattached) 4.18 seconds


AGILITY: 5-10-5
1. Deshorn Brown (Central Florida) 3.96 secs
2. Don Anding (Northeastern) 4.08 seconds
3. Blake Smith (New Mexico) 4.10 seconds
4. Tommy Muller (Georgetown) 4.11 seconds
5. Ian Christianson (Georgetown) 4.14 seconds


POWER: Vertical Jump
1. Scott Goodwin (North Carolina) 32.5 inches
2. T.J. Nelson (Southern Methodist) 31.5 inches
3. Erik Hurtado (Santa Clara) 31 inches
Dylan Remick (Santa Clara) 31 inches
Blake Smith (New Mexico) 31 inches

Out of 72 combine invitees, it is much easier to accentuate the non-white acrobats. T.J. Nelson is a tanned Asian, "Kekuta Manneh" requires no explanation, and Deshorn Brown answers to a fitting surname. Erik Hurtado is one of those nebulous "white hispanics". ALL THE OTHER TOP DASHERS, TURNERS, AND JUMPERS WERE WHITE.

Blake Smith, the best measurable athlete by laboratory metrics, went 8th to the Montreal Impact. I hope he finds the trampoline into national team minutes... if he can play.

The top "jumper", Scott Goodwin, went undrafted.

Don Anding, the blue-ribbon "best athlete" of the combine, was picked 26th by the Philadelphia Union.

 

[Europe]

This is pretty weird. What is the agility test? Soccer has a lot of intangibles that you can't measure like qb in football. You might be able to throw the ball 65 yards, but can't really play qb.

I am curious at to what players like Messi, Ronaldo and Rooney run the 40 in.Players like Xavi, Inesta,Gerrard,Pirlo and Lampard wouldn't run a very fast 40, but they are great.

 

[frederic38]

yes, it doesn't look like a really good way to draft players, but it's nice to see that whites are have more athleticism than what many people think


an article about the draft:

The 38 draftees come from six different countries: Cameroon, Canada, Ghana, The Gambia, Jamaica and the United States.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/superdraft/2013/news/article/2013/01/18/superdraft-2013-numbers

 

[frederic38]

today i came accross an example of how i think that clubs care too much about physique:

Hanover 96 coach Mirko Slomka has admitted being surprised to find new Brazilian recruit Franca -- signed to bolster the midfield -- is nine centimetres shorter than he had been told.
Having been told the 21-year-old defensive midfielder is an imposing presence at 1.90m and 88 kilos, Slomka, 1.87m tall, only discovered he had a clear height advantage over the Brazilian when Franca arrived in Germany, AFP reports.
A tape measure soon confirmed Franca's missing centimetres.
"What can I say? I was surprised,'' Slomka told German daily Bild.
"The one criterion had been to pay attention to the body size.''
The error appears to have been the fault of Hanover 96's director of sport Jorg Schmadtke, who stated in the transfer announcement: "Franca, at 1.90m and 88kgs, has a physical presence he brings with great passion into his game''.

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=30890&icid=5&d_str=

what sport is this? rugby? sumo fighting? and they can't find a random german who is pretty big? i can understand searching for naturally gifted players like messi in other countries, but go to brazil to look for a random big guy is ridiculous

 

[Europe]

today i came accross an example of how i think that clubs care too much about physique:





http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=30890&icid=5&d_str=

what sport is this? rugby? sumo fighting? and they can't find a random german who is pretty big? i can understand searching for naturally gifted players like messi in other countries, but go to brazil to look for a random big guy is ridiculous

Wow, That's unbelievable. I can see a center back having to have some height for headers, but a DM. People criticize the English for caring too much about size, but I guess the Germans are pretty bad too.

This is one reason you need strong restrictions on foreign players.

 

[frederic38]

Wow, That's unbelievable. I can see a center back having to have some height for headers, but a DM. People criticize the English for caring too much about size, but I guess the Germans are pretty bad too.

This is one reason you need strong restrictions on foreign players.

meanwhile, FC barcelona has officially the shortest roster in europe: 1.7774 m in average (the study was about 15 european leagues: it's mentioned here: http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/Actualites/Bye-bye-ligue-1/344619 )
and they are the best team in europe undoubtessly (so best team in the world)
(the last match i watched against malaga, they had 10 white starters, almost all of them were home-grown players, and only 1 non-white, the brazilian mestizo daniel alves)
barcelona has also the team in europe where the players have spent more time in the club: they have spent an average of 5 years in the roster - that's because of the home-grown players

after thinking about it, i noticed that most of the brazilians playing in germany are physical colored players
for example bayern muchen had luiz gustavo the DM, breno the defender, dante the defender

 

[Europe]

meanwhile, FC barcelona has officially the shortest roster in europe: 1.7774 m in average (the study was about 15 european leagues: it's mentioned here: http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/Actualites/Bye-bye-ligue-1/344619 )
and they are the best team in europe undoubtessly (so best team in the world)
(the last match i watched against malaga, they had 10 white starters, almost all of them were home-grown players, and only 1 non-white, the brazilian mestizo daniel alves)
barcelona has also the team in europe where the players have spent more time in the club: they have spent an average of 5 years in the roster - that's because of the home-grown players

after thinking about it, i noticed that most of the brazilians playing in germany are physical colored players
for example bayern muchen had luiz gustavo the DM, breno the defender, dante the defender

Interesting.

I guess the players are technically home grown, but it's not like they all came to the club at 10 from right in Barcelona. Heck, Messi counts as a home grown player and he is from Argentina. That's pushing it. I believe Xavi and Ineista came to the club at 17. Why? Because they were some of the top players in the country and Barcelona wanted them because of this.

But I give them credit for playing a lot of Spanish players and still getting some as teenagers and bringing them through, but they wouldn't do that if they couldn't get the top Spanish players. They would bring in foreigners if they had to. However, they do have several players who play a lot who have been with the club from about 10 years old.

 

[frederic38]

Interesting.

I guess the players are technically home grown, but it's not like they all came to the club at 10 from right in Barcelona. Heck, Messi counts as a home grown player and he is from Argentina. That's pushing it. I believe Xavi and Ineista came to the club at 17. Why? Because they were some of the top players in the country and Barcelona wanted them because of this.

But I give them credit for playing a lot of Spanish players and still getting some as teenagers and bringing them through, but they wouldn't do that if they couldn't get the top Spanish players. They would bring in foreigners if they had to. However, they do have several players who play a lot who have been with the club from about 10 years old.

yes, iniesta and messi are not from catalunya, but they came to barcelona at a very young age: iniesta at 12 i think
xavi is from barcelona so i think that he has played only in barcelona in his all life
piqué (catalan name) also played from 10 years old for barcelona
puyol (catalan name) was spotted late but he's from catalunya
valdes was born in catalunya and was in FC barcelona from 10 years old (unfortunately, because spanish keepers are not very good, lloris is french but has a catalan name, i would have loved to see him playing for barcelona)
alba, fabregas, busquets (typical catalan name) are also from catalunya