MLS Supplemental Draft - The Best of the Rest

Promoted to Front Page, as the Supplemental Draft on the 18th of January. The Draft will be held over a conference call with teams being allowed to pick until they pass. Seattle has picks 11, 29, and 47 but is under no requirement to take a player.

The MLS Superdraft is complete and the Sounders came away from it in good shape. They picked up valuable allocation dollars as well as depth in the defense, midfield and between the pipes. The process isn’t over yet as the F.O. will return for another three round draft on January 28th. They call it the Supplemental draft and it’s an opportunity for the F.O. to go hunting for diamonds in the rough to fill out the invitee list for training camp on January 24th.  

So, who’s left on the board? Unfortunately, the pickings look pretty slim. A lot of players remaining either had horrible combines and/or will take up a valuable international slot. The Sounders are likely to have a few surprises picks from their own scouting and the combine they held in Vegas. For amusement value if nothing else, here are some of the remaining players that might someday be a future ‘supplemental draft-day steal’.

I've also included ratings from Pro Player Pipeline which has the most complete ratings of college players in the draft.

DANIEL KEAT (CM) – For my money, Daniel Keat is the best all-around player remaining. He had a good, if not great, MLS combine performance. Keat was the New Zealand National Youth League Player of the Year before coming to the U.S. to attend school at Dartmouth. He has good ball skills, great vision of the game and the work-rate needed to play as a box-to-box midfield in Sigi’s system. He has a good cross from both sides of the field and would make a good substitute as a traditional winger. His biggest knocks are his lack of athleticism and that he’s missed large chunks of playing time while at Dartmouth due to injuries. Pro Player Pipeline rates him as a C+.

ASHLEY MCINNES (WF) – I would rate McInnes as the best attacking player still remaining in the draft and was the biggest miss of the SBN Mock Draft. The small Scotsman can play either the withdrawn striker or winger position in the Sounders system. He has excellent technical skills, turns tightly, is difficult to dispossess and can change pace quickly to get past defenders. His biggest knock is his small size at 5’8" and 155 pounds. Despite his skills, he had an awful combine where he looked extremely passive and uninterested. Pro Player Pipeline rates him as a B-.

MICHAEL BOXALL (CB) - Boxall is the best center-back remaining. He was a popular late first round choice for many mock drafts around the internet including the SBN mock draft. The big Kiwi provides a solid physical presence in the air, has good positioning and a good long ball. His biggest problem is a lack of speed which was exposed repeatedly by Jao Plata on the 2nd day of the combine. To be fair to Boxall, he was often left hanging by his RB who never tracked back to provide help. I think a team picks Boxall early in the supplemental draft and will end up happy with the decision. Pro Player Pipeline rates him as a B.

JEFF ATTINELLA (GK) – Anttinella is far and away the best keeper left in the draft, and was considered by many to be the best senior keeper in the draft. He was the Big East goalkeeper of the year, holds a school record of 28 career shutouts and recorded an impressive .89 GAA in 2010. The biggest problem Attinella had at the combine was being behind a defensive line that included Jalil Anibaba. He wasn’t given much of an opportunity to highlight his skills. Any team that still needs a back-up GK would be well advised to pick up Attinella. Pro Player Pipeline rates him as a C.

JC BANKS (RW) – JC Banks is a small, quick player who had a decent MLS combine. He’s probably the best option for speed on the wings. He showed good speed and struck a few good crosses into the box. He wasn’t on many mock draft boards going into the draft, but he did get an opportunity to highlight his skills at the Sounders Vegas Combine. He never really stood out from the pack at the MLS combine. Pro Player Pipeline rates him as a C.

GREG KING (LB) – King qualifies as the best of the rest among fullbacks remaining. The diminutive Aussie played on the Australian U-20 team and attended the prestigious Australian Institute of Sport before coming to the US to play for UConn. He had a good combine and was tagged by Ives as a player whose stock was rising after the combine. Unfortunately, his stock didn’t climb high enough to land a spot in the first three rounds of the draft. Pro Player Pipeline rates him as a D.  

CURTIS USHEDO (CB) – He’s Big!! He’s Canadian!! He’s Curtis Ushedo and he’s a lock for the 8th pick for the Vancouver Whitecaps. Wait you say…Vancouver doesn’t have the 8th pick in the supplemental draft. I guess they have no choice but to reach and select him with the 1st overall pick in the supplemental draft.