It was the year 2000. The place was Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The MLS draft, which from 1996-'99 was subdivided into college and supplemental, became a unified event. For the first time, college players, high school players, players then known as Project-40 (later to become Generation adidas), were all thrown into one pool. It was a landmark day in the history of MLS, one that will be repeated this Friday in Baltimore. So, with the big day approaching, how about a First XI of SuperDraft picks who have become stars in the league, and still represent MLS teams today.
11. GK: Brad Guzan (2005, Chivas USA). After filling up with Latino players during the expansion draft, coach Thomas Rongen went with an all-American 'keeper and he turned out to be a big-time performer. What's more, the man broadcaster Christian Miles nicknamed El Guzano has also become a favorite of Chivas USA's fans. How could La Legion not love a guy who makes amazing saves seem ordinary?
10. DF: Nick Garcia (2000, Kansas City Wizards). The inaugural SuperDraft was packed with talented defenders (Carlos Bocanegra, Danny Califf, etc.), but when Kansas City used the second pick on Indiana's Nick Garcia, everyone in the draft room seemed to nod in agreement that the Wizards had selected a guy who'd get the job done in MLS. Garcia's worth to this day was seen Tuesday, when the San Jose Earthquakes acquired him from K.C. for the No. 1 pick in this year's draft.
9. DF: Craig Waibel (2001, San Jose Earthquakes). What would the SuperDraft be without a sleeper? In 2001, in the third round, with the 31st pick overall, the Earthquakes drafted a defender off the roster of the A-League's Seattle Sounders. But a funny thing happened to Waibel on his way to this team. First he failed to make the Quakes roster and ended up in L.A. It wasn't until 2003 that Waibel ended up back in the Bay Area, where he's been part of the backbone of three MLS Cup winning teams, one in San Jose and the other two in Houston. Also a unanimous pick on my All-Underrated Team.
8. DF: Michael Parkhurst (2005, New England Revolution). As you'll see as you move along in this column, the New England Revolution have made a habit of dominating the SuperDraft. The Revs' first round pick in 2005, Wake Forest defender Michael Parkhurst, is symbolic of that domination. Show me a guy who (as Parkhurst did in 2007) can win both the Defender of the Year award and the Fair Play award and I'll show you a guy who's getting it done the right way. What's more is that four defenders were chosen ahead of Parkhurst in the '05 draft.
7. MF: Shalrie Joseph (2002, New England Revolution). See what I mean about the Revs? No knock on Hemir Niebles, who was picked by L.A. with the first pick of the second round (or Mansour Ndaiye, who was picked by the MetroStars in the first round), but how could 12 picks possibly go by while Joseph, a future MLS star, was still on the board? All I can say is, it happens every year. Who'll be the Joseph this weekend?
6. MF: Sasha Victorine (2000, Los Angeles Galaxy). This is what you call an ultra-solid pick. While he's moved on to K.C., Victorine has become the consummate MLS veteran, a jack of all trades player who has gotten it done as a midfielder, a defender, even a forward. In eight MLS seasons, Victorine has never logged fewer than 1,700 minutes. That's called being a fixture. And it looks like he's got plenty more in the tank.
5. MF: Brad Davis (2002, MetroStars. The 2002 SuperDraft was loaded. With the third pick overall, the MetroStars selected Brad Davis (who was traded a year later to Dallas ... and then traded again, two years later, to San Jose), and the left-footed midfielder has gone on to become a top player in the league, an assist machine (when healthy) who hits the sweetest corners and dead balls in the league.
4. MF: Sacha Kljestan (2006, Chivas USA). After suffering through a tough inaugural season, Chivas USA needed some impact picks in the 06 SuperDraft and got just that when they traded the No. 1 pick overall to the Metro(soon to become Red Bulls)Stars for Jason Hernandez and the No. 5 pick, which became Kljestan. In two seasons for Chivas USA, Sacha has become one of the league's best midfielders, recording 20 assists. This season, Kljestan also showed he can score, putting four on the board for the Red and White. The best is yet to come for this player, which is how he earns a spot on this team.
3. FW: Pat Noonan (2003, New England Revolution). Eight players were picked ahead of Noonan in the 2003 draft, including Diego Walsh and Memo Gonzalez. Leave it to Steve Nicol to get a player who's been exactly what his team has needed. Noonan is another player who's filled many roles in MLS, but when he's been at his healthy best, he's paired nicely with another guy on this list, and made the Revs a top MLS team.
2. FW: Eddie Johnson (2001, Dallas Burn). He was just a baby in 2001, so there was a lot of talk about just who should take EJ and who could provide him the best place in which to grow. The team willing to take that chance was Dallas and while Johnson's MLS (and U.S.) career has been a bit of a roller coaster, you're still looking at a 23-year-old player with 41 career goals. Coming off his best season, EJ looks to be on the rise again.
1. FW: Taylor Twellman (2002, New England Revolution). I'm not sure, but I've been told that when Dallas selected Chris Gbandi with the No. 1 overall pick in the '02 draft (which was considered by almost everyone to be a no-brainer) that then-Revs coach Fernando Clavijo pumped his fist big-time, because that meant he could take the player he wanted in New England, striker Taylor Twellman. It's hard to argue that Twellman, six seasons later, stands as the most prolific player ever selected in the SuperDraft. Hard to argue against 91 goals, isn't it?
Jeff Bradley is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. Send your comments and complaints (200 words or less, please) to Jeff at jbradleyespn2003@yahoo.com and he promises to read (but not respond to) all of them. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
