With six picks in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft, including the first overall selection, Kansas City Wizards coach Curt Onalfo saw the opportunity to not only compete among the top teams in the league, but to prepare for years to come.
By choosing two Generation adidas players in Chance Myers and Roger Espinoza in the first round, Onalfo is preventing his best young players from leaving after only one season.
"You always have to have an eye out for the future," Onalfo said. "We wanted Generation adidas players who are going to be protected, so we don't lose them in the [2009 expansion] draft. We're also looking to make sure that we have an impact team for 2008. So it's a balance of looking towards the future, and making sure your development players can play immediately."
Myers is a speedy right back who patterned his game after Columbus Crew captain Frankie Hejduk, running endlessly up and down the flank. However, Onalfo sees a greater attacking potential in Myers and may try him as a right midfielder in a 4-4-2, or as a wide player in a 3-5-2.
On the other side of the field, Espinoza is a more skilled player, with a good touch developed on dusty fields in his native Honduras. Espinoza moved to the United States when he was 11, before he had ever played organized soccer. Onalfo believes Espinoza was the best left-sided player available in the draft.
With the attack taken care of in the first round, Onalfo used the second round to shore up a backline that had recently undergone some changes. Earlier in the week, Jose Burciaga Jr. was sent to the Colorado Rapids for a second round pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, and Nick Garcia was traded to the San Jose Earthquakes for the first overall pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft.
Yomby William, chosen with the 23rd pick, is a towering central defender from Cameroon via Old Dominion University, and Jon Leathers, taken two picks later at No. 25, is a right back who has spent time with the U-23 national team. With veteran Jack Jewsbury currently holding down his spot, Leathers provides depth and cover in that position.
With only one pick in both the third and fourth rounds, the Wizards added some depth. Matt Marquess, the 39th overall pick from traditional collegiate powerhouse Santa Clara, is a versatile left-sided player, capable of playing on the flank in defense or in the midfield. And Onalfo sees Rauwshan McKenzie, a central defender from Michigan State, as potentially the steal of the draft.
After having turned the Wizards around from a team that missed the playoffs two consecutive years into a side that came one win away from MLS Cup 2007, Onalfo used the 2008 MLS SuperDraft to build something special for the future in Kansas City as he enters his sophomore year in charge.
"We've created a great environment in Kansas City, and I look forward to the progress in their development," he said. "But they're young players and they don't necessarily need to make an enormous impact right away. The important thing is that they continue to get better. This is an investment in our club for a long period of time, not just for the 2008 season."
David Lifton is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
