Chivas USA were eliminated from the playoffs with one full month remaining in the regular season. There's no sense wasting such precious time.
With just four wins and six draws on the season, the club has reaped some benefits by finishing dead last in MLS. For instance, Chivas will receive an allocation for missing the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Perhaps most importantly, however, Chivas will get the first overall pick in the 2006 SuperDraft, a prospect which already has Chivas officials out searching for the next potential Chivas draft pick. Thomas Rongen, the club's sporting director, said he's taken in dozens of college soccer matches and was scheduled for several more.
"We're very well aware of what's out there in the college scene and generation adidas," Rongen said. "There will be approximately 20 (underclassmen) who will come out."
Already, the wheels are in motion in terms of what is the best route for Chivas to take in the draft.
"We will look at our needs and use our picks appropriately, i.e. using those picks to bring in players that can help us right away in the draft or use your pick to go to an MLS team and find an established MLS teams that can help us," Rongen said.
Although it is still unclear who could go first or who will even be available, Rongen said his club will try and translate the pick into instant help for Chivas, even if it means trading the pick to get a veteran or two. In fact, that could make more sense.
"I think really in order for us to turn this around we need established players that have played in MLS and have proven themselves," Rongen said. "We can ill afford to gamble with that pick. If you win a championship, then you're in a good position to say, 'You know what? Let's take the best available player out there. We know he's not going to be ready in a year or two but he's a very special player in a couple of years.' I don't think Chivas USA is in a position to do that."
In their first SuperDraft, Chivas fared well. The club went with the draft-young approach and selected then-20-year-old Brad Guzan second overall as well as Christian Jimenez, 18, and Aaron Lopez and Esteban Arias, both 21 when they were selected by Chivas. Guzan and Arias played significant minutes this season while Jimenez is still waiting to make his first-team debut. Lopez made three starts before he was released in August.
From the supplemental draft, Chivas still has Javier Barragan and Mike Muñoz on its roster.
Depending on who is available, however, Chivas might stay with their pick after all.
"There could be a guy out there that we feel can immediately contribute for us and is a very talented player. That's for us to determine," Rongen said. "We need to watch a lot of college games, talk to under-17 and under 20 (national team) coaches to see which players are coming out."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
