Ahead of the 2014 SuperDraft, MLSsoccer.com is breaking down each team's needs and potential draft targets. The Colorado Rapids are in a peculiar situation come Thursday's draft:
The Rapids recently hired a special assistant to the technical director (Pablo Mastroeni) and a technical staff consultant (John Metgod), but they're still without a head coach since Oscar Pareja's suddden departure to FC Dallas last week.
So how do they go about picking five pieces on Thursday without a coaching philosophy or a formation? Will they be sticking with Pareja's 4-3-3? The SuperDraft will offer more than a few clues.
Colorado Rapids SuperDraft Picks: #11 (1st Rd), #33 (2nd Rd), #35 (2nd Rd), #49 (3rd Rd), #68 (4th Rd)
Colorado Rapids Depth Chart (19 players):
Goalkeepers (2): Clint Irwin, Matt PIckens
Right Backs (2): Marvell Wynne, (Davy Armstrong to remain with club while rehabbing ACL injury)
Left Backs (2): Chris Klute, Marc Burch
Center Backs (2): Drew Moor, Shane O’Neill
Central Mids (2): Dillon Powers, Nate Sturgis
Left Wingers (2): Tony Cascio, Marvin Chavez
Right Wingers (1): Vicente Sanchez
Attacking Mids (3): Kamani Hill, Nick LaBrocca, Dillon Serna
Forwards (3): Edson Buddle, Deshorn Brown, Gabriel Torres
International slots (5 of 8 remaining): Deshorn Brown, Vicente Sanchez, Gabriel Torres
Colorado Rapids' Primary Need: Defensive midfield
Shane O’Neill might step up the pitch a bit and take the reins from the seemingly departed Hendry Thomas (why didn’t they re-sign him? He was crucial), but that seems like an experiment more than a solution. Especially when O’Neill was lights out as a central defender.
Targets:Jared Watts (Wake Forest), J.J. Koval (Stanford), Joey Dillon (Georgetown), George Fochive (Connecticut), Fifi Baiden (UC Santa Barbara), Romena Bowie (VCU)
Colorado Rapids' Secondary Need: Target forward
Edson Buddle is the only big man on the roster, unless you count Danny Mwanga (I don’t). And while Buddle’s not quite done yet, he’s also not the same player he was four years ago when he was a US international. Getting a guy who can be a physical presence and connect passes in the final third is crucial.
Targets:Mark Sherrod (Memphis), Wojciech Wojcik (Bradley), Mamadou Diouf (Connecticut), MacKenzie Pridham (Cal Poly)
CATCH THE OTHER SUPERDRAFT TEAM PREVIEWS:
SAN JOSE: Can Quakes find a player at No. 9 who can start right away?
FC DALLAS: Will Oscar Pareja make a run at NCAA top scorer?
LA GALAXY: Bruce Arena merely putting finishing touches on 2014 squad
REAL SALT LAKE: Jeff Cassar's first big decisions come in SuperDraft
