After each player was selected in the first round by Chivas USA, both Brad Guzan and Sacha Kljestan stepped immediately into the starting lineup, contributed and has formed a strong part of the club's foundation.
This year's first-round selection has not yet yielded the same results as his predecessors but now could be his time to perform. Through Thursday's match in FC Dallas, John Cunliffe has played in just half of Chivas USA's games and has started four of them.
Cunliffe scored two goals against Real Salt Lake as he showed flashes of the offensive potential he displayed leading up to this year's SuperDraft, but Chivas USA coach Preki said Cunliffe is a work in progress.
"It's always a challenge with the young players to get them to the level we think they can get. He's no different," Preki said. "He's making some progress. He scored two goals in Salt Lake but we still expect better things from John."
Chivas USA was dealt a swift blow on Thursday as Ante Razov went down with a knee injury. Though a diagnosis was not immediately known, club officials feared Razov might be out for a minimum of four weeks.
With a gaping hole up top, Preki could plug the Bolton, England native alongside Maykel Galindo to close out the season and possibly in the playoffs.
Cunliffe said his game is still evolving but the lines of communication between himself and his bosses are an ongoing occurrence.
"It's almost daily conversation and communication of where he needs to do better and how he can get better and hopefully he's growing into that," Preki said.
And what do the conversations consist of?
"Keep improving, mainly the work ethic and every play counts, be useful to the team defensively as well as offensively is mainly the points he stresses," Cunliffe said. "Improving the things I'm not great at: holding the ball up, work rate. Sometimes I look lackadaisical on the ball. I guess that's just the way I am but obviously I've got to work on getting sharper."
A scrappy left-sided player, Cunliffe scored 75 goals and added 62 assists in four years at Division II Fort Lewis College in Colorado. Adjusting to the professional game has taken its time.
"Obviously the level is completely different," Cunliffe said. "The college team is similar in that everyone works for each other but it's more important here. If one person is not working, then it really does affect the team. You can't really get away with someone not working on the field."
Off the bench, Cunliffe and forward Laurent Merlin have spelled Razov and Galindo during the season. Now, one of the two will be put into the starting lineup. If the Frenchman gets the nod, Cunliffe could be one of the first options Preki chooses should the need for offense arises.
Whether it's in the starting lineup or off the bench where Cunliffe gets his chance, he said the work the club puts in during the week is sufficient to produce on the weekend.
"Everyone just comes every day and works hard to try and keep their position," Cunliffe said. "I think with the intensity of training we have, anyone in the 18 is ready to step on the field and play."
Cunliffe scored his first goal of the season at Kansas City on July 29. He came off the bench after the intermission and scored nine minutes into the second half.
While adding offense is important, Cunliffe said it's not his focus as a substitute.
"It's mainly just important to come off the bench and help the team. That's my main goal. It's not necessarily score every game, it's to do what I can to help the team," Cunliffe said. "If you come on as a forward, you have to do something and give your team something fresh. If you come in as a defender you really have to be solid and adjust to the pace back there. For me, I just try and help the team any way I can with a spark."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
