Seattle Sounders technical director Chris Henderson and head coach Sigi Schmid didn’t tip their hands on the MLS SuperDraft in a conference call Tuesday, but there’s no doubt that the team’s four overall picks put the Sounders in a position of strength before Wednesday’s event in Baltimore.
The Sounders hold the 11th pick overall, as well as two picks in the second round and one in the third. According to Henderson, all options are on the table.
“If we feel that there’s a situation that will make our club stronger, or can make our club stronger through some moves, we’re going to be open to that,” Henderson said. “We think we have a strong roster and a strong core of players. There are a few spots we’d like to add, and hopefully the draft works our way that we can add depth and add to our roster.”
Henderson did not specifically address those positions, but any draft picks will face an uphill climb getting onto the Sounders’ 30-man roster. Twenty-seven players are currently listed on the Sounders senior roster, meaning space will be at a premium when the roster compliance date rolls around March 1.
[inline_node:322829]With a senior roster that’s mostly set, the Sounders don’t have any glaring needs to fill in the SuperDraft. That lack of desperation may make trades for allocation money or packaging picks to move up more palatable options.
Schmid indicated the Sounders have players they are targeting in the draft.
“When we get to our picks, there are some guys that we’ve identified that we think are quality players,” Schmid said. “If any of those guys are on the board, we’ll pick them. If there’s a multitude of those guys on the board, we’ll take a look at which position makes the most sense for us.”
The Sounders have been active in the international transfer market during the past seven months, acquiring impact players Blaise Nkufo, Alvaro Fernandez and Erik Friberg. In the offseason, the club traded for defenders Julien Baudet and Danny Earls, while O’Brian White came over in exchange for allocation money from Vancouver.
The club also said it would be open to bringing in another goalkeeper. The Sounders currently have two goalkeepers on the roster—Kasey Keller and Terry Boss—but Keller has indicated he will likely retire at the end of 2011.
“Every team has to have three goalkeepers, and that is a position that we’re looking at,” Henderson said.
Schmid did say that John Rooney, the 20-year old brother of Manchester United star Wayne Rooney, was one of the two or three best international players at the combine.
Schmid does not think this draft is as “top-heavy” as the 2009 draft, which included current Sounder Steve Zakuani. He believes there are 20-30 players in the second tier who may not be able to contribute immediately but could have solid careers in MLS.
“It’s an imperfect science,” Schmid said. “A lot of times you can snag somebody in the second or third round [who] has the mental characteristics that allow him to push himself, allows him to adapt to the pro game, to not feel nerves, to adapt and observe. That guy pushes on.”
