From Tesho Akindele to Deshorn Brown, there have been several talented attackers taken in the MLS SuperDraft in recent years that have stepped in and made an impact in Year 1. These five players look capable of doing the same:
Cyle Larin, Connecticut
This one’s easy. Larin has been arguably the best striker in college soccer in the last two seasons, and someone who has all of the athletic tools he’d need to thrive in a professional environment. He’s probably at his best playing underneath a target striker, but he had to be the guy up top for UConn this season and did reasonably well, despite a lackluster campaign by the Huskies. Be shocked if he’s not the No. 1 overall pick.
Khiry Shelton, Oregon State
Shelton has been bitten by a bunch of mostly random injury bugs during his time at Oregon State, but this year he was healthy enough to show what he was really capable of. For lack of a more eloquent way of saying it: Wow. Shelton is tall, wiry and deceptively strong, and he’s got as good an eye for goal as he does for the pass to set up his teammates. There aren’t any better strikers in this SuperDraft at dribbling through defenders and, more importantly, tackles. If he’s not the complete package, we’re not sure who is. But questions will -- rightly or wrongly -- remain about his durability over a 10-month season.
Romario Williams, Central Florida
The Jamaican Generation adidas signee will take up an international slot, but he is really, really fast. He might prove more effective as a winger – though, to be fair, he did have seven goals this season, so it’s not like he’s a slouch up front – but anywhere he goes, he’ll be tasked with running opposing players down. For the price of a GA contract, he’s definitely worth an early pick.
Miguel Aguilar, San Francisco
At the very mention of San Francisco, one of the coaches we spoke to began absolutely gushing about Aguilar. “When he gets on the ball,” he said, “he starts gliding.” Aguilar’s numbers aren’t eye-popping – his highest single-season goal-scoring total is five – and he’s not exactly a physical specimen at 5-foot-9 and 172 pounds. But there’s no doubt he can play: He’s been named All-WCC in each of his four seasons with the Dons. Very technically gifted and very smart, Aguilar can make an impact with the right team.
Sagi Lev-Ari, Cal State Northridge
Lev-Ari is an acquired taste, but he’s also one of the few pure goalscorers coming out of college right now. He’s older, having done a stint in the Israeli military before coming to school in the US, and he needs service to survive. But with age comes wisdom. He can outfox defenders to get in the right spots, and his timing is impeccable. With a goal on Sunday for Predator, Lev-Ari certainly hasn’t done anything to drop him down the draft boards, and he may have shaken off some of the questions about how much he can do at the next level.
