ST. LOUIS -- D.C. United grabbed a diverse assortment of talent with their five picks in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft on Thursday, building depth in all areas of the field and ensuring tight competition for roster spots in preseason training.
United's day at the St. Louis Convention Center began brightly, capturing University of Maryland defender Rodney Wallace with the sixth pick overall. D.C. head coach Tom Soehn and his staff had plenty of opportunities to scout Wallace during his glittering career just up the road in College Park -- which was recently capped by the Terrapins' march to an NCAA College Cup title - and were enticed by his speed and savvy along the flanks, not to mention his prized Generation adidas status, which represents vital salary cap relief for the Black-and-Red.
"We feel like he's got a huge upside ... he's athletic, he's a good soccer player, and he's a winner: he just won a national championship," said Soehn. "The first thing you see in him is his composure and his pace. He does a great job as a left back getting forward and creating stuff from the defensive position. His desire and his consistency, I thought, was one thing you could always say about him."
Wallace, a local product from Rockville, Md., grew up watching United's dominant sides of the late 1990s and is eager to add his own contributions to the storied club.
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"Back in the days I used to watch Marco Etcheverry [and] Jaime Moreno, of course," he said, "because they were the flashy players at the club and that's who I grew up watching."
Wallace's arrival immediately provides United with a much-needed burst of speed and he could conceivably contend for playing time on the left side of the United defense in his rookie year, though the club will likely look to ease him into the professional ranks gradually.
"That's something you can't teach and he's got a lot of it," said Soehn of Wallace's fleet feet. "He's obviously a sophomore so I think there's still time to grow and time to mature. But we're excited to get him into a good environment to do that."
United then used the seventh overall pick to select Cal-Santa Barbara forward Chris Pontius, whose stock rose dramatically in the leadup to the draft thanks to an impressive showing in last weekend's adidas MLS Player Combine.
"I was very happy with how I performed there. Going in there, I would say that a lot of the teams are leaning towards the East Coast kids, the ACC kids, the Generation adidas," said Pontius. "So it was important for me to go in there -- I knew it, and I took it like a job interview. I prepared for it well and went in there and gave my all. I scored two goals, so I can't complain about that."
Soehn believes that the rangy attacker is "ready to step in and help us immediately" and could use him as a striker or along the right wing.
"Pontius, we felt, was the best forward in the draft," explained the third-year boss. "He really carried himself well and gives us another option up top. He's a big kid, he's athletic, with good feet, and he's got a nose to score goals, as he showed in college and at the combine."
The Black-and-Red used their final three picks to stockpile promising but less-heralded talent. United are keen to stoke a lively contest among their goalkeepers in preseason training, and their second-round selection of 6-foot-4 Serbian netminder Milos Kocic, who played college ball at Balitmore's Loyola College, is a strong step in that direction. Later, Soehn and company felt fortunate to snare Wake Forest defender Lyle Adams product with the 26th overall pick before selecting St. Louis native Brandon Barklage in round three.
"We thought Adams slipped a little bit. I talked to him today and he's real excited about coming to D.C.," said Soehn. "Kocic, we had at our [club] combine [in early December] and were really impressed with not only the person but his starting points as a keeper. He's a good athlete, he's a big guy and makes it competitive in the goal."
There will be little time for United's newest arrivals to enjoy their selection, however. With new roster rules taking effect this season, few spots on the squad will be safe when preseason begins later this month.
"MLS did away with the reserve league, so we have to cut down our roster, and we have a lot of kids who are on the bubble," said United co-owner Will Chang, who attended Thursday's draft along with majority owner Victor MacFarlane. "So it's going to be a very, very competitive environment and there's going to be a lot of pressure -- not because of pressure to perform, but pressure to even just stay on the roster."
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