First XI: Heating up winter

Sure, it's cold outside here in the Northeast. Sure, it's a while before MLS camps open and preseason gets under way in earnest. But, we've got some soccer involving a lot of MLS players on TV this weekend, and First XI is fired up for the 2009 season.

11. Seattle Sounders FC. Expansion teams always excite me, even though the "modern era" expansion teams in MLS have taken their lumps. There's a lot to like about a team in Seattle, including the cool, often-damp weather, which should make games in the Pacific Northwest up-tempo affairs. I am excited to see Kasey Keller in MLS, and I'm fired up that so many tickets have been sold. Not crazy about that Tampa Bay Mutiny '96 green, but I'll get past it.

10. Tinkering in LA. When a team that considers itself one of the league's flagship clubs misses the playoffs for three straight seasons, it creates the kind of tension that has to get you excited. Already we see Bruce Arena moving some pieces around. And while additions like Dema Kovalenko and Mike Magee may not make headlines, sometimes it's the under-the-radar moves that can get MLS teams turned around. Kovalenko will certainly get under some people's skin and Magee, still only 24, is fighting for his MLS life. I still believe Magee can be a 10-goal scorer in MLS if he stays healthy and earns his minutes.

9. Red Bull Fever. Ninety minutes can change everything. The 90 minutes that the Red Bulls played on the road in the playoffs, defeating Houston 3-0, has changed everything in New York. Even more than the Western Conference final at Real Salt Lake, where you figured the Red Bulls had a 50-50 shot to get a result, it was the big win against the defending champions that should have Red Bulls fans expecting the best when the 2009 season opens up. In their final season at Giants Stadium, the Red Bulls have a chance, with a great season, to set a nice table for the opening of Red Bull Arena in 2010.

8. The Polish Rifle. From start to finish, the Columbus Crew were the best team in MLS a year ago. And then, as soon as they'd finished taking their victory lap with the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy, Sigi Schmid was on his way to Seattle and the Crew were dealing with change. I believe Crew fans have nothing to fear with long-time assistant, and former Crew star, Robert Warzycha ready to take the helm. Part of me thinks the players who form the 2008 championship club will also want to prove they can repeat, no matter who's coaching.

7. Shaking up Dallas. When the Red Bulls (MetroStars) made it to a Cup final, it left FC Dallas (Burn) as the lone remaining team from the inaugural MLS season who has not made it to an MLS Cup Final. And while it's a longshot that FCD can make it this year -- as they're rebuilding -- that stigma is enough to get me excited for what's going on in Dallas. Picking up Dave van den Bergh is a good move, but the Hoops need to hope VDB is not past his sell-by date, and can still be a contributor when they're ready to seriously contend.

6. Yura. I've been wrong many times before, but when I watched Yura Movsisyan terrorizing MLS defenses at the end of last season, I felt like I was watching the league's next impact striker. Yura is, quite simply, too much for one defender to contain. That is, too much for one contender to contain, when it comes to getting chances. Yura's ability to put those chances away is what needs to improve. If he improves his finishing, watch out MLS.

5. D.C. redemption. Quite simply, too good a team to have not been in the playoffs last year. What does the future hold for D.C. United? They captured the U.S. Open Cup last year, but do United have a good enough roster to challenge for an MLS Cup this year? Does Jaime Moreno have anything left in the tank? His career looked to be over once, already. Does he have another comeback story to write? And what about Emilio? Lots of questions, and you know coach Tom Soehn is going to be desperate to get off to a good start in 2009.

4. New England. Transition? The team that has stood for stability for so long, looks like they're finally in a transitional period. Or are they? The Revolution still made the playoffs a year ago, but did not seem to walk with the same swagger as in years past. Can they regain their confidence? A lot depends on the health and form of Taylor Twellman, who only started 12 games a year ago. I'll be watching the Revs closely at the start.

3. Quake II. A year ago, I said the San Jose Earthquakes would be the best MLS expansion team since the '98 Fire, and I think I was right. Still, I also thought Frank Yallop would get the Quakes to the playoffs, so I was wrong there. I think there's a lot to like about San Jose, from the home-field advantage their fans provide, to the demands Yallop places on the team to play exciting, high-pressure soccer. A full season from Darren Huckerby and continued improvement from the likes of Jason Hernandez and Ryan Johnson and the Earthquakes will work their way up the Western ladder quickly.

2. Angry Dynamo. After a 1-1 draw with the Red Bulls at Giants Stadium, who thought the Dynamo would bow out so quickly? Not me. Even though Houston did not dominate the regular season, when they closed things down by going without a defeat in their final nine league games, I figured they'd cruise past New York. Wrong. Now, I wonder how the Orange will resp ond, especially with one of their all-time legends (see No. 1) moving on.

1. DeRo goes home. Yes, of all the stories that have me antsy to get camps open and the '09 season under way, none get the juices flowing quite as much as the story of Dwayne DeRosario heading home to Toronto to try and lead the best-supported team in MLS to the playoffs.

Crew select Gerstenberger in SuperDraft

COLUMBUS -- The defending MLS Cup champions don't believe there are any holes in the lineup entering the 2009 season but there are a few areas that could using shoring up and the Columbus Crew's first pick in the SuperDraft could fill one of them.

Paul Gerstenberger was a steady, defense-first left back for Boston College in his four-year career and he'll get an opportunity to back up veteran Gino Padula.

"We're a little thin on the left side, whether it's on the flank with Robbie Rogers or in the back with Gino," Crew technical director Brian Bliss said.

  • Draft Tracker >
  • Full coverage >NEWS • Seattle makes Zakuani No. 1
• Zakuani embracing Seattle
• SuperDraft notebook
• Davis: No surprises
• Zakuani hails Gen. adidas
• RSL get athletic Alexandre
• Husidic goes home
• Rapids, Revs take big hauls
• Quiet Quakes add value
• Sounders attack two fronts
• St. Louis fans stay vocal
• Draft deals roundup
• Galaxy turn to Terrapins
• United flesh out roster
• Wizards accomplish mission
• Crew select Gerstenberger
• Cruz falls to round three
• Hoops address needs
• Chivas deal for LA's Jazic
• Prospect bios, stats
VIDEO • SuperDraft first round

• Zakuani on Seattle

• Garber on SuperDraft

• Zakuani taken at No. 1

• Cronin to TFC at No. 2

• Gonzalez to LA at No. 3

• Reds add White at No. 4

• Hoops nab Marosevic

• Wallace to D.C. at No. 6

• United select Pontius

• Besler goes to Wizards

• Lahoud goes to Chivas

• Revs get Alston at 10

GEAR • Buy team jerseys

Gerstenberger had four goals and 10 assists in 66 games for the Golden Eagles.

"I'm a two-way player. Obviously, I have to be strong defensively but I'm willing to take risks to get into the attack when needed," he said.

If he makes the squad he won't be asked to do much of that. The savvy Padula stabilized the backline with his hard-nosed defending and quickness in starting the transition game, especially to the speedy Rogers. Gerstenberger would take a similar role.

"He's a very talented player. He has good size (6-0, 180) and has good speed," Crew first-year coach Robert Warzycha said. "His first priority is defending. He's smart enough to understand that."

The Crew did not have a selection until the 30th position and Warzycha said Gerstenberger was the best option available.

"We have a championship team. If we had been picking at No. 1 he wouldn't have been our pick," he said.

Still, Warzycha said Gerstenberger, who turns 22 on Jan. 26, has a good chance of making the team because he is a true left back.

"He's a very good addition," he said.

With retirement of Ezra Hendrickson, Warzycha would have had only Danny O'Rourke, Andy Iro and developmental player Jed Zayner as options on the left side barring signing a discovery player. Zayner has seen limited duty; O'Rourke can play any of the back positions but is more comfortable at right back or in the middle and Iro is better suited for the center back spot.

Gerstenberger will have to battle to make the team. There will likely be only one senior spot left on the 20-player roster and just two of four developmental openings left.

"We were looking for another player on the left side," Warzycha said. "I saw him at BC and at the combine. After seeing him at the combine we decided he was the player we were looking for."

Gerstenberger called being chosen "crazy." He had hoped to be picked but wasn't sure and was sitting at home in Schenectady, N.Y, with his family and friends when his named popped up on the computer.

"My mom was in the kitchen and somebody yelled, 'You've just been drafted.' Someone from Columbus called me a few minutes later," he said. "To be drafted by the championship team is unbelievable. I watched them win the final over New York. They've got a very good team. They score goals and play really sound defensively."

He didn't follow one MLS team growing up but he did have a favorite player. "It's pretty ironic. It was Brian McBride and he played for the Crew before he went to Europe."

Gerstenberger doesn't know much about Columbus or Ohio although several of his relatives are big Cleveland Browns fans. The only player on the Crew roster he knows is Rogers, a teammate on the U.S. national U-18 squad. Gerstenberger played two friendlies for the team in April 2005.

With the 45th pick, the Crew chose University of Pennsylvania midfielder Alex Grendi (5-11, 175). The native of Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., had eight goals and 20 assists in 65 career games. He's third on the school's career assist list.

Columbus selected Tulsa defender Chris Clements (6-2, 185) from the University of Tulsa. He had three goals in 78 games and was chosen for the U.S. U-20 national team in 2006. He is from Allen, Texas.

History has shown late picks have seldom contributed to the Crew. The most notable was forward Edson Buddle, the 27th selection in the third round of the 2001 SuperDraft. Last season, forward Steven Lenhart was the 48th pick and scored some important goals for the Crew in a reserve role, including a stoppage time equalizer against Kansas City in the first game of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

Red Bulls ecstatic to land Terp Hall

ST. LOUIS -- When Chivas USA selected Michael Lahoud with the ninth overall pick of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, one of the happiest people in the St. Louis Convention Center Thursday afternoon was Juan Carlos Osorio.

That's because the New York Red Bulls coach would be able to pick up one of the two players he targeted with the club's first-round pick -- Indiana outside back Kevin Alston or Maryland outside midfielder Jeremy Hall.

Alston went with the next pick to the New England Revolution and the Red Bulls got Hall, who will immediately compete for the left-sided midfield slot vacated when Dave van den Bergh was traded to FC Dallas earlier this week.

  • Draft Tracker >
  • Full coverage >NEWS • Seattle makes Zakuani No. 1
• Zakuani embracing Seattle
• SuperDraft notebook
• Davis: No surprises
• Zakuani hails Gen. adidas
• RSL get athletic Alexandre
• Husidic goes home
• Rapids, Revs take big hauls
• Quiet Quakes add value
• Sounders attack two fronts
• St. Louis fans stay vocal
• Draft deals roundup
• Galaxy turn to Terrapins
• United flesh out roster
• Wizards accomplish mission
• Crew select Gerstenberger
• Cruz falls to round three
• Hoops address needs
• Chivas deal for LA's Jazic
• Prospect bios, stats
VIDEO • SuperDraft first round

• Zakuani on Seattle

• Garber on SuperDraft

• Zakuani taken at No. 1

• Cronin to TFC at No. 2

• Gonzalez to LA at No. 3

• Reds add White at No. 4

• Hoops nab Marosevic

• Wallace to D.C. at No. 6

• United select Pontius

• Besler goes to Wizards

• Lahoud goes to Chivas

• Revs get Alston at 10

GEAR • Buy team jerseys

"It's a dream come true," Hall said. "I didn't know where I was going to go and to be selected by New York, it's a great team and I'm looking so forward to playing there and being a part of that great franchise."

That trade also allowed the Red Bulls to move up to the 11th overall pick and have a better chance at getting one of the players they valued.

"We needed to move from 14 to 11 to get one of those two players," Osorio said.

Osorio and Hall have a long history that dates back to their flight from Fort Lauderdale to St. Louis.

"I got to meet with him a little bit on the flight here to St. Louis from the Combine, we actually sat next to each other so we talked a little bit," Hall said. "I know he's a great coach, he's very experienced."

Hall is a pacy outside midfielder who scored 14 goals and had seven assists for Maryland, helping lead the Terrapins to the national championship. He was one of nine players to sign a Generation adidas contract, but struggled at bit at the MLS Player Combine and dropped a bit further down the draft list than expected.

That proved to be perfect, though, for the Red Bulls.

"We've been tracking him for a couple of years and we've seen his talent in college and we thought he was a phenomenal player," Red Bulls technical director Jeff Agoos said. "We're really looking forwarding to seeing how he makes the transition to MLS."

Also, as part of the van den Bergh trade, the Red Bulls received the 18th overall pick and selected 6-foot-4, 215 pound center back Babajide Ogunbiyi from Santa Clara, who has also played for the Nigerian under-23 national team.

"He is an imposing figure in the back," Osorio said. "If I'm honest there were four center backs in this Combine, two were already taken. I think he has those physical attributes we can work with and hope to develop him and make him more comfortable on the play."

With the 29th overall selection, the Red Bulls picked left fullback Jack Traynor out of Notre Dame. He was preceded in South Bend, Ind., by Kevin Goldthwaite and now might battle for a starting spot with the Red Bulls.

"We'll see what happens there, some friendly competition," Traynor said.

But according to Osorio, the two could still play on the field together because Goldthwaite can move over centrally.

With their final pick, the Red Bulls picked Nick Zimmerman out of James Madison, who can not only play right midfield, but is also versatile enough to see time at right back.

While the draft might be over, the building of the 2009 Red Bulls is far from done. While Hall could start immediately, Osorio said the No. 1 priority is to find a natural left-sided midfielder.

"We need to have competition for places and I would like a natural left-footed player in that position," Osorio said. "We now have to concentrate all our efforts in trying to get the identified targets that we have already. I'm confident we'll get one of them."

Hoops continue to address needs

FRISCO, Texas -- Earlier in the week, FC Dallas satisfied one area of need when the club acquired left-sided midfielder Dave van den Bergh from New York. In the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, the Hoops looked to address other issues, specifically adding some depth to their front and backlines. With their three picks, FCD accomplished both goals.

With the fifth overall pick, the Hoops chose Michigan striker Peri Marosevic, a Generation adidas player. Nine choices later at No. 14, FCD selected George John, a defender from Washington who spent much of his collegiate career in the midfield before switching to center back at the combine. And with the 27th overall pick, the Hoops made their final pick of the day, taking another striker in North Carolina's Brian Shriver.

"We entered the draft knowing exactly what we wanted," said FCD president/general manager Michael Hitchcock. "The coaches had done a lot of scouting during the year. The combine is the last opportunity to take a look at those players that you identified during the year. We went in knowing that we wanted to add a top-notch striker with a ton of potential, strengthen the back line by bringing in one of the top center backs and then just trying to add some additional depth up top."

  • Draft Tracker >
  • Full coverage >NEWS • Seattle makes Zakuani No. 1
• Zakuani embracing Seattle
• SuperDraft notebook
• Davis: No surprises
• Zakuani hails Gen. adidas
• RSL get athletic Alexandre
• Husidic goes home
• Rapids, Revs take big hauls
• Quiet Quakes add value
• Sounders attack two fronts
• St. Louis fans stay vocal
• Draft deals roundup
• Galaxy turn to Terrapins
• United flesh out roster
• Wizards accomplish mission
• Crew select Gerstenberger
• Cruz falls to round three
• Hoops address needs
• Chivas deal for LA's Jazic
• Prospect bios, stats
VIDEO • SuperDraft first round

• Zakuani on Seattle

• Garber on SuperDraft

• Zakuani taken at No. 1

• Cronin to TFC at No. 2

• Gonzalez to LA at No. 3

• Reds add White at No. 4

• Hoops nab Marosevic

• Wallace to D.C. at No. 6

• United select Pontius

• Besler goes to Wizards

• Lahoud goes to Chivas

• Revs get Alston at 10

GEAR • Buy team jerseys

Marosevic is a 19-year-old forward, who in his final season with the Wolverines earned First-Team All-Big 10 Conference honors after leading his team in scoring for the third consecutive year, scoring 13 goals.

"With the first pick, Peri was the guy," Hitchcock said. "We went, analyzed all the strikers coming out, ranked them and he was No. 1 on our list. We're very happy that we got him at the No. 5 pick. Because of the great combine that he had, we weren't sure he was going to be there at five. So we were discussing moving up to ensure that we could get him because he meant that much to us. Fortunately, we read the draft right, we didn't have to give anything up and got our player. So we're very happy with that."

Hitchcock feels that there isn't any reason why Marosevic can't contribute to the FCD attack immediately.

"I think he's a player with the experience of playing for the Under-20 team, which he's been called up to," he said. "He's a player that certainly can come in and contribute right away. He's got two great strikers that he's going to be able to learn from in Kenny Cooper and Jeff Cunningham. We think it's the perfect place to take the next step in his career and to learn and develop. We certainly expect him to contribute and are going to need him to contribute. He's got a ton of upside and will just keep getting better and better."

FCD's second pick, John, is a 6-foot-4 former holding midfielder who earned first-team All-Pacific-10 Conference honors in his last two seasons with the Huskies.

"At the No. 14 pick, George John is one of the players that we identified as a top center back coming out for our team," Hitchcock said. "Once again, we were very excited that he was still there at 14 and we were able to pick him up. We look at the first round and think we got exactly what we were looking for."

One concern with John was a recent knee injury that limited him as a senior at Washington. However, that ailment is of no concern for FCD.

"We had done our homework," Hitchcock said. "He did have an injury and that's something that you have to look into. But at the combine, he probably wasn't 100 percent but was still the best center back there. He's played in the middle of the field, so he's got good feet, good vision and is a good passer. But he's absolutely dominant in the air because of his size, reads the game well and is a good organizer. We feel like he's got all the tools to be a successful center back."

Shriver was a player who helped lead the Tar Heels to the 2008 NCAA Men's College Cup. He had the only goal in UNC's upset win against defending national champion and ACC rival Wake Forest in the national semifinal to send Carolina to the championship game, where they lost to Maryland.

"In the second round, we were able to add Brian Shriver, a great striker who just played at Pizza Hut Park with UNC," Hitchcock said. "He can play on the flank and is a player who will add some depth to our team."

Even though Shriver wasn't among those invited to the MLS Player Combine, Hitchcock and the FCD brass still liked what they had seen and drafted him any way.

"In our scouting of Division I college soccer, he was a player that we had identified," he said. "We were surprised that he wasn't invited to the combine and aren't sure of exactly why he wasn't invited in. He had a good year and his team had a lot of success. We got a chance to see him quite a bit. If he was in the combine, we wouldn't have been able to pick him up at No. 27. We think there's a ton of potential there and he would have gone much higher. We're lucky that he didn't come out to the combine. I know he was frustrated with that but he's ecstatic that we used our second-round pick on him."

Hoops could look to deal on draft day

FRISCO, Texas -- Like every other club in Major League Soccer, FC Dallas will look to strengthen their roster on Thursday at the 2009 SuperDraft. While many sides will be looking to add some great, young talent to their fold, FCD, which last year had one of the youngest rosters in the entire league, might be looking to add just one player and could trade its other picks.

That's because FCD currently has five Generation adidas players on their roster. Midfielder Eric Avila, goalkeeper Josh Lambo and defender Brek Shea were all drafted last year while midfielder Bruno Guarda was acquired in a trade with Colorado last summer. The other name on that list, defender Anthony Wallace, who is entering his third season, was the ninth overall pick in 2007 and is still just 20.

FCD had six players on that list before left back Blake Wagner graduated to the senior roster after last season. Wagner played in a career-high 24 games for the Hoops last year and spent much of the year as the starting left back.

While Michael Hitchcock, the Hoops president/general manager, wouldn't rule out FCD taking another Generation adidas player to put their roster at the maximum of six allowed per league rules, he also admitted that the roster was about as young as he and head coach Schellas Hyndman wanted it to be.

"That's a fair statement," Hitchcock said. "If there's a good Generation adidas player at the No. 5 pick or the No. 14 pick, we can add one more Generation adidas player to our roster, but then we'll be at the max. We've built a good group of young players we feel have a really bright future here."

In 2008, FCD had the second and eighth overall picks. The Hoops took Shea with the second choice and the versatile 18-year-old played midfield and forward before Hyndman decided to try him as a center back late in the season. Shea's rookie campaign ended when he had knee surgery in mid-September but he looks to be ready for preseason, which begins on January 21.

Lambo went with the eighth pick and he too had an eventful rookie year. In his first start for the FCD reserves, he collided with a Chivas USA player and missed the next 11 games with a concussion and broken jaw. He returned to the field in mid-July and also made several appearances for the U.S. under-20 national team last year.

Avila was considered a steal at No. 19. He played in 14 games and contributed two assists. His only three starts in an attacking midfield role came in late July and early August after two-time all-star Juan Toja was transferred to a club in Romania. His playing time dwindled after Guarda arrived, something Hyndman chalked up to Avila not being the type of two-way player he wanted at that spot.

In 12 games, nine of which were starts, Guarda delivered mixed results. The talented Brazilian had one goal and one assist but admittedly looked lost at times on the field, which is to be expected from a rookie who was just a few months removed from being a star in college soccer. Depending on whether or not FCD is able to bring in a No. 10 before the start of the season, Avila and Guarda could again be battling for playing time.

On Tuesday, FCD traded forward Dominic Oduro and a second-round pick to New York for left-sided midfielder Dave van den Bergh. With Oduro gone, FCD now has just three forwards on their roster, so drafting some help up front at either the No. 5 or No. 14 spot or in both places, could be a top priority.

Then again, the Hoops also need help in the back although at least one signing of a center back appears to be imminent. Either way, Hitchcock calls this year's draft a deep one.

"I think it's a deep player pool," he said. "You've got a handful of players that look like they could be very special. There are more and more quality players in the draft. There is probably not a lot of difference between players who could go No. 5 and No. 20 in the draft. We've got a nice stable of talented, young players and Generation adidas players. For us, we're approaching the draft that pick didn't have a lot of value because we've already got such a young team. We're going to look at our two first-round picks and try to get some good players that will come in and complement what we already have."