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Toronto FC take Califf, Union select Casey as 2012 MLS Re-Entry Draft concludes

Danny Califf, Conor Casey and Will Hesmer were among the 14 players selected in Stage Two of the MLS Re-Entry Draft on Friday.

Califf and Casey were both selected in the first round, with Toronto FC picking up Califf with the first pick and Philadelphia Union taking Casey four spots later. Hesmer was grabbed by the LA Galaxy with the second pick of the second round and the defending MLS champions also picked up Colin Clark in the first round. The Galaxy moved into the second position in the draft after trading their natural first round pick in the 2013 MLS Supplemental Draft, an international roster slot in 2013 and the No. 19 position in Friday’s Re-Entry Draft to Chivas USA minutes before the process began.

Some of the players who were not chosen were goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, forward Juan Pablo Angel and Ramiro Corrales.

The players not selected in the Re-Entry Draft are now available to teams on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Here is a full rundown of Phase Two of the MLS Re-Entry Draft:

2012 RE-ENTRY DRAFT STAGE 2 / ROUND 1

1. Toronto FC –Danny Califf
2. Los Angeles Galaxy — Colin Clark
3. Portland Timbers — PASS
4. New England Revolution — Chad Barrett
5. Philadelphia Union — Conor Casey
6. Colorado Rapids — Eric Avila
7. FC Dallas — Stephen Keel
8. Montreal Impact — PASS
9. Columbus Crew — PASS
10. Vancouver Whitecaps — Paulo Jr.
11. Chicago Fire — PASS
12. Real Salt Lake — Lovel Palmer
13. NY Red Bulls — PASS
14. Sporting Kansas City — PASS
15. San Jose Earthquakes — Dan Gargan
16. Seattle Sounders — PASS
17. D.C. United — John Thorrington
18. Houston Dynamo — PASS
19. Chivas USA — PASS

ROUND 2

1. Toronto FC — PASS
2. LA Galaxy — Will Hesmer
3. New England Revolution — Hunter Freeman
4. Philadelphia Union — PASS
5. Colorado Rapids — PASS
6. FC Dallas — PASS
7. Vancouver Whitecaps –– PASS
8. Real Salt Lake — PASS
9. San Jose Earthquakes — Ty Harden
10. D.C. United — PASS

ROUND 3

1. LA Galaxy — PASS
2. New England Revolution — PASS
3. San Jose Earthquakes — Bryan Jordan

ROUND 4

1. San Jose Earthquakes — PASS

—–

What do you think about the selections made? Surprised by some of the players who were not chosen? Who do you think made the best pick?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

    • I deride the Dynamo for spending $200 K on a Ching victory lap that gets them 5 goals and arguably left the team weak enough to be vulnerable to LA in the big picture. So there’s no way in heck I’m encouraging a MLS team to take on a player three times that expense for the same modest output. He’s generally a class player but he’s past it and at his production it’s like Philly foolishly taking on Freddy Adu.

      I mean, to me it was reminiscent of the old MLS days of forced trades and inexplicable player moves when LAG managed to pawn off their 6-figure striker on a Chivas team that seemed not all that interested, so that they could sign Keane with money they didn’t otherwise have….and then they win two titles….

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  1. MLS is really becoming interesting, and the quality of players and coaching is greatly improving. LA Galaxy, DC united, Seattle sounder are always exciting to watch, but now with Feilhaber playing with Kei Kamara, Teal Bunbury, C.J Sapong for SKC, Help arriving for Freddy Adu, supplying good finishers like Casey and Le Toux, Diskerud probably coming to the Timbers joining Kris Boyd, Zizzo, Mwanga and Nagbe…..wow our league just got a little more interesting. I already can’t wait for the season to start

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  2. Correct me if I’m wrong. Stage 1 draft: teams pickup the existing contract.
    Stage2 draft: teams get the right to negotiate a new contract. That means Hester has not signed with LA. Maybe there was a per deaf discussion, I don’t know. But there is still a chance some of these players don’t end up with the team that drafted them.

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  3. Why are the Timbers passing first round? Do they forget how bad they sucked last season? Didn’t they finish with three more points than Chivas? I know they have done a little trading since (two players that were worthy of a write up). Someone from the disillusioned Timbers’ Army please enlighten me.

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    • Look at that list of players and tell me which one was gonna turn the Timbers around. Barrett? Meh. Casey? Great, another big slow bald guy who doesn’t fit the style Porter wants to play (aka Boyd 2.0). Avila? Running a 4-3-3, midfield spots are already overbooked. Keel? Just what we need, a fifth serviceable but not great CB. I could go on, but you get the point. This Timbers fan was perfectly happy to sit out this raffle of mediocrity (Califf and maybe Clark excepted, but they were gone by the time the Timbers picked).

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  4. Re-entry draft, first year player draft, allocation order, designated player (but only if the league approves and you’re not TFC), what other ridiculous, non-transparent process am I missing here that helps make MLS impossible to follow and understand. How does this league get taken seriously?

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    • MLS is certainly not beyond criticism, but I don’t know how you can say these processes are impossible to understand or follow. They are relatively simple to understand and are in place to attempt to maintain parity in the league. There are probably better and more transparent ways to implement them but I support the idea.

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    • I think re-entry is a weak compromise alternative to free agency. If Team A doesn’t want player X I think they should be a free agent. So I’m with you on that one.

      I’m also not a fan of salary cap exceptions, because the teams lack equal resources to use the exceptions, which tiers the league and undercuts the value of the cap rules.

      But I actually think the first year player draft is a transparent way of dealing out new players to teams that want them. I don’t think the academies are serious efforts which a la Ajax truly hone players from U10 into the senior side, and in doing so create superior youth sides. Most of the academies are not demonstrably better than elite traditional club sides. So we can give fake “dibs” to academies which share development with HS, college, and club sides working with the same players……and in doing so perhaps trap some youth products on good teams that have no need to actually use them on a first team, and no meaningful reserve league to train them…..or we can draft them out worst to best and maybe a bad team with more use for them drafts them. Until the academies are serious I don’t think homegrown rights are worthwhile or an appropriate reward.

      What’s the alternative, youth free agency and LA and NY snap up as many of the prize players as they can, since they won’t want to play in Columbus on purpose? Then we’ve re-created England’s 4 Teams Matter league on purpose, where the fans can kid themselves but every so often a manager slips up and admits he’s not one of the Big Clubs that everyone knows decide the title amongst each other. Quite transparent, that, but also only so much of a competition. We already basically know the trophy won’t leave Manchester and the first half of the season’s not over.

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      • I can see what NE is trying to do I just don’t think Barrett can actually do it. Barrett is technically on loan, if he comes back they have his rights, what they need is strikers, not middies, and he is one.

        Except, not really good, which is what NE needs to actually improve. 5-7 goals, a bunch of frustrating misses and hard work is not going to pop NE up a notch. Now, off the bench like LA might be useful, but I bet NE thinks they’ll make it work with him starting…..TFC had the same silly idea.

        In theory Casey would have been a more serious choice for NE but then he has had serious knee issues and that and the NE turf should be oil and water….Feilhaber, etc.

  5. Toronto did pretty well picking Califf I think. They needed a CB, and though most “experts” projected Keel, I think califf still has something left. 30 isn’t terribly old for a CB, particularly when the next oldest guy on Toronto’s backline is 25.

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      • My understanding is that Hartman and others that weren’t selected are essentially free agents now. This is a way to “adjust” their salaries if you want them AND they are agreeable.

    • I really like the Hesmer signing, he’s a very solid MLS keeper, he had some great years for the Crew. What is Columbus thinking? There regular backup looks to me to be a clear step down from Hesmer, do they think their young home-grown guy is ready to step up?

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      • They are thinking too much of a cap hit for a backup. That being said, Hesmer is a great keeper and and an awesome dude! LA will benefit from his experience and poise for sure. Once again, LA making moves in this draft and The Crew sitting on their hands. UGH.

    • I did think the Hesmer pickup was interesting. Saunders was shaky early in the final and maybe Arena’s not completely sold. Hesmer, if he recovers, might be an interesting alternative choice.

      Clark, I think is a naive pick. Two knee injuries and slow as molasses. He can hit a cross but these days would need a jetpack to get open to do it. 655 minutes, 6 starts, disappeared on the bench, played 12 playoff minutes in two years for a repeat finalist, none this year. You really think he’s going to ever play on a LA team better than Houston?

      Reply

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