Columbus Crew forward Alejandro Moreno, Seattle Sounders forward Sebastian LeToux and Chivas USA defender Shavar Thomas were among two of the ten players chosen by the Philadelphia Union in Wednesday's MLS Expansion Draft.
Here is the list:
Brad Knighton, David Myrie, Shavar Thomas, Jordan Harvey, Shea Salinas, Stefani Miglioranzi, Andrew Jacobsen, Nick Zimmerman, Alejandro Moreno, Sebastien LeToux
Surprising omissions? Amado Guevara was considered a good bet to be chosen, while Frankie Hejduk and Eddie Robinson were also considered good possibilities.
Sources also tell SBI that Philadelphia is in talks with Real Salt Lake about a trade for goalkeeper Chris Seitz. The Union could stick with Seitz and Knighton as its two goalkeepers if it deals for Seitz, but Philadelphia could deal Knighton back to New England.
What do you think of the list? Which is your favorite selection? Which player are you sad to see your team lose? Who are you surprised to see not picked?
Share your thoughts below.
Thanks. I know Feilhaber is not coming back, not like he was ever here in the first place. It is a pipe dream lol.
no way is feilhaber coming back….white was reportedly leaving denmark, goodson’s contract is up in december, and nguyen is a good possiblity
i dont know about freeman, but i wouldnt want him on philly
this teem is going to suck
They eventually have to go after domestic players. I think they already used 4 international slots here, unless Thomas or Letoux has a green card. Perhaps we will see a Yank or two coming back from the lower level leagues abroad: Lee Nguyen, Clarence Goodson, Hunter Freeman, Jeremiah White, Benny Feilhaber (I wish) just to name a few. If MLS is going to be succesful, it has to retain this type of player.
And in fact, looking at what Beau Dure wrote, it’s not so much a set of predictions as analysis of likely outcomes for each team, with Toronto’s being “nobody.”
Ives — you know what? You’re right. I’ve seen a lot of commentary downplaying Guevara on e.g. BS, user comments in various blogs like here, Goff’s, and so on; but looking around now, most professional journalists who offered opinions seemed to suggest it would happen. So far, Beau Dure’s the only journalist I’ve found who offered predictions and didn’t pick Guevara. My apologies.
So says the san jose fan, im sure.
Unless Seattle signs another RB then I don’t think it’s going to happen. Philly doesn’t have anything worth Riley.
The Quakes boards are lighting up with criticism of Frank Yallop and John Doyle over this one. The consensus is that they protected an average defender, Burling, and gave up Salinas, an up-and-coming attacking winger who had huge upside and a low salary.
It’s really, really, really hard to be a Quakes fan anymore. 🙁
He better have some big names in mind considering has only three experience players. Most of these guys are rookies and sophomores.
They better start signing more players or they’re gonna suck
I’m just bewildered at these picks. Aside from Shavar Thomas and Nick Zimmerman I wouldn’t have picked any of the other guys, even if it is for cheap role players.
Role players still have to actually play a part and pretty much to a man there was someone better equipped to do that at each position and/or at each club that lost a player, to do it….without necessarily breaking the bank of going for the biggest names. My opinion anyways…
I think they did that just to spite you Ives. I don’t think they selected any of the players in either of your two predictions
David Myrie LOL!!!!!!
I guess we know where Denis Hamlett will end up next, as Nowak’s assistant.
Myrie was the defensive Tico Denis picked up during the last transfer window while we were suffering defensive injuries.
Denis signed David Myrie then announced that Myrie would play no role in our 2009 squad, that he was a project. GENIUS!!!!
Have fun in Philly Denis!
He would back off wingers until they were deep in the box and got the cross off.
Good tackling only when Hurtado or Marshall came up to double team the wing.
I will admit he became more aggressive toward the end of the year.
Good point Blake. I really can’t see more than 3 players being used from the ones they drafted. Lets wait until the draft to see what other players they can pick up from it as well as internationals.
Uhh… I’d really like to know the story behind this, because this is a really weak haul. Guevara and Robinson seemed like no-brainers. Seitz is a great pickup though, and I’m really sad to see Zimmerman go.
why did Riley frustrate you? that was his best MLS season he has had thus far in his career, he is still developing, and he was very dependable last year making very little mistakes, while he showed good speed and tackling
if i was a sounders fan, i would be very happy!
You’d be crazy to want Convey over Salinas. The only reason the Union would’ve chosen Convey is for his personal ties to Philly. Salinas is a better player.
Le Toux is a perfect player to come off the bench, that is what the Sounders will miss. That being said there were others I am suprised that they didn’t take.
Ives wrote: “Surprising omissions? Amado Guevara was considered a good bet to be chosen”
I saw Ives post that prediction several times; but I’m not sure it was a “good bet” with anyone else. Most journalists/pundits I saw on the matter seemed to think there was next to no chance Nowak would pick Guevara. He’s a locker room cancer on a big salary and everyone knows it — including Nowak. If Philly had picked him up, it would have been the Guevara/Chivas USA situation all over again, and why would Nowak want anything to do with that?
(SBI-And which journalists/pundits were those? Most lists I saw had Guevara on them, with the prevailing belief being that he’d be picked and traded.)
Well, that certainly appears to be what Nowak did. The more I think about this draft, the more I like it. There’s some good young prospects in that group, he drafted for the long term.
Still, not taking any of Houston’s talented defenders is criminal…
Damn. Riley’s still a Sounder.
He fustrated the hell out of me most of the year.
I was thinking they would pick Nyassi (has more upside than LeToux).
LeToux is a OK pick, good character, huge motor, his shot betrays him though.
And do we get to laugh at you for your lack of math skills? Only 10 players were selected, genius.
Did not see this coming…thought only one of these guys would get picked up (Shavar Thomas), but then again, I didn’t crunch the numbers to see what salaries would be with the guys I would’ve taken.
Sad to see Moreno leave The Crew…he may have flopped at inopportune times on the field, but he was a class act who helped lead us to a championship in 08. At least the Sons of Ben have a guy with a ready-made song to sing to the tune of 7 Nation Army. Best of luck Ale.
even if in the past teams havent used many from expansion, this is still a surprise seeing that there hasnt been much talk about players elsewhere besides this Roger Torres kid out of south america
i can only see them using Moreno, Thomas, and Miglioranzi out of the draft as starters if they expect to be successfull
And as far as Robbie Russle…SEITZ.
i have almost 100% confidence in Nowak, but these picks are too say the least very pathetic
they MUST be looking at some great international talents, b/c these ten definately cant do it….ale moreno is the highest profile here which is kind of funny when you had the likes of Convey, Robinson, Guevara, and Hejduk to choose from
Ive heard Myrie is a good talent, i thought miglioranzi was pretty good for LA this year, Le Toux was quite sloppy at times for Seattle but has decent skill, Harvey has great potential, Moreno is a veteran MLS striker, Zimmerman is one of the brightest US youngsters in the league in my opinion and funny enough could have been NY’s best player last year, Knighton is what i dont understand….he was decent when backing up Reis last season, but they have GOT to find a starting keeper, and again Jacobson is a good young talent as well, and Thomas is just some1 who i personally wouldnt pick, but i just have never big a big fan of his at all
why or how did SJ keep Salinas? if thats the case do they get to pick another or what? how did that happen?
Why, they is the plain and fancy they, that’s who “they” is! Caught you, didn’t they? Tied a tin can to your tail. Led you in and waltzed you out again. Oh my what a bunch! Big tough ones, hunh? Here you are with a handful of holes, a thumb up your ass, and a big grin to pass the time of day with. They? Who the hell is “they”?
I’m glad to hear Chris Seitz may finally be getting a chance. I remember seeing him in the U-20 world cup a few years back and he was a beast in between the pipes.
Good point to make to those of us here that are quick to critique the Union’s selections in the draft. Nowak isn’t an idiot, and this draft was a perfect way to collect your typical role players/backups.
In the mean time, I’m sure he’s been scouting players and mulling over potential signings for months now. He’ll find that impact player, certainly one that’s actually worth the types of salaries Convey, Hejduk, and Guevara make.
Although I have to say, even though I’m not a Union fan (yet), I’m disappointed Bobby Convey wasn’t selected (and surely I’m not the only one)! But what the hell, they did get Salinas and based on the comments of San Jose fans, he’s a talent, an inexpensive to boot.
Am I right here in saying they acquired only about $650k in payroll based on last year’s numbers? There’s a TON of cap space remaining. Any clue on potential signings?
Got that right…..how is this team going to score any goals with Moreno flopping around on the ground all the time?
meh losing Nick Zimmerman is hardly the end of the world… i’m just surprised NY wasn’t bypassed altogether
Mock draft for MLS expansion teams.. not a specialty for IVES.. 1 out of 11 hahaha.
Since it is Thanksgiving tomorrow.. I want to thank Ives and his crew for this fantastic website!
Go Dynamo!!!!
(SBI-The point of mock drafts isn’t to get them right, it’s to spark conversation. Find me somebody whose list had more than half these names and I’ll nominate them for a GM position in MLS.
Happy Thanksgiving to you as well.)
Good lord folks–the expansion draft is not the core of your team! The last time a team looked “good” after the expansion draft was probably Real Salt Lake (who used the draft to get guys like Mathis, Pope and Kreis either by selection or trade) and folks gushed about how that team was ready to compete from day one!
Here’s the real insight on the expansion draft–it is not an effective tool (at least as presently configured) to make a team. Maybe there’s a gem or two out there, or a gamble or two worth taking (that player supposed to go to Europe who’s offer falls through). But mostly it’s about getting cheap, young talent who gives you depth. Philly evidently worked a deal with RSL to get Seitz. Seitz and Knighton is a combination of decent young GKs. I wouldn’t be surprised if they worked a deal with Houston. So Philly and Nowak end up getting a lot of depth, maybe 2 starters (from the combination of the two GKs, Moreno, Thomas) and preserved all of their cap. And they avoided locker room cancers (like Guevara) or players who have had reps of playing dumb at times (like Riley and Khano Smith). It’s obvious from this draft that rather than go out and choose “the best available player”, Philly has a plan.
good point, only Jaqua, Riley and Evans became big parts of their team while King, Vagenas and Wahl served secondary roles for Seattle. so i guess we can look forward to what they pull in over the next few months
Here here! I don’t get what people see in him. He looks lost out there sometimes.
I’m glad Le Toux is gone actually. It became clear fairly early in the season his limitations at the MLS level. He runs around a lot but really has no idea what to do with the ball when he gets it. Maybe a fresh start in Philly is what he needs.
I’m sure they will force him to take a pay cut.
Glad the G’s didn’t lose Saunders.
I feel that nobody here remembers that Seattle used literally 3 players from their expansion draft. Yeah, they were more active in player movement pre-draft, but the expansion draft is not the place to build your team. Seems like they missed some opportunities but you can’t write them off based on their expansion draft…
A great day indeed!!!
WOW. I did not have ANY of these guys on my list.
Trade news, anyone?
These picks are sort of weird.
No Philly playas.
Count me in as another highly disappointed Quakes fan. Not protecting Salinas was really, really stupid.
I agree about Houston, but I am a Dynamo fan so happy about how it turned out
Yeah, I too am shocked at the lack of quality Philly picked up. As of right now, this team doesn’t scare me at all.
too bad, i thought we were all past those days.. at least with expansion teams. but this only day one, still a few months to put together a team that will compete with the rest of the league.
they lost salinas….