The Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps are ready to make the first selections in the 2011 MLS Expansion Draft.
The Timbers have already begun building their team with the signings of USSF D-2 standouts Ryan Pore Eddie Johnson and Bright Dike, while the Whitecaps recently unveiled U.S. national team defender Jay DeMerit as their first major acquisition.
Both sides will move closer to forming the teams we could see when the 2011 season kicks off next spring.
I will be providing live commentary from the expansion draft so please feel free to follow along here. As always, you are welcome to share your own thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
Enjoy the draft (Commentary is after the jump):
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FINAL– That's all for now. Feel free to share your thoughts on the expansion draft in the comments section below.
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2:54pm– That's that. Portland started well, but Vancouver finished well and may have had the edge overall. Portland spent two picks on lottery tickets with Findley and Bornstein. If either of those players comes back then you like the Timbers draft. Otherwise, Vancouver wins today.
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2:53pm– Vancouver selects John Thorrington with the final pick. A great pick, a steal really, and Chicago will wind up regretting not protecting him.
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2:52pm– Funny but I think Portland had a much better first half of the draft while Vancouver has had a stronger second half of the draft.
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2:51pm– Portland selects Arturo Alvarez.
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2:50pm– Vancouver selects Jonathan Leathers from KC, who I like MUCH better than Jordan Graye.
Better pick from the Whitecaps.
KC pulls back Eric Kronberg. Why? I have no idea. Guess they REALLY hope someone takes Chance Myers or Jimmy Conrad.
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2:49pm– Vancouver two picks left.
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2:47pm– Portland selects Jordan Graye from D.C. United. Not a fan of that pick at all.
D.C. United pulled back Kurt Morsink. No, really. They did.
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2:45pm– Portland is up. Corey Ashe perhaps?
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2:43pm– Vancouver selects Joe Cannon. Not a surprise. Yes, Pat Onstad would have been a nice nostalgia pick, but Cannon is a solid starter.
San Jose pulls back Tim Ward.
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2:41pm– Portland selects Jonathan Bornstein. Double Wow?
Chivas USA is off the board.
Who's doing their draft, Bob Bradley?
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2:40pm– The Union luck out today. Losing Salinas and Moreno doesn't hurt Philly at all.
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2:38pm– Vancouver selects Alejandro Moreno from Philadelphia.
Union are off the board and get lucky not to lose Brad Knighton. Would love to be in the room for Peter Nowak's first meeting with Knighton.
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2:36pm– Portland selects Peter Lowry from Chicago. Very underrated player, sneaky good goal scorer.
Chicago pulls back Dasan Robinson. Fire got lucky there.
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2:35pm– Portland is up.
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2:32pm– Vancouver selects O'Brian White from Toronto. Still don't get why he wasn't protected.
Whitecaps should give White a chance to play. Toronto pulls back Julian DeGuzman.
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2:31pm– Vancouver is up next.
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2:30pm– Portland selects Robbie Findley. Not that surprising. Findley played college soccer for Oregon State.
Real Salt Lake is off the board.
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2:29pm– Surprises? Philly pulling back Chris Seitz and exposing Brad Knighton. How do you bring him back now? Definitely a vote of no confidence by the Union with that move.
As for who is out there. Doesn't look like either team will be taking Jimmy Conrad, which is a bit surprising. O'Brian White is out there and someone I see Vancouver taking. You also have John Thorrington.
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2:27pm– Halfway through this expansion draft it's tough not to give the edge to Portland. Timbers have grabbed five solid players. Vancouver took three MLS starters first, but Salinas and Gordon are questionable in my book.
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2:25pm– Vancouver selects Alan Gordon. Just don't get that one.
Chivas USA pulls back Mariano Trujillo.
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2:24pm– Vancouver is up now. They have to go centerback eventually.
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2:21pm– Portland selects David Horst from Real Salt Lake. Interesting one. He's a big centerback who Portland surely saw in USSF D-2 play.
Real Salt Lake pulls back Collen Warner. WOW, they got lucky there.
Color me shocked that Portland didn't grab Collen Warner. Timbers will regret that.
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2:20pm– Vancouver takes Shea Salinas from Philadelphia.
Philly pulls back Chris Seitz. WOW.
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2:18pm– Loving the Timbers draft so far, and not just because they've taken three players I had them taking.
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2:17pm– Portland selects Anthony Wallace. Colorado pulls back Wells Thompson.
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2:17pm– Sturgis is a very good player who finally put injury issues behind him. Will Sturgis stay healthy? If he does, Vancouver got a steal. Seattle will miss him.
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2:15pm– Vancouver selects Nathan Sturgis from Seattle.
Sounders are done and Blaise Nkufo stays with Seattle.
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2:12pm– Portland takes Adam Moffatt. Columbus loses Brunner and Moffatt.
That's a good pick for the Timbers. Moffatt can start for you right away.
Columbus will go with Ekpo and probably Danny O'Rourke in central midfield.
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2:10pm– Vancouver selects Atiba Harris. Interesting move there. Harris is a useful player, but the only way he's dangerous is when he tackles people.
No more Dallas players can be taken, including Eric Avila and Kyle Davies. They just lost starters Dax McCarty and Atiba Harris.
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2:10pm– Vancouver up next. Kyle Davies, Blaise Nkufo, O'Brian White are possibilities.
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2:09pm– Columbus pulls back Kevin Burns.
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2:08pm– Portland takes Eric Brunner.
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2:07pm– Is Nyassi the best player available? No, but you have to consider positions as well as the fact that if the other expansion team takes someone from a team, you could lose out on the chance to take someone.
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2:06pm– Patrick Ianni is pulled back by Seattle.
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2:05pm– Sanna Nyassi to Vancouver. The Whitecaps get a winger and hurt arch-rival Seattle.
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2:04pm– Vancouver is up next.
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2:03pm– Dallas pulls back Daniel Hernandez. Surprising. I really don't think Dallas understand expansion draft machinations.
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2pm– PORTLAND-Dax McCarty. No shock. Everyone saw it coming.
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1:58pm– Quincy Amarikwa? What a waste of a pick he would be.
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1:55pm– I agree with Greg Lalas on John Thorrington. He could be a steal here coming off an injury-hit season. Chicago may regret not keeping him.
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1:54pm– I know a lot of people were wondering about the designated players I had go in my Fox Soccer mock expansion draft. I can definitely see NKufo to Vancouver. As for Angel to Portland? That seems unlikely unless there's a trade in place. Schelotto to Vancouver? That one was more a wishful thinking pick on my part. Doubt that marriage would work.
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1:52pm– Listen folks, FC Dallas flat-out dropped the ball in leaving Dax McCarty unprotected. Whether they like Eric Alexander or not, the fact remains they could have traded McCarty for value, perhaps even a first-round pick.
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1:51pm– The expansion draft starts at 2pm. Get your coffee ready and feel free to mute your computers for the next nine minutes.
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1:50pm– When will the actual expansion draft start? Hopefully soon. Really interested to see whether it's Pat Onstad, Joe Cannon or even a Brad Knighton as Vancouver's goalkeeper pick.
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1:47pm– No, the picks haven't started. We'll be forced to listen to some analysis from the MLSSoccer guys. Or you can just wait for me to tell you who the picks are.
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1:30pm– We're about 15 minutes away from the expansion draft. Consensus is that Portland will take Dax McCarty with the first pick, but at least a few think the Timbers may go in a number of directions. I'll go with McCarty.
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Toronto SUCKS that is all. I project a 4-2 raping in their first league meeting and by midseason they be suckin I mean begging Jurgn Klinnsman to play for them, I bet he could probably bag a few right now.
RSL still going to slay everyone next year so might as well hand them the trophy tomorrow, save the misery of having to play the 34 games, it’ll be easy cheesy. Ives, you have to admit even though they fell to FC Dallas they have to be the favorites of next year, also I don’t see the Rapids going far in the playoffs and thats if they make it. Overall I think Portland had a better draft they picked up some pretty good young and experienced talent, minus foolish Findley.
As an RSL fan, I couldn’t be happier…I was positive RSL would loose Warner and someone else like Alexandre or Grabavoy. In the end, we lose Horst who at best will be an average CB in this league, and Findley who doesn’t want to return to MLS anyway. With the depth of the upcoming draft, RSL should be able to bring in additional depth and talent to replace what was lost today…
And Ives, although I have my doubts about Harris, if you can’t see what he did as the target/ holding striker against LAG in the Western Final, then you shouldn’t be covering this sport.
He is not necessarily someone I would build a team around, but he not an unskilled hack like you suggest.
(SBI-Did I call Harris an unskilled hack? He’s a hack, but he does have some skill. He’s a useful player, but he worked well in a system with great players. There are plenty of better players out there. You can tone down the homer-ish hyperbole.)
Hope Demerit scores some set-piece headers for you, because that’s about the only way you’re scoring.
Want a “you heard it here first moment”? Vancouver drafted a collection of forwards that may contribute to MLS-history by having not a single forward score a goal during the season.
Gordon, Harris and Moreno? Even as lowly as the Fire have been this year I greatly look forward to facing your toothless attack.
Toronto will still beat you.
Only way we (Fire) regret Thorrington being taken is if he can manage to stay healthy for a season. No issues with his skill or his work rate but he just couldn’t stay healthy and maybe he a needs a change of environment. I hope it works out well for him.
I am so mad at Schellas/Gorman and the FCD staff. Goodbye Dax and Atiba. We will miss you.
There might have been some sort of handshake deal between NYRB and Portland after the Hall trade.
i thought you might have been missing a pick in the live commentary and i checked – vancouver took john thorrington with the last pick.
argh Mike Magee returns
Those teams left crap for others teams to draft. The only decent prospect might have been da Luz, but he didn’t play all year. The Galaxy and NY were not deep teams.
Vancouver is going to kill Toronto FC next season, you heard it here first.
Simon Borg’s analysis of the draft was soooo bad….some of the guys he was throwing out to be picked was almost laughable
Nope. Lack of depth because their stars eat up their salary caps.
What? bornstein??, he’s playing for tigres next season, i dont get it Ives.
Vancouver’s final pick…Thorington from Cicago
We, LA, put out our trash and nobody picked it up!
Thankyou Timbers for helping the handicapped and selecting Arturo Alvarez, the best one-legged player in MLS history.
Sincerely,
Quakes fans everywhere
You just brought that to my attention, IS MLS TRYING TO MAKE A SECOND LA LIGA WHERE ONLY THE GALAXY AND RED BALLS HAVE A CHANCE……..perhaps they ARE!!
Yeah, hopefully they can get Landon Donovan and Jozy too.
So neither New York and LA, the jewel’s of MLS, lose any players. Conspiracy?!?
(SBI-It’s pretty simple, when you have big salaries, you’re going to have weaker options lower on your roster. Both LA and NY were able to protect or have exempt all their top players. You also have a case where a lot of LA and NY players available just cost too much.)
Is there something I’m missing with the Bornstein pick? Hasn’t he already packed his bags for Tigres?
Black Hawk, I disagree. Have to go with Ives on this one. I didn’t see anything particularly promising about Jordan this season.
Losing Thorrington hurts. Chicago wasn’t the same while he was gone most of the year due to injury.
Extremely solid holding midfielder. Wish him a lot of luck in Vancouver, as he’s been a valuable Chicago player.
Portland must beleive they can surgically implant a right foot on Alvarez…
Jordan has promise he could’ve been big for the future of DCU especially with all their good Academy players making a difference, oh well to Portland he goes.
I like the Alvarez pick. He’s careless with the ball often but is capable of things most MLS players arent.
Why would they pick Bornstein? He’s of to Tigres in Mexico. What does Portland gain from that?
The MLS guys are talking about Portland holding FIndley and Bornstein’s rights indefinitely.
Does that make any sense? There will be expansion drafts in the next two years. It seems to me that Portland would have to protect these guys in order to retain their rights. It seems unfair to cut off Chivas and RSL’s rights, because they didn’t protect them and are letting them go in some sense…but allow Portland to hold their rights indefinitely, without doing the same? It sounds like there might be a bad loophole that Portland is hoping to exploit.
Bornstein was one of the better players available, can’t blame them for that. I hope Portland drafts Clint Dempsey next.
Jordon Graye? Seriously? A DCU player? Can DCU refuse to pull back a player?
Yeah Findley is horrible how has he lasted so long! Everyone can see he’s bad but Boob Bradley geeesh!!
Any idea if Portland is going to select Brian McBride, just incase he were to return/have his rights?….ha.
Isn’t Bornstein off to Mexico? If Bornstein and Findley play for Portland, I officially loathe them.
Bornstein? I thought he was going to Mexico? Can someone fill me in?
I know we are quite a blessed team.
Did Portland pick Borenstein so Vancouver couldnt take another Chivas player? Save some cap room? Anyone?
The Whitecaps cave to a big push from Vancouver’s huge St. Kitts ex-pat population and pick Harris. Always marketing over play with these people.
Is it possible to get worse through this draft at a position?
If so, Vancouver is certainly trying at the forward position.
Did Findley pay RSL, to get him over to Portland, or are the Timbers just taking a shot in the dark here?
YESSSS, thank you Vancouver!!!! Bye bye Moreno!
Alejandro Moreno?!? Seriously?
Nutty selections going on here.
I think Portland and Vancouver were hitting a little of that Northwest bud before making their picks.
Couldn’t beleive how lucky RSL made out
O’Brian White wasn’t protected because he’s not much of a talent. He’s too slow after his knee injury and doesn’t have much of a first touch.
He could end up being something in the future but i doubt it.
Lowry is solid but extremely average in a midfield. Not sad about seeing him go.
Would have rather seen Dasan Robinson go forcing us to actually find an option at that position better than Robinson.
Ives, curse of the commentator on Portlands picks?
That means Championship!
Ives, I think if he can stay healthy and get regular starts Shea Salinas will surprise you. He’s certainly a gamble worth taking for a team that values speed.
If there is one thing to be learned from these it’s that you DO NOT build your team from them. If you’re smart you take the best role players available at cheap prices and a few tradable assets.
For that reason i’d say Vancouver is doing fine. Portland seems to be a little bit more agressive about picking up established players.
We’ll see how that works out.
No more can’t finish Findley, fantastic. Now just remove him from the Nats and I’ll really be looking forward to january and 2014.