Had the MLS SuperDraft not been shortened to two rounds, then a lot more scrutiny would be applied to some of the early selections in Tuesday's MLS Supplemental Draft, with those picks typically being included among teams' draft hauls from last week's main event.
As it stands, the upcoming four-round affair provides another chance for teams to bolster their rosters as training camps open across North America. Players who had some of the more notable showings at last week's combine are still up for grabs, including UCLA defensive midfielder Andy Rose (pictured above) and Charlotte attacker Evan James.
Recent history shows there is still talent to be had in the later rounds of the draft process. Last year's third round of the SuperDraft yielded TFC sparkplug Joao Plata and Columbus Crew attacker Bernardo Anor, both of whom contributed meaningful first-team minutes in their rookie seasons. Just a year prior, players like Philadelphia Union midfielder Kyle Nakazawa, Real Salt Lake centerback Chris Schuler and Portland Timbers midfielder Eric Alexander were taken in the third round, while current U.S. Under-23 player pool goalkeepers Sean Johnson and Brian Perk fell to the fourth round.
There is little fanfare to Tuesday's proceedings, as the picks will be made over a conference call instead of in a convention center ballroom, but that does not mean a few diamonds in the rough cannot be found.
Here are SBI's top 20 remaining prospects in the draft pool along with some other notes ahead of Tuesday's 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft:
SBI'S TOP 20 PLAYERS AVAILABLE
- Andy Rose, Defensive Midfielder, UCLA
- Evan James, Right Winger, Charlotte
- Alec Purdie, Right Winger, Indiana
- Evans Frimpong, Left Winger/Forward, Delaware
- Kirk Urso, Defensive Midfielder, North Carolina
- Antoine Hoppenot, Forward, Princeton
- Arthur Ivo, Attacking Midfielder/Left Winger, SMU
- James Kiffe, Left Back, UCSB
- Justin Chavez, Centerback, Tulsa
- Brian Ownby, Right Winger/Forward, Virginia
- Luke Holmes, Winger, Akron
- Miguel Ibarra, Attacking Midfielder, UC-Irvine
- Brian Rowe, Goalkeeper, UCLA
- Lance Rozeboom, Defensive Midfielder, New Mexico
- Charles Rodriguez, Centerback, Charlotte
- Mykell Bates, Right Back/Centerback, Santa Clara
- Rafael Garcia, Attacking Midfielder, Cal State Northridge
- R.J. Allen, Right Back, Monmouth
- Eder Arreola, Left Winger, UCLA
- Michael Green, Central Midfielder/Right Winger, New Mexico
NOTES
- The draft order is the same as the SuperDraft, with the Montreal Impact having the first overall selection, and the ensuing picks being based on the order in which teams finished in 2011.
- Past trades involving would-be third-round SuperDraft picks carry over into first-round Supplemental Draft picks. As a result, the Houston Dynamo have three selections in the first round. The Chicago Fire, Toronto FC and Real Salt Lake each have two.
- The New York Red Bulls, D.C. United, San Jose Earthquakes, Colorado Rapids and Seattle Sounders do not have first-round selections after including those picks as part of past trades.
- We'll finally see exactly what the Los Angeles Galaxy will receive in return for Juan Pablo Angel. The pick the Galaxy acquired from Chivas USA in exchange for the veteran forward is the fifth pick in the fourth round of Tuesday's draft.
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Which players who slipped past the SuperDraft do you want to see your team pick up? Who do you think can come into MLS and contribute off the bat?
Share your thoughts below.