Photo by Tony Quinn/ISIphotos.com
At least the MLS Supplemental Draft day contained something last Thursday's SuperDraft did not: Multiple trades.
Hours after the completion of Tuesday's proceedings, the Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake agreed to one deal, while the Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps agreed to another.
The Sounders acquired UCLA defensive midfielder Andy Rose from RSL for the MLS rights to defender Leone Cruz. Rose was the sixth overall selection in the Supplemental Draft, while Cruz, a second-round pick in last year's SuperDraft out of Southern Methodist University, did not make the Sounders roster ahead of last season. He played as a guest player with RSL's reserves on a couple of occasions last year.
Vancouver, meanwhile, continued its effort to grab more of coach Martin Rennie's former players from the Carolina Railhawks by dealing Mexican left back Gienir Garcia, the second overall pick in the Supplemental Draft, to Montreal for the negotiating rights to forward Etienne Barbara. A Maltese international striker, Barbara was by far and away the NASL's leading scorer last year (20 goals — next closest player had 11), and Montreal had his MLS negotiating rights through a discovery claim.
By adding Garcia, the Impact have the first two picks from Tuesday's draft, after they used the first overall pick on Charlotte winger Evan James. As for Vancouver, should the club come to terms with Barbara, it would give Rennie three of his former NASL players after the team added goalkeeper Brad Knighton earlier in the day and midfielder Matt Watson a few weeks ago.
What do you make of the two deals? Think Rose can help Seattle? Do you see Barbara's NASL success translating to MLS? Do you prefer RailCaps or WhiteHawks?
Share your thoughts below.