It’s the annual sweepstakes for MLS with the SuperDraft coming this Thursday. Except instead of a multi-million lottery this year’s draft is more like a weekday bingo jackpot. There is very little to be excited about, with one team’s personnel telling ESPN that the talent was very "vanilla".
While the majority of mock drafts have the Whitecaps taking UConn keeper Andre Blake with the third pick it may be too high for a position that can be easily filled elsewhere. Of course it may become a reality considering how many experts have Blake rated as the best talent available in the draft and as it currently stands, the Whitecaps only have one keeper on their MLS squad.
The Whitecaps hold two picks in the top seven this year thanks to the Eric Hassli trade with TFC from two seasons ago. Despite the high picks there should be very little doubt that there won’t be any starters for the Caps coming out of this draft. That will have to come from other avenues.
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What the Caps can get from these picks are a couple of decent backups who could develop into starters in 2-3 years time.
<b>BEST CAPS PICK TO DATE</b>
It was a limited sample size but in the opportunities he was provided with, <b>Kekuta Manneh</b> showed the potential he has to become one of the more dynamic picks from the 2013 draft. He really came on in the final games of the season where he scored four of his five goals and created opportunities as a striker. Manneh should be ready for the coming season where he will definitely see more than the 764 minutes he saw in his rookie year.
<b>WORST CAPS PICK TO DATE</b>
While there was nothing he could have done about it, <b>Omar Salgado</b> has been disappointing due to his constant injury woes. The top pick from the 2011 draft has seen just over 900 minutes over three seasons, which includes not seeing the pitch at all in 2013. There is talk that Salgado has improved strength and explosiveness but can he translate it in game action and stay away from more injuries? 2014 is definitely a make or break year for him.
<b>WHITECAPS CURRENT NEEDS</b>
RIGHT BACK - This is probably the biggest need for the Whitecaps but don’t expect a starter from this draft. Currently they have no right backs on the roster and have very little to look forward to in the near future from the Residency.
WINGERS - With Manneh and Teibert possibly moving inside, there could be a depth spot for a pacey winger who can deliver a decent cross into the box. A pick for this position will not be needed if the Caps finally make the right call and sign one of their own, Ben Fisk, who is better than any midfielder in the draft.
STRIKER - A depth striker with size would be an ideal fit for the Caps, especially if they get a player like Devon Sandoval who was drafted in the second round last year by RSL. Hopefully they can convince Caleb Clarke to return from Germany or sign Brody Huitema from Duke either this year or next.
GOALKEEPER - With only one keeper signed the Caps could look to draft a backup keeper, but will they spend a high pick doing so? The third spot on the MLS roster is likely to be filled by two time U17 Canadian Player of the Year Marco Carducci but he is still a couple of years away from being a backup.
<b>DRAFT STRATEGY</b>
How will the Whitecaps and their decision makers approach this draft? Do they just take the best player or do they try to fill a need on their 30 man roster? It's the age old dilemma and there are different trains of thought as to the best way to go.
They additionally have the option of trading up and giving up assets or acquiring more by trading down. It is also a possibility that they use one of their picks to acquire a veteran player who will be able to be a starter from day one.
We asked Carl Robinson how he's going to go about approaching his first draft as Caps head coach and he feels that there are multiple options for the club to consider.
"You do your homework and we've done our homework for the last few months on players. The big decisions you've got is do you identify positional needs or do you identify the best players available? And there's not a right answer or a wrong answer. It just depends on the club, it depends on the coach and it depends on which way they want to go.
"Up until the last minute before you get to pick your guy, which you've done your homework on, suddenly a trade offer or a bit of allocation money suddenly sways you.
"We've got contingency plans in place for everything. We've got our targets, we've got our positional targets, and we've got our best player targets and as we go through the week we'll obviously narrow it down and put it in order of preference of what we want and who we want and obviously as well is there anyone out that we would want to trade for or trade. So all the areas will be covered."
<b>DRAFT SCENARIOS</b>
The best scenario for the Caps in this draft is to trade one of the picks for a starting player and pick up a decent backup with a selection. A starter and a backup for the right back position would be perfect and it would allow the team to concentrate on the midfield and up front when the transfer window opens.
This could change if Canadian Cyle Larin signs at the last minute and is still available at the number three spot. Then it becomes a no brainer to pick him and choose to either to trade or keep the seventh pick for a right back like Generation Adidas player Eric Miller.
If the Caps keep their picks and Larin also enters the draft as a Generation Adidas player then I would take him three and select Miller at seven.
Unfortunately the chances of the Canadian doing that seem to be dwindling with every day that passes.
There could still be a lot of action to come before we see who and where the Whitecaps will end up picking.
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