Ahead of the 2015 SuperDraft, MLSsoccer.com is breaking down each team's needs and potential draft targets. D.C United had a historic turnaround in 2014, but failed to win a playoff series despite the No. 1 seed in the East.
This is the era of SuperClubs, Bloody Big Deals, and DP targets with names that transcend the sport. You need all that to compete in MLS, right?
Not really. Not in D.C., anyway.
United went from worst in the league to first in the Eastern Conference last year, blending MLS vets with yet another successful draft. Steve Birnbaum ('14) became a starter at mid-season, as did Taylor Kemp ('13). Nick DeLeon ('12) starts every game, and so does Perry Kitchen ('11).
So does Chris Pontius ('09), when healthy. And the other guy they drafted in '09 – Rodney Wallace – is a starter for Portland and a Costa Rican international.
Point is, you have to go all the way back to 2007 to find the last time United biffed a first round pick. That bodes well for whoever comes off the board at No. 17, doesn't it?
United SuperDraft selections: #17 (1st round), #42 (2nd round), #58 (3rd round)
United Depth Chart: 23 players
Goalkeeper (2): Bill Hamid, Andrew Dykstra
Left Back (1): Taylor Kemp
Center Back (3): Bobby Boswell, Steve Birnbaum, Kofi Opare
Right Back (3): Sean Franklin, Chris Korb, Jalen Robinson
Central Midfield (4): Perry Kitchen, Davy Arnaud, Jared Jeffrey, Collin Martin
Right Midfield (1): Nick DeLeon
Left Midfield (3): Chris Rolfe, Chris Pontius, Andrew Driver
Forward (6): Fabian Espindola, Luis Silva, Eddie Johnson, David Estrada, Michael Seaton, Conor Doyle
Primary Need: Goalkeeper depth
Hamid is currently hurt, and could miss six weeks this summer at the Gold Cup. Or he could be in Europe by then. Dykstra is more-or-less a career backup who is coming off an injury himself, while long-time No. 2 Joe Willis is now fighting for the starting job in Houston.
And this just so happens to be considered the best goalkeeper draft in... well, maybe ever. There's no guarantee that United go in that direction in Rd. 1 – they clearly have a couple more needs, though it looks like central midfield will not be one of them. But if the guy they want is on the board, then they'll pull the trigger.
Targets: Alex Bono (Syracuse / GA), Tyler Miller (Northwestern)
Secondary Need: Central defensive or left back depth
Korb can cover for Kemp at times, though United are much more dynamic with an overlapping threat on that side. That's something to consider in a draft that's strong with left back options.
The other thing to consider is that D.C. have just three central defenders on the roster after cutting ties with Jeff Parke and Conor Shanosky.
Target: Otis Earle (UC-Riverside), Oumar Ballo (UMBC), Tim Parker (St. John's), Anthony Manning (St. Louis), Aaron Simmons (UCLA)
SUPERDRAFT TEAM PREVIEWS
- Columbus Crew:Step by step, second time around for CCSC
- Colorado Rapids:Can Mile High Club find a contributor late?
- DC United: One more piece for one more step
- Houston Dynamo:One decade later, a new era begins
- LA Galaxy:Recalibrating a championship machine
- Montreal Impact:Building out after a promising stretch run
- New England Revolution:Suddenly great, but plenty of need
- New York City FC:Feeling kind of blue east of the Hudson
- New York Red Bulls:Another new era in Jersey
- Real Salt Lake: Not quite a rebuild in the high desert
- San Jose Earthquakes: Recapturing that Goonie magic
- Toronto FC: Trying to solve the eternal problem in Ontario
- Vancouver Whitecaps:A full roster for Cascadia kings
- New England Revolution:Suddenly great but plenty of need
- Phildelphia Union: Building around the core
- Seattle Sounders:Nothing glaring for Shield, USOC winners
- Sporting KC:Filling it all out after a mini-rebuild
- Chicago Fire:Endless questions in the Windy City
- Portland Timbers:Draft & stash with T2 up and running
- Orlando City:Is there a trade for No. 1 in the works?
