Ahead of the 2015 SuperDraft, MLSsoccer.com is breaking down each team's needs and potential draft targets. The Houston Dynamo are doing something unprecedented in franchise history: rebuilding under new management.
Anybody who claims to be sure of what the Dynamo are going to do in the SuperDraft is lying. Owen Coyle obviously has no track record with drafts, and there were so many cooks in the kitchen in Montreal that it's impossible to say what Matt Jordan wants (or doesn't) as technical director.
That leaves us to look at the roster, try to identify thing spots, and try to remember how Coyle's Bolton played. Maybe there's another Stu Holden out there to draft, right?
Probably not. Holden was a special talent, and this team doesn't need central midfielders, anyway.
Dynamo SuperDraft selections: #8 (1st round), #36 (2nd round), #49 (3rd round)
Dynamo Depth Chart: 24 players
Goalkeeper (3): Tyler Deric, Joe Willis, Michael Lisch
Left Back (2): DaMarcus Beasley, Corey Ashe
Center Back (3): Raul Rodriguez, David Horst, A.J. Cochran, Jermaine Taylor
Right Back (2): Kofi Sarkodie, Samuel Inkoom
Central Midfield (3): Luis Garrido, Ricardo Clark, Nathan Sturgis
Right Midfield (1): Boniek Garcia
Left Midfield (2): Brad Davis, Leonel Miranda
Attacking Midfield (3): Giles Barnes, Alex Lopez, Memo Rodriguez
Center Forward (4): Erick Torres, Will Bruin, Jason Johnson, Chandler Hoffman
Primary Need: Wide midfield depth
They addressed their need in central defense in the form of La Liga veteran Raul Rodriguez. So don't expect them to burn a first-round pick there, especially since Cochran had a very promising rookie season.
Unfortunately for the Dynamo, however, this draft is light on true wide midfielders who can spell Boniek and Davis every now and again. Coyle wants new signee Miranda to play wide, which gives them some extra punch, and it's worth noting that Barnes was very effective as a winger in the 4-3-3 Dom Kinnear used a few years back. So there may be more depth out there than first meets the eye.
Still, the Dynamo are not done adding pieces on the transfer market, and that leads me to believe they will simply go with a "best talent available" pick, regardless of position.
Targets: FWD Romario Williams (Central Florida / GA), CM Nick Besler (Notre Dame), LB Andy Thoma (Washington), DM/CD Fatai Alashe (Michigan State), GK Alex Bono (Syracuse / GA)
Secondary Need: Right Back
Sarkodie's been an iron man, but Inkoom has yet to sign after being acquired via trade in December. Sturgis can fill in back there in an emergency, yet even so I'd expect Houston to at least consider one option at No. 8.
Target: Boyd Okwuonu (North Carolina)
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?
