Ahead of the 2015 SuperDraft, MLSsoccer.com is breaking down each team's needs and potential draft targets. The MLS Cup champions, as expected, don't have a ton of holes. That doesn't mean they won't find value.
Bruce Arena finds talent in the draft. That includes obvious talent like Omar Gonzalez at No. 3 in 2009, or not-so-obvious talent like Tommy Meyer at No. 19 in 2012. There have been relative unknowns like Kofi Opare in the second round in 2013, or guys everyone thought they knew everything about like A.J. DeLaGarza in the second round of that 2009 draft.
Bruce Arena also wins championships. Last December he won his fifth MLS Cup in his 10th full season. Batting .500 on titles is pretty damn good.
I maintain that doing well in the draft and doing well on the field are still inextricably linked in MLS. Not as much as they once were -- which is a good thing -- but there's certainly more than just a casual connection.
Click HERE to see what I mean.
Galaxy SuperDraft selections: #21 (1st round), #62 (3rd round), #82
Galaxy Depth Chart: 23 players
Goalkeeper (2): Jaime Penedo, Brian Rowe
Left Back (2): Robbie Rogers, Todd Dunivant
Center Back (4): Omar Gonzalez, A.J. DeLaGarza, Leonardo, Tommy Meyer
Right Back (2): Dan Gargan, Oscar Sorto
Defensive Midfield (2): Juninho, Kenney Walker
Right Midfield (2): Stefan Ishizaki, Baggio Husidic
Left Midfield (2): Jose Villarreal, Bradford Jamieson IV
Center Midfield (2): Marcelo Sarvas, Raul Mendiola
Forward (5): Robbie Keane, Gyasi Zardes, Alan Gordon, Jack McBean, Charlie Rugg
Primary Need: Left back depth
There's a lot to unpack here because some of the positional stuff for the kids is uncertain. Mendiola, for example, is a pure playmaker who'll go about playing central midfield very differently than Sarvas. Jamieson is often listed as a forward, but probably will end up playing wide in a midfield. Villarreal seems to be in the process of moving deeper from his original position -- second forward -- because he's good on the ball, a willing worker, and doesn't really score much.
Oh, and Steven Gerrard will be here midseason. So keep track of that, too.
Even with all that flux and uncertainty, this roster is still pretty set and pretty loaded. If there's one area to be a bit concerned about it's left back, where both Robbie Rogers and Todd Dunivant had injury-marred 2014 campaigns.
The answer could be young Frenchman Jason Bli, who got a handful of games with Los Dos last year. Or, of course, it could be someone in this draft.
Whoever it is, they'll spent more time in USL Pro than the Galaxy first team, which is really how it should be.
Targets: Jordan Murrell (Syracuse), Jose Ribas (Creighton)
Secondary Need: Goalkeeper
Penedo had a Jekyll & Hyde end to his season, but he'll be the undisputed No. 1. And he retains that role for Panama, which means he's at the Gold Cup for six weeks in the middle of the season -- leaving Rowe as the only 'keeper on the roster as currently constructed.
They might not take a 'keeper at No. 21, but they'll come out of this draft with one at some point.
Targets: Tyler Miller (Northwestern), Andrew Wolverton (Penn State), Spencer Richey (Washington), Earl Edwards (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?
