MLS Draft Throws Plenty of Curves But Leaves Unanswered Questions

The MLS is certainly unique among major U.S. sports – it is the only draft in which a team passes on a player because he needs to establish residency. But such is the reason why MLS fans love the MLS – it is unique in both the world of soccer and the American sports world. And the draft is another unique aspect; it is an event dedicated to the selection of what are essentially late blooming players who went to college, an oddity in Europe but an essential part of the American soccer landscape.

For those expecting a boring draft, they were shocked when Vancouver took Omar Salgado with the first pick. Salgado is a great talent with huge potential,but it looks like he will not be able to contribute for a couple of years at least. He won’t even get the chance to play for Vancouver for a few months until he turns 18, but Vancouver decided to roll the dice anyway. This is a curious strategy for an expansion team, but it looks like Vancouver is looking more towards 2013 than 2011, not a terrible strategy.

After the Salgado shock, the draft began to shake out as many people expected. Portland took Akron’s Darlington Nagbe number two, where he was expected to fall after he told Vancouver he wanted to play in the United States to establish residency. D.C. United were the big beneficiaries of the Salgado pick as they nabbed Perry Kitchen, jolting forward their