By Farhan Devji/whitecapsfc.com
After winning the Major League Soccer (MLS) priority coin toss on July 28, Vancouver Whitecaps FC have until August 23 to declare their priority from eight player acquisition mechanisms for the Expansion Priority Draft. These player acquisition mechanisms will surely have a role in establishing the foundation of this club moving forward. Accordingly, club correspondent intern Farhan Devji will look into each of these mechanisms leading up to Expansion Priority Draft, in a whitecapsfc.com exclusive. In the first installment of this four-part series, Devji sheds some light on the MLS Expansion Draft.
MLS EXPANSION DRAFT
For the fourth consecutive year, and fifth time in the last sixth seasons, MLS will begin its off-season with an expansion draft, as it welcomes the league’s 17th and 18th clubs into the fold.
This coming November, following the 2010 MLS Cup, Vancouver Whitecaps FC and their expansion cousins Portland Timbers, will have the opportunity to choose from players left unprotected by each MLS club as part of the MLS Expansion Draft.
It is unclear, at this point, whether the Whitecaps will opt for the first pick in the Expansion Draft or declare their priority on another of the league's eight player acquisition methods, but if history repeats itself, the Expansion Draft will be an important part of the club's future. "In the short history of the Expansion Draft in MLS, there have been some key pick ups, in terms of guys who have been able to come in and play an important role, and become an every day player," Whitecaps FC director of soccer operations Tommy Soehn told whitecapsfc.com. "I think evaluating what’s out there and making sure we select the right pieces is going to be very important."
In previous years, some clubs have opted to use their selections as trade bait. Part way through their inaugural season, Toronto FC had already dealt nine of their 10 expansion draft picks and waived the other. In fact, TFC's first overall pick, Paul Nagamura, was the lone player selected to play minutes for the club. He appeared in four matches before being traded to Chivas USA.
Other clubs, such as Seattle Sounders FC, have used the Expansion Draft to fill out their roster. Seven of the 10 players selected by the Sounders in the 2008 Expansion Draft, including their first overall selection Nate Jaqua, remain with the club.
Seattle’s first free agent signing Sébastien Le Toux was left unprotected, however, and was claimed by Philadelphia Union in the 2009 Expansion Draft. Le Toux scored three goals in Philadelphia’s first official home match and was a member of the 2010 MLS All-Star team. The French striker is among eight of Philadelphia’s 10 selected players who remain with the club.
The upcoming Expansion Draft for the 'Caps and Timbers will only mark the third time two clubs have gone through the process together. In the 2004 draft for expansion franchises Chivas USA and Real Salt Lake, Arturo Torres was the first player chosen by Chivas USA. The American would go on to score two goals in 23 matches for the club before calling it a career.
On the other hand, Canadian-born Jamaican midfielder Andy Williams was chosen second overall by Real Salt Lake and was a member of their championship team last season. Williams is RSL's lone remaining selection on the squad. Whitecaps centre back Nelson Akwari was Salt Lake's fifth selection that same year.
Although the Whitecaps management will undoubtedly have a better feel for their MLS roster closer to the draft, Soehn and company are already thinking about potential draft strategies. "More often than not, you go for the best player available," said Soehn. "A little bit closer to that date, we'll have assessed our roster in more detail and we might have a little bit more of a positional need strategy, but at this point, we're looking at the best player available."
As in years past, the 16 existing MLS clubs will be able to protect 11 players. Generation adidas players (those who have entered the league prior to their college graduation), who have not been graduated at the end of the 2010 MLS season, and Home Grown players (those who have resided with their parents in a team's 'home territory' for at least one year) on their development roster are automatically protected. However, if Vancouver or Portland claim a non-Home Grown development player, the club must sign that player to a senior roster position.
This year, Designated Players will not be automatically protected, however, if a Designated Player has a no-trade clause, the team must protect him and he will count towards the 11 protected players.
Even though the protected lists are usually not released until days before the draft, the preparation process is already well underway for the Whitecaps. "The most important thing is that you're prepared and that you're watching games, and that you have an opinion of players long before the draft comes along," said Soehn. "A byproduct of that is me having coached in the league, so I’m very familiar with some of those guys and we’re continuing to watch a lot of the new guys who have come into the league."
The 2010 MLS Expansion Draft will be 10 rounds. Since there are only 16 teams in MLS, once a club have had a player claimed by Vancouver or Portland, that club may move a player from their non-protected roster to their protected roster. If a club has two players claimed from their non-protected roster, that club is eliminated from the Expansion Draft.
Clearly, the MLS Expansion Draft can lead to success by way of many different routes. And whether or not Whitecaps FC end up with the first overall selection, it is safe to assume that in one way or another, the players that Vancouver select will have a significant impact on the team's inaugural MLS squad.
