Here is part 1 of an interview we did with Collen Warner today after the first rookie practice. In this clip, he discusses the plans he had for Europe, the lead-up to the draft, and some interesting events on draft day. Enjoy!
Archive for category MLS SuperDraft
MLS Draft Rewind
Jan 18
Now that everyone’s had a few days to sit back and decipher the 2010 MLS Superdraft, what are people thinking about Real Salt Lake’s selections?
Last year it seemed that the consensus was that everyone was left scratching their heads over the Jean Alexandre pick. What are they thinking this year around?
Ives on ESPN:
Real Salt Lake (B-)
RSL gave up veteran Clint Mathis, but might have found a potential starter on the right wing in Collen Warner, a dynamic midfielder who was a bit of a sleeper before a strong combine showing turned heads. Defender Chris Schuler was a great selection in the third round, although forward turned defender Justin Davis was a bit of a reach in the second round.
Soccer by Ives:
KAR- Who is your initial rookie of the year prediction?
Any established veterans (esp. suprises) on the trade block based on draft results?
IVES- Collen Warner with Real Salt Lake. He’s a player I think could step in and start and be a real revelation. Toni Stahl is another who could have a strong first year.
Read the rest of this entry »
Real Salt Lake landed four players in the 2010 draft, but lost one in the process. They ended up with:
1st Round (#15) – Collen Warner, University of Portland:
21 year-old two-way midfielder. Partially drafted to replace the departing Clint Mathis. Has good size. Reported as a good wide player with good crossing skills, but according to coach Jason Kreis, that’s not his strong suit. He will fit well into the “outside of our diamond”. 
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5-10
Weight: 170
Born: June 24, 1988 in Denver, Colo.
Hometown: Denver, Colo.
College: Portland
Citizenship: USA
UNIVERSITY OF PORTLAND CAREER: Concluded his UP career with 20 goals, 20 assists, 60 points and six game-winners in 79 games as a combination midfielder/forward …
Garth Lagerwey on the Draft
Jan 14
While we are awaiting the real comments from Garth Lagerwey, here is what Steve Davis says every GM will be saying about their selections:
At the end of the day, every official from every team will stand before the God, country, blogger and mainstream media scribe and declare, unflinchingly and unequivocally, that they got “exactly who they wanted.”
I thought this was amusing.
Seriously though, we’ll be talking to Collen Warner, Garth Lagerwey and Jason Kreis momentarily.
Real Salt Lake has traded Clint Mathis and their 1st round pick (#16) to the LA Galaxy for the LA Galaxy’s 1st round pick (#15) and their 3rd round pick in 2011.
With the #15 pick, Real Salt Lake selected Collen Warner, the 21 year-old midfielder/forward from the University of Portland. He can play the right wing or centrally. Warner was thought of as a potential “sleeper” pick, but was often listed in
the middle to the end of the second round. The website, Pro Player Pipeline, had him ranked as the #13 player overall.
Mathis has had a strong relationship with Galaxy manager Bruce Arena, through his time with the USMNT and with the New York Red Bulls.
Mathis had also settled in Southern California prior to coming to Real Salt Lake.
Warner was recently described as quick and dangerous, with a good passing touch. He trained with the Liverpool Youth Academy.
Warner finished this season at Portland with 9 goals and 7 assists.
I’ve been racking my brain over this one. Last year I felt I at least knew the direction the team would go in, but was surprised as most were by the pick of Jean Alexandre. This year it’s much more difficult to predict the direction that the team will go in. Long-term depth is likely the key. Real Salt Lake is least deep currently at defender, but among the current squad the midfield is the most likely to thin due to a couple of aging players (Mathis, Williams).
Based on recent conversations with Garth Lagerwey, I would expect RSL to play this one more straight forward (No Jean Alexandre picks from left field), but I would also bet they favor younger players or players with upside. Think 2013 – that’s what RSL cares about with this pick.
Here are the latest projections for Real Salt Lake’s #16 pick by several online sources:
Goal.com: Kwame Watson-Siriboe, D, UConn
MLS Draft Net: Toni Stahl, M, UConn
Soccer By Ives: Zach Schilawski, F, Wake Forest
WVHooligan: Zach Schilawski, F, Wake Forest
I like the Schilawski pick, but I like his teammate Austin da Luz better. I’m still doubting that Stahl will fall that far, despite a poor Combine performance. Watson-Siriboe would be a decent pick, but could be gone.
A few players that RSL fans should hope are still on the board:
Zach Lloyd: Versatile N. Carolina midfielder. Unlikely as his stock really rose during the Combine. Likely top 10, could surprise and be top 5.
Blair Gavin: Akron midfielder. Generation Adidas status will also likely keep him in the top half of the draft. Likely around #10 spot.
Blair Wiedeman: California forward. Poor Combine performance could push him our way. Generation Adidas status would be a nice add. Likely just out of top 10.
Side note: Ogden Outlaw alum, Nick Cardenas, could be available in the second round for RSL. He’s big, positions himself well, but has slow feet. Think Nat Borchers.
Who do you think RSL should pick at #16?
There alot of perks that come with winning the MLS Cup: there’s that trophy, an invite to CCC play, and some bragging rights. But picking #16 isn’t one of them. So what is RSL likely to do?
Well, as Garth told KIR recently – in that position you simply need to look for the best potential talent. Striker, central defender, and 3rd keeper are some of the “needs” for a team that has a solid core of players in the fold. But at 16, you look at what’s available and take the best talent. You aren’t looking for a player that can help you in 2010, but 2, 3, or 4 years down the road.
With this in mind, RSL may envision midfield being a higher priority need. After all in 2013 it’s not likely that Mathis and Williams will still be in the league, and Morales will be edging towards mid-30’s. But with the movement of players in and out of the league it’s impossible to predict what your lineup will look like 3 years out. So forget about picking for position.
Because there are few immediate needs, look for RSL to go for upside. Young players, players from smaller schools, and “projects” will likely be favored over solid, but not exceptional seniors.
Also, expect RSL to have a bias for “versatile” players, although sometimes in the draft that is synonymous with “not good at any particular position.”
With this in mind, it’s impossible to know what players will be up for consideration. Tomorrow’s DAY 2 of the Combine will move certain players down in many people’s eyes, and move other players up. Here are a few players who are almost certain to be picked before RSL’s turn:
- Danny Mwanga, F, Oregon State: done deal – headed to Philly
- Ike Opara, D, Wake Forest: defensive standout, likely # 2 pick
- Corben Bone, F, Wake Forest: will be top 10
- Teal Bunbury, F, Akron: speedster also a sure fire top 10 pick
- Toni Tchani, M, Virginia: d-mid that many think could one day emulate Shalrie Joseph
- Andre Akpan, F, Harvard: great touch, and passing ability: can play back to the goal
- Dilly Duka, M, Rutgers: Talented, but with question marks, former NYRB academy player
- Zach Lloyd, D/M, UNC: versatile player, and “MLS ready”
- Amobi Okugo, M, UCLA: d-mid from the Sam Cronin mold, lots of upside
Now if any of the players above are available at #16, it would be a surprise. Most likely the team would snatch them up.
So who is likely to be available, and up for consideration in that spot? Well, this is a tricky answer. There is the standard list (below). These are the guys that everyone assume are first rounders/early second rounders. However, there are likely some “unknowns” that will find their way into the mix. Some of these, like one of yesterdays standouts at the Combine, Andrew Hoaxie, will begin to generate a buzz over the next several days. Other players are already on the radar of certain teams, but they are more than happy to keep quiet about them. For now, though, here is the more traditional list of players expected to go in that range.
- Andrew Wiedeman, F, Cal
- Blair Gavin, M, Akron
- Toni Stahl, M, UConn
- Jack McInerney, F, U-17
- Kwame Watson-Siriboe, D, UConn
- Austin de Luz, M/F, Wake Forest
- Ofori Sarkodie, D, Indiana
- Kyle Nakazawa, M, UCLA
- Zach Schilawski, F, Wake Forest
- Mike Stephens, M, UCLA
- Chris Schular, D, Creighton
- Sean Johnson, GK, Central Florida
Now among this 12, several of them will likely have been taken (in addition to the 9 “sure things” above) by the time RSL picks. I would rule Sean Johnson out. Four of the names really standout to me as potential to be picked by RSL if available:
- McInerney: A high-risk, high-reward pick. Could become a great player, or turn out to be a bust. Very skillful but has yet to put it all together. Had a poor showing at U-17 WC.
- Gavin: young, skilled midfielder with a lot of upside.
- Schilawski: talented striker sat in the shadows of a couple other great attackers at Wake, but was able to shine this year. Best yet to come?
- Stephens: outplayed more highly regarded midfielders at DAY 1 of the Combine, very versatile, which would fit the bill.
My guess at the pick? Who knows? I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of the above, but my guess is young, player with upside will be the key.
Final update of draft resources (below). Added new mock drafts for SBI and WVHooligan. Also included the forward rankings from Buzz Carrick.
I’ll pass along some of the Combine info from Day 1, and give you my thoughts on RSL’s draft in the next couple of days.
ESPN, Buzz Carrick: Goalkeeper Rankings, Defender Rankings, Midfielder Rankings, Forward Rankings
Pro Player Pipeline, Joe Mauceri: Overall Rankings, Goalkeeper Rankings, Defender Rankings, Midfielder Rankings, Forward Rankings
Soccer By Ives, Ives Galarcep: Mock Draft 3.0, Mock Draft 2.0, Draft Big Board
MLSDraft.net, Sean Keay: Mock Draft 3.0, Mock Draft 2.0, Mock Draft 1.0
WVHooligan, Drew Epperley: Mock Draft 4.0, Mock Draft 3.0, Mock Draft 2.0, Mock Draft 1.0
Goal.com, J.R. Eskilson: Mock Draft 2.0, College Soccer Professor: 2010 Mock Draft
Updated draft resources (below). Added new mock drafts for MLSDraft.net and Goal.com. Also included some older versions of the mock drafts for this who might be interested. Still no forward rankings from Buzz, but hopefully that will come out in the next couple of days.
Coming up I intend to give my thoughts on RSL draft strategy based on my knowledge of RSL needs, philosophy, and players available. Also, I’ll pass along some of the MLS Combine info as soon as it starts to come out from this weekend’s action – the schedule of games is as follows, and you can find the rosters here:
Saturday, January 9
3:00 p.m. Predator X vs. Jabulani 4:45 p.m. Condivo vs. F50i
Sunday, January 10
2:00 p.m. Predator X vs. Condivo 3:45p.m. F50i vs. Jabulani
Tuesday, January 12
9:30 a.m. Jabulani vs. Condivo 11:15 a.m. Predator X vs. F50i
ESPN, Buzz Carrick: Goalkeeper Rankings, Defender Rankings, Midfielder Rankings, Forward Rankings
Pro Player Pipeline, Joe Mauceri: Overall Rankings, Goalkeeper Rankings, Defender Rankings, Midfielder Rankings, Forward Rankings
Soccer By Ives, Ives Galarcep: Mock Draft 2.0, Draft Big Board
MLSDraft.net, Sean Keay: Mock Draft 3.0, Mock Draft 2.0, Mock Draft 1.0
WVHooligan, Drew Epperley: Mock Draft 3.0, Mock Draft 2.0, Mock Draft 1.0
Goal.com, J.R. Eskilson: Mock Draft 2.0, College Soccer Professor: 2010 Mock Draft
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