[UPDATED 1/17/08: Final]

After watching over 75 live college soccer games this year, supplemented by another 25 on TV, composed of 84 different teams, here is my assessment of the seniors (and known Generation Adidas underclassman). My rankings take into account the values of GA, YI, SI, age and general assessment of the skill and how each player might fit into a MLS team. It’s possible that the YI and SI classifications may be eliminated.

Players that I haven’t seen are generally ranked lower than players that I have seen. I’m from the East coast – so it’s easier for me to see teams in the East. However, I’ve seen UCLA, UCSB, Washington, New Mexico, SMU live. I was unable to see Santa Clara (other than TV). If they would have beaten Notre Dame, I would have seen them play against Wake Forest. Some teams, I’ve only seen on TV (e.g., Tulsa, WV and Creighton). The combine will supplement my prior observations and fill the gaps where needed.

The ratings attempt to not only show my preferences but to demonstrate the various plateaus or levels. For example, three players rated 10, 11, and 12 are similar in skill and value while a player rated 50 would be a step down (in my assessment). This is essential, because a straight sequential numerical ranking would assume that each player is just a little worse than the previous player and this isn’t the case. The position rankings for goal keepers do not have a correlation with position rankings for other positions. Essentially, I rank each position individually. Then, after I feel comfortable with each position rankings, I’ll create an over-all ranking list.

This is a work-in-progress. While the college season is just about over, I will be tweaking the rankings through the combine.

I’m sure that I’ve missed a player. More likely, I’m sure that someone feels that I’ve unjustly ranked a player than deserved (especially if I haven’t seen the player). I’d like your feedback.

Below, I’ve broken out my rankings for defenders. I’ll follow this with rankings of midfielders, forwards and over-all. The number of games started versus the number of games played is written as “15/18 games” (15 games started of 18 games played).

Enjoy!

Pos. # Pos. Rank See in 07? Name College Yr Comment
1 5 Yes Julius James UConn Sr AA 1st team; BigEast 1st team; BigEast Def POTY; 2g,1a in 23/23 games; From Trinidad, birthdate: 7/9/84; against USF (NCAA), “James plays a very smart game. His understanding and technical skills are superb.”; after combine; showed that he can go forward, play wide; cemented his spot at the top (1 or 2);
2 14 Yes Sean Franklin Cal State Northridge Sr BigWest 1st team; 1g,0a in 8/8 games hurt in off-season came back to finish – good sign; toured with U23 team in summer of 2007; before 2007 started every game since his red shirt freshman year;
3 18 Yes Jon Leathers Furman Sr AA 2nd Team; 2 SoCon POTY; 1g,1a in 23/23 games; 4 year starter; against UNCG (SoCon final),”he is a slight central defender. His game is predicated upon positioning, quickness and his outstanding reading of the game. He’s impressive. He doesn’t go forward often instead he prefers to sit back waiting to defend. His game is similar to Stephen King (UMD – very subtle. He gets himself in good position to make the play before the play gets to him.”; after combine, 1 of players who impressed me the most; speed, savvy on the ball, can play wide, a little small, clearance were spotty; Upgrading;
4 20 Yes Eric Brunner Ohio State Sr AA 1st team; 2 time B10 1st Team; 6g,0a in 23/23; Transferred from MD after freshman year;”; At B10 (IU Final), “Senior Eric Brunner is a tall central defender. It will be interesting to watch him at the combine. “; after combine, played well, even played out wide which was a surprise. Didn’t embarrass himself.; upgrading
5 22 Yes Chance Myers UCLA So GA; P10 1st Team; 3g, 0a in 21/21 games; against ND, “Zaher got a free kick from just inside his own half. With 33 seconds left, he floated a ball into the box that ND goal keeper, Chris Cahill, absolutely messed up. He let the ball slip through his hands and it landed onto the foot of Chance Myers. Myers volleyed it into the goal to tie the game and force OT. Zaher and Chance had repetitively done the same thing throughout the second half during the run of play without a response from ND.”; against IU, “Chance Myers is taking over for Sal Zizzo’s departure on the outside midfield. He’s Mike Zaher’s favorite target on long diagonal passes with his leaping ability. Also, he’s fearless running at people. Myers could be a break out player this year.”; after combine, showed ability to get forward, good defense, strength – dribbling rusty. He might be better as wide midfield – but I hold this opinion by myself….
6 45 No Rob Valentino San Francisco Sr GA; injured in 2007; in 2006 against Penn State from my pre-season write-up, “He didn’t really impress me on the defensive side. This might be more due Penn State’s incompetent attack than a deficiency on Valentino’s part. He did have a very pretty assist. From a free kick, Valentino launched a 40 yard high ball to LA Galaxy draft pick, Kevin Long, for a wonderful leaping header goal.”; Will he be able to fully return from his injury?; I may upgrade him….
7 48 Yes Rauwshan McKenzie Michigan State Sr B10 1st team; 2g, 2a in 21/21 games; In B10 (PSU), “central defender Rauwshan McKenzie is a MLS quality defender. His best attribute is his athletic ability. He’s a target in the air on set pieces. He’s a good 1v1 defender. He did have a poor clearance with his head in OT. My only question is his individual ball skills. Can he pass under pressure?”. In B10 (IU), “McKenzie was solid in the back. In the waning minutes of the game with MSU down, McKenzie went forward.”; after combine, wonderful in the middle – challenged wide; doesn’t cleanly settle ball quick enough;
8 50 Yes Adrian Chevannes SMU Sr CUSA 1st Team; 2g, 1a; Imposing defender that can get forward; When Chevannes left the game, SMU defense was noticably different; against UCSB, “In the 27th minute, RB Chevannes limped off and did not return. This was a turning point of the game, because earlier in the half Chevannes would clean up anything that was put into the left side of the UCSB offensive attack.” and “After Chevannes left, I wrote in my notes, that SMU defenders were letting the ball get over their heads. Barely 5 minutes later, UCSB scores from a long pass (albeit from a long pass but not over their heads) but with an open Nunez in the box.”; He did not play against Washington. against KY (TV), “played centrally because of yellow card accumulation of regular center back. Made a 60 yard run, ending with crushing shot that was saved only by a marvelous effort by GK. He covers the opponents best man in the air on CK. Good tackler and good going forward.”; after combine, absolutely horrible combine; I swear his non-soccer playing twin showed up; downgrading slightly;
9 52 Yes Ryan Miller Notre Dame Sr AA 2nd Team; Big East 1st Team; 6g 4a in 23/23 ; against UCLA, “demonstrated bravery running at defenders.”; against Gtown, “Miller has good speed and was not challenged by Gtown. He’s dangerous going forward. He has professional potential. I’d like to watch him again.”; after combine, showed his speed and the ability to play wide (a scarcity in this draft). upgrading;
10 57 Yes David Horst Old Dominion Sr CAA 2 time Defensive POTY; CAA 1st Team; 0g, 2a; Big, Strong with terrific defensive understanding; against MD, “Hall used his speed to go around David Horst near the ODU corner where a slower MD player would have had no choice but to concede the goal kick” and “Horst is going to be a MLS defender. He’s has the body, the understanding and sufficient speed to play professionally. Now, the only question remaining is what round will he be drafted. I can see 2nd or 3rd depending upon what underclassmen come out as well.”; against James Madison, “He’s solid in the back. I question his speed. He is certainly tall and thick enough. He seems to read the game well. In the second half, Horst dribbled the ball into open space attacking JMU before an undisciplined attacker jumped offsides. He seems to make the safe pass, to his outside defenders than more aggressive passing. It makes me wonder if he has confidence in his passing. At this point, I’m thinking 3rd round.”; Against Towson, “Horst plays very similar to Bobby Boswell (without the web site). He wins headers though his ability to turn and chase quick forwards continues to be a question. He picked up a cheap yellow (mouth). He needs to learn to keep his emotions in check.”; against Drexel, “Horst is a beast in the back. Speed is his primary deficiency. If he’s paired with a mobile defender, he’ll do fine in MLS. He is probably a 2nd-3rd rounder. He doesn’t have good dribbling skills. However, he can step around a single defender at times.”; after the combine, generally pretty good – good thinker, beast in the air, solid base, speed issues
11 58 Yes Andy Iro UCSB Sr AA 2nd Team; BigWest Def POTY; BigWest 1st Team; 1g; English birthdate-11/26/1984; only 1 year before senior international; tall and athletic; against SMU, “Two time All-American Andy Iro was beaten for the SMU goal (see below for a description). Last year against Akron (in a game that UCSB won 5-0), I wasn’t enamored with his play. His fitness was questionable; His dribbling was deficient; His off the ball anticipation was lacking. However, at today’s game, he was winning headers, anticipating passes, stealing those passes and starting the attacks. Also, he was strong on the ball – very difficult to knock off. I am still skeptical that he won’t be another David Stokes. I’ll watch him more closely against New Mexico on Sunday.”; against New Mexico, “Iro is a coach killer. He has tremendous athletic ability, a modicum of dribbling ability (but loses the ball way too easily) and he’s a tall powerful player. Iro loses his mark too easily. For example, in the 53rd minute, NM junior Jack Smithson served in a cross to an open NM Chris Wright (that Iro was supposedly marking) that Wright crushed with his head that Bryant Rueckner saved. 10 minutes later, Iro stepped over to stop Barrera but in this instance he needed to stop the ball, but he didn’t stay between the ball and Wright (his old mark). This shot was wide. A professional forward finishes these opportunities. In the 43rd minute, Iro took a questionable shot from midfield that the goal keeper easily caught without UCSB pressure. Such a bad play, he wasn’t credited with a shot. In the 60th minute, Iro received a pass from O’Brien on a 30 yard free kick that Iro crushed way over the cross bar. Iro did have a highlight. He won a header at midfield with authority and power over Chris Wright in the 68th minute, but he hurt his knee/ankle coming down.”; Pass; against UCI (TV), “good aggressive defense stepping up; power in air (6′5″), showed strength holding off attackers, was able to get forward in the first half combining on the ground, but his shot takes too long to strike and is easily defended.”; after the combine, had a steady combine. If I hadn’t seen the way that he was playing last year (possible injury) and against NM this year, I’d be seriously reconsidering. Upgrading;
12 96 Yes Matt Britner Brown Sr Canadian, 4/17/1985, Ivy Conference POTY; 1st team All-Ivy; 0g,1a in 15/16 games; former Canadian U20; Against Rutgers,”I like his play, but his play is very quiet. He isn’t a flashy player. After just 1 game against a middling attacking team, my assessment is incomplete. I watched him for long periods of the second half and came away non-commital. He has a good first touch and good passing, but he didn’t need to make the killer pass.”; after combine, “smart player, not used to playing wide, but may be able to in the future; upgrading just a bit;
13 98 Yes Tony Beltran UCLA Jr GA; P10 1st Team; starter on U20 US team; 0g, 2a in 21/21 games; against Poland (U20), “either Beltran was not in position to prevent the killer ball by Tomasz Cywka or did not sufficiently, aggressively attack Tomasz Cywka to cut the angle (your choice) – probably the latter is more accurate.”; against Austria (U20), “Beltran continues to be consistently bad. He’s had a few moments of adequacy, but overall I’ve seen enough.”; against IU, “wasn’t effective with his ball skills making numerous unforced errors.” against ND, “Just like the U20 tourney, Tony Beltran is still consistently erratic with his passing.”; rating artificially inflated because of his GA status; after combine, injured; others bypassed him; downgrading slightly;
14 100 TV Jamil Roberts Santa Clara Sr WCC 1st Team; WCC Def POTY; 3g,5a in 22/22 games; 4 year starter; suffered elbow injury in 2005; missed 7 games; against USF (TV), “bad game for the D-POTY, his bad touch allowed the USF transition to create their goal. His subsequent defensive positioning on the play was insufficient, good athleticism”;
15 104 Yes Michael Zaher UCLA Sr PAC10 1st team; 3g, 3a; against Notre Dame, “Zaher got a free kick from just inside his own half. With 33 seconds left in the game, he floated a ball into the box that ND goal keeper, Chris Cahill, absolutely messed up. He let the ball slip through his hands and it landed onto the foot of Chance Myers. Myers volleyed it into the goal to tie the game and force OT. Zaher and Chance had repetitively done the same thing throughout the second half during the run of play” and “Zaher had some wonderful runs beating 2 defenders before springing a diagonal pass to an offside attacker. Need to look at him closely. Kind of reminds me of Michael Harrington (former UNC)/KC starting left back.”; followed by against IU, “Zaher is accurate with his free kicks. He might be a MLS candidate . Kind of reminds me of Harrington, but not as fast, strong or good.”; after combine, pretty poor showing for Zaher, never got forward, had problems rotating over defensively; his long diagonals were meaningless; downgrading;
16 105 Yes Brandon Owens UCLA Sr PAC10 Honorable Mention; 0g, 0a; Not sure he got to be honorable mention after starting less than 1/2 the games, he’s been battling a knee sprain this year, after missing 2006 from ACL. May be worth a low speculative draft pic. He did not play at the beginning of the season (where I watched UCLA). after combine, undetermined….
17 145 Yes Pat Phelan Wake Forest Sr AA 1st team; ACC 1st team; 2g 4a in 22games; played DM by the end of the year because freshman Ika Opera was game ready; Too slow to play DM in pros. I expect that he’ll play central defense if at all; against Bradley early in the year with Phelan returning from injury, “Phelan started and looked to be a steady influence, distributing the ball quite nicely. He led Tracy with a long pass into the box that Bradley GK made an awesome save.” after combine, has technical skills, reads game well. Has to compensate for lack of speed;
18 149 Yes Scott Bolkan Stanford Sr PAC10 1st team; 3g,1a in 18/18 games; 3.5 year starter; after combine, big tall rangy player, gets up well; hurt his hand on 1st day returned for second; shakey in the back on 3rd day; moving down;
19 150 Yes Tim Jepson Duke Sr ACC 2nd Team; 0g, 1a in 10/10 games; Big, mobile defender; hurt for half this season; against UNC in the ACC tourney, he played well. Haven’t seen him enough
20 152 Yes Joe Donoho Bradley Sr AA 3rd Team; 1st Team All-MVC and POTY for MVC; 6g,3a in 25/25 games; transferred from Rutgers; Had a very serious achilles injury; Donoho is a tall, player who can run well. He distributes the ball well and takes many of the Bradley set pieces. He plays a sweeper position, while he has marked man-to-man when needed, I wonder if his achilles would hold up with the rigors of MLS. I talked to folks at Rutgers who mentioned that he was a good student and a hard worker and a generally kid. against Belmont, “winds up taking many of the long free kicks (and quite adeptly too). He’s got an accurate long free kick.”; against UNC, “good balance and didn’t permit the speedy Eddie Ababio to go by him. He’s starting to impress me. His 1v1 defense was pretty good.”; against WF, “moved up top (from his normal sweeper position) to try and get his head on a long ball, but he was unable to run and be active. I like the way he sweeps and he can pass accurately. I wonder if his previously injured achilles problem (while at Rutgers) is durable enough to mark 1v1 for an extended period of time. I would like to see how he does in the combine. He could be a sleeper. He could be a bust.”;
21 153 Yes Andre Sherard UNC Sr ACC 2nd team; 0g,0a in 20/20; a small but speedy central defender who has exceptional athleticism; against Duke (ACC), “I watched Andre Sherard specifically for a considerable time. He gets himself into position to make plays. At times, it seems that he’s coasting. He has read the play and is ready for it to develop. He has tremendous speed and has sufficient athletic ability to mark 6′7″ Paul Dudley.”; after combine, passing woeful – takes too long to strike the ball, easy to defend his clearance; wasn’t able to shut down anyone. Not sure he can play wide; downgrading;
22 154 Yes Charles Traylor Indiana Sr 0g,3a in 22/22 games; Against OSU (Big10 Final), “Traylor was able to neutralize dangerous left midfielder Roger Espinoza in the first half. I really like Traylor’s crosses.”; I like his ball skills from the back.
23 201 Yes Hugh Cronin NC State Sr 0g,3a in 17/17 games; plays both DM and central defense – I think he might be best acclimated for back; against UVA (regular season), “Hugh Cronin is not a MLS quality defensive midfielder. He’s a nice college player.”; against UMD, “Cronin made several good tackles that stopped additional opportunities. He impressed me – however, I am not sure if he was to blame for the goals without another look. I’ll need to watch him at the ACC tournament to see if he has MLS potential. At best, he is worth a shot as a supplemental pick.” & “Stephen King was able to take a pass from Yannick Salmon that he flicked over NCST goal keeper that was heading to the goal. Cronin hustled back and cleared the ball off the line, but the ball wound up with Drew Yates in the box and the GK out of position.”; Cronin was injured for the ACC tournament walking around in a soft cast. The combine will be essential for him.; after combine, while never a burner, I wonder if the foot is slowing him down. I’m not sure. He’s smart. I like him. upgrade just a tiniest bit.
24 207 Yes Yomby William Old Dominion Sr CAA 2nd Team; Cameroon citizen, birthdate: 6/18/81 (not a mistake); against MD, “William made an exploratory run from his central defense position to 35 yards from the MD goal. He delivered a lead pass to an unmarked Steffan Sommerstad.” and “He’s got good athletism and complements Horst very well. His speed is noteworthy. Last year against UNCG, I liked his play as well. I doubt that he’ll be drafted because he was born in 1981 which would make him a senior international. USL may be interested in him though.”; In the other matches, his play was consistent with the MD game. He’s a good player, but just too old for a rookie.; after combine, hasn’t had the best combine. Seems to have started tentative. His passing which is his strong suit is sadly lacking. He directly benefits from the removal of the YI designation and the additional international. holding steady;
25 209 Yes Julian Valentin Wake Forest Sr USA U20 starter; 3g, 2a in 17games ;good in the air; good defender and reads the game well; quickness and speed questionable; against Clemson (ACC), “The second goal was scored by senior defender Julian Valentin in the 89th minute with the score 1-1 at the time. Valentin played his normal steady defense.”; against UNC (ACC), “Valentin gave sophomore forward Bill Dworsky too much space right outside of his penalty area. I wonder if he wanted to ensure that Dworsky (who is slow) not to get by him. This could be problematic.”; after combine, “what I expected – compensates for speed by giving ground, exposed by faster Brea, fouls, leaves game with stitches to the face”; downgrading;
26 210 Yes Cameron Lewis UNC Sr 0g,0a in 15/20 games; Competent defender; ball skills lacking; shot hard; Against Akron, “Outside defender, Cameron Lewis, continues to shoot with power and accuracy from the outside. He needs to concentrate with the ball at his feet – he was dispossessed because of poor body position.”
27 211 Yes Stephen Reiner Penn State Sr 0g,4a in 19/19 games; In B10 (MSU), Reihner is a potential MLS right back. He didn’t have a flawless game (against MSU), but he did adequate. He can make defensive stops. He has a good shot. He makes overlapping runs and frequently switches into the central midfield. I like him. If he has a good combine, he’s worthy of a low draft pick.
28 212 No Iradj Farahmand II Loyola (Chi) Sr Horizon 1st team; Horizon Defense POTY; 0g, 0a in 18/18 games; 4 year starter
29 406 Yes Mark Buchholz Clemson Sr 3g, 3a in 14/19 games; saw several times, DM in college. “Mark Buchholz is a physical player who has a long throw in and a hard shot. He might not be athletic enough for the next level, but I’d give him a shot as a central defender.”
30 408 TV Brandon McDonald San Francisco Sr WCC 2nd Team; 2g,2a in 18/19 games; against Penn State in 2006, “a big guy who goes to ground too much to defend. Had to shake my head on one play, because McDonald didn’t turn his before receiving the pass; he immediately lost the ball. “; played a DM in 2006; MOVED from M to D after watching against Santa Clara, “Big body, good athlete; long throw; his bad touch allowed the first SC goal, inconsistent on the ball (at times dribbling well other times giving it up, same with passing, good in the air, Last goal, didn’t cover the shot well – wound up knocking it in with his hand;
31 500 No Karl Schilling UConn Sr 1g,3a in 3/3 games; injured(knee) in 2007; would have anchored the central back with Julius James; might be worth a low-round draft pick to see how he heals.; if he fully recovers, he might become a MLS starter. Is the gamble worth a 4th round pick or supplemental? Probably!
32 508 No Adam Chavez Binghamton Sr 2 time AmerEast 1st Team; AmerEast Def of the year; 1g,3a in 18/18 games; 3 year starter
33 510 Yes Lucas Fernandez Argentina X from Argentina, birthdate: 12/14/88; Not in draft list; kept here for ranking purposes; worst of the South Americans; seemed uninterested – petulant; doesn’t cover his mark very well, reminds me of Erpen but not as athletic.
34 519 Yes John Gilkerson Winthrop Sr BigSouth 1st Team (2nd time); against High Point, my notes reflect that he served a good free kick – but nothing that really made him stand out for that one match.
35 520 Yes Jeff Stepan St. Johns Sr BigEast 2nd team; 4g, 1a; against Virginia Tech, “Jeff Stepan got SJU on the board from a Mike Mingione cross that Alex Paszek deflected to Stepan with 13 minutes remaining in the game. At that point, SJU continued to press the attack trying without success to get the second goal. ; I like his athleticism. He will need a good showing at the combine.
36 522 No Steve Bode Wisconsin – Milwaukee Sr Horizon 1st team; 1g,0a in 19/19 games; 4 year started medical red shirt in sophomore year; 6′2″; scored 5 goals in 2005;
37 524 Yes Tom Skara Fairfield Sr MAAC 2nd Team; 2006 MAAC Def OTY; 0g,1a in 15/15 games; against Loyola, no negative or positive comment; 4 year starter
38 525 No Yahaya Musa Stony Brook Sr 2 time AmerEast 1st Team; 0g,1a in 17/18 games; born in Australia – birthdate: 12/20/86; starter for 3 years
39 531 No K.J. Lenehan Cal Poly Sr BigWest 1st team; 0g,3a in 19/19 games; started for 2 1/2 years;
40 532 No Ale Frischeisen Dartmouth Sr Ivy 1st Team; 0g, 0a in 15/15 games; 3 year starter; 2006 year was cut short from injury;
41 533 Yes Gregory Folk UCLA Sr PAC10 Honorable Mention; 0g, 0a; against IU, “Folk made a long run into the corner beating several IU defenders and crossed that none of his teammates could convert.”; he’s slight – debatable the impact that he’ll have in pros. Worth a supplemental or camp invite.
42 535 No Josh Howard William Jewell Sr All-PDL team; 2nd team All conf NAIA; 1g,2a in 14 games;
43 540 No Adam Sloustcher Loyola Marymount Sr WCC 1st Team; 0g,1a in 19/19 starts; 2 year starter after transferring from UNC;
44 700 No Paul Cain UC-Davis Sr BigWest 2nd team; 1g,3a in 20/20 games; 4 year starter – 75 consecutive starts;
45 703 Yes Matt Williams UVA Sr 0g,0a in 13 games; Small, accurate passer, determined defender; played just over half games because he was injured day-to-day with a mild knee sprain; against Virginia Tech, “From his left back position, he got forward linking with the wide midfielder (usually Villanueva) to provide width on the attack. In the 86th minute, he made a brave run to steal the VT goalkeeper’s throw, but his first touch was lacking and it went for a corner kick. I like the energy and effort.”
46 704 Yes Mike Gelatt Liberty Sr BigSouth 1st Team; 1a; Don’t know his age, but he has potential revenue advertising for the Hair Club (coming from someone who knows), touch can be rough, good clean tackler; against UNCA, “For the goal, the play started when junior goal keeper Phillip Horner crushed a wind assisted punt, Gelatt did not field the ball cleanly and Szymanski jumped on the mistake, leading to the lone UNCA goal”; against Loyola (NCAA), “A heroic diving header effort by Liberty senior defender Mike Gelatt with the ball traveling into the goal was deflected off the cross bar and bounced into the goal.”;
47 705 Yes Spencer Allen Maryland Sr 1g,2a in 20/21 games; A consistent over-achiever; has played DM, but lately has been playing wide defender. Has good leaping ability for his size; Hard kid to bet against, but I’m skeptical if he has MLS quality
48 706 TV Joe Mellott Bucknell Sr Patriot 1st team; 0g,1a in 17/18 games; 4 year starter; against Lehigh (TV), “made crucial defensive stop against Lehigh’s talented forward Kyle Evans early. Good defender.”;
49 707 TV Matt Hatzke Santa Clara Sr WCC 2nd Team; 2g,3a in 20/22 games; 4 year starter; against USF (TV), active up the left sideline, good passer and dribbler, takes some FK, on USF goal, didn’t shut down entry allowing a good look for the cross.; after combine, has had a forgetable time, providing unacceptable defensive coverage in the first game; moving down
50 708 No Brian Cocciolo Jacksonville Sr Atlantic Sun Conf 1st Team; 1g,1a in 20/20 games; consistent starter for 4 years; 6′2″
51 715 No Matt Tracy Cal State Northridge Sr BigWest 1st team; 1g,1a in 18/18 games; 3 year starter
52 1050 No Callum Bissett Rhode Island Sr A10 2nd Team; 1g, 0a; from Scotland birthdate: 5/21/85
53 1055 Yes Brandon Gasparovic St. Louis Sr 0g,0a in 12/17 games; with Viviano’s injury, Gasparovic got 12 starts; against GW, “Gasparovic had a pretty nice game. He’s calm on the ball and his first touch is sweet. If Viviano comes back for the NCAA tournament. This will probably limit Gasparovic’s minutes. He may fly under MLS radar and could be a good value proposition for a supplemental pick. I’ve only seen him against GW which isn’t the most dynamic attacking team. But, it’s a low risk pick since most supplemental picks don’t make the team out of camp, anyway.”;
54 1059 No Brian Beckford Oral Roberts Sr Summit 1st team; 0g,0a in 17/17 games; from Jamaica birthdate: 10/23/83; 2 year starter for Oral Roberts; transferred from a Jamaican college;
55 1060 Yes Phillippe Bissohong UMBC Sr 1g,0a in 19/19 games; against Shepherd (spring 2007), “…played defensive midfield last fall, now he’s playing central defense. This is a good move for him. He’s athletic enough to have a shot in the defense. He has to get better organizing, understanding (the cerebral part of playing defense). I like his ball skills – though they need to continue developing. He’s got a shot.”; From Cameroon, but I’m unsure about his citizenship status; originally a walk-on after a couple of years from playing in high school.
56 1061 Yes Michael Hessemer Lehigh Sr 0g,2a in 17/17 games; 2 year starter; Against AU, “He’s very composed. His touch needs tweaking. While it looks good, his touch needs to be tighter, because it causes him to rush on his passing when his touch isn’t quality. He’s a good tackler. He wound up playing central defense in the second half.”; Against MD, “I like the two outside defenders, seniors Michael Hessemer and Patrick Starsinic. They both have speed and ball skills. They both defend well.”; against Bucknell (TV), “burned on second goal by Wolf dribbling, didn’t close quick enough allowed the cross. Noticked that he seems to stand and watch the play rather than flowing with the play”;
57 1062 No Michael Gavin Portland Sr WCC 2nd Team; 2g,3a in 21/21 games; 4 year starter;
58 1063 Yes David Worthen UNCG Sr SoCon 2nd Team; 0g,2a in 21/21 games; 4 year starter; Has improved from last year, when I remarked that he was worthless. Don’t see him having MLS potential; after combine, started first game, injured did not return. Slight upgrade more on re-assessment than quality at combine
59 1069 Yes Patrick Starsinic Lehigh Sr 0g,3a in 16/16 games; 3 year starter (not in his sophomore year?); Against MD, “I like the two outside defenders, seniors Michael Hessemer and Patrick Starsinic. They both have speed and ball skills. They both defend well. Starsinic stymied speedy Jeremy Hall.”; Against AU, “Starsinic had a brutal first half and better second half. His passing was pathetic early, but solidified in the second. He has good speed. Starsinic at 5′8″ was out-jumping 6′1″ Chinapoo. He’s someone that I’d like to see at the combine.”
60 1070 Yes Bryan Moffa UMBC Sr AmerEast 2nd Team; 0g,5a in 18/18 games; against Navy (spring 2007), “With 28 seconds to go in the game and UMBC pressing forward, Bryan Moffa made a crisp centering pass that cleared Kevin Gnatiko’s head but found Aaron Velky’s head into the goal from 6 yards out. Terrific play.”; plays right back;
61 1074 Yes A.J. Kulp Old Dominion Sr CAA 1st Team; 4g, 8a; against Maryland, “Doug Rodkey was getting around the corner on A. J. Kulp several times.”; against James Madison, “Kulp scored the second goal late in the second half with a well placed and well struck shot low into the far post netting from 15 yards.”; against Drexel, “In the 4 games that I’ve seen Kulp, this was his best game. He started in a wider position. This gave him more time to get running without having defenders converging on him from all sides. This was particularly effective in getting the ball into dangerous positions.”; I question that he’ll be successful in the pros. I liked former teammate Jared Kent more and he hasn’t set the world on fire.; after combine, not able to play left back sufficiently. His crosses are average at best (and this is his strongest part of his game). reclassified as a defender -
62 1075 No Phil Duret Western Illinois Sr Summit 2nd team; 2g,0a in 16/19 games; 3 year starter;
63 2046 No Bryan Oelkers Iona Sr MAAC 1st Team; 3g,5a in 20/20 games including 1 pk; 3 year starter – missed some games as sophomore, possible injury?;
64 2051 Yes Kenny Cook Massachusetts Sr A10 2nd Team; Tall (6′5″) organizing defender; 1g, 2a; against UIC, “a tall defender who naturally is tremendous in the air. He reminds me of FC Dallas (and former MD Terp) defender Clarence Goodson. But Cook is not as spindly. He’s worth watching against OSU.”; against OSU, “has weak foot skills. It takes him several touches to get the ball under control. I saw this several times. He covers the passing lanes very well and is good in the air.”;
65 2060 No Luke Frieberg Drake Sr MVC 1st team; 0g,2a in 20/20 games; 4 year starter;
66 2061 No Liam Welsh Siena Sr MAAC 1st Team; 0g,0a in 20/20 games; 4 year starter;
67 2067 TV Dan Belke Colgate Sr Patriot 1st team; 1g,2a in 20/20 games; almost 4 year starter; against Lafayette (TV), “had an assist (chest pass) off a free kick, had a few stops, but wasn’t involved in the back as others”;
68 3000 No Daniel Scott Gonzaga Sr WCC 2nd Team; 0g,0a in 18/19 games; 3 year starter that has had career marred with injuries;
69 3075 Yes Greg Curry UCSB Sr 1g 5a; in 2 games didn’t have many notes about Curry – against New Mexico, “Pontius had the UCSB goal on a powerful header from a cross by Jon Curry in the 18th minute. “; [EDITOR] Yo dude, wrong Curry. Greg was hurt early in the year. Jon is his younger brother – blah!
70 3080 Yes Zola Short UVA Sr 0g,0a in 21 games; This year moved from right back to center back, never looking comfortable; his play continued to degenerate throughout the year; against NC State, “looked absolutely exhausted in the 95 degree heat by the end of the game. With the toreador UVA defense in front of him, he was working very hard. Short is a competent defender in college.”; against VT, “This was not Zola Short’s best game. He misplayed a bouncing ball that turned into Virginia Tech’s goal. In the second half, he gave up an unneeded corner kick because of lack of patience (or confidence) to clear the ball. In the 88th minute, Short made a good tackle to send the game into OT.”; against MD, “In the 43rd minute, Stephen King humiliated Short 30 yards from goal on a beautiful move that absolutely froze Short. It was a Wow-wee moment!”;
71 3081 Yes Kyle Grato Rutgers Sr 1g, 0a in 16/18 games; didn’t impress against Brown
72 3082 No Bryan Maguire St. Francis (Pa) Sr NEC 1st team; 2g,0a in 20/20 games; from Scotland Birthdate: xx/xx/xx ; 3 year starter; central back
73 3090 No Brad Peetoom Syracuse Sr BigEast 3rd team; 0g,1a in 18/18 games; Member U17 Canadian team; Born: 3/2/86;
74 3092 No Panos Georgiadis Vermont Sr AmerEast 2nd Team; 0g,1a in 21/21 games; transferred from D3 St Lawrence before 2005; not a goal scored throughout his career
75 3094 Yes Corey Sipos Akron Sr MAC 1st team; 3g,0a in 21/21 games; against WF, “Akron has an experienced defensive line (3 seniors and a junior), but I wasn’t impressed with their play.”; against UNC, “Akron Coach, Caleb Porter, needs to evaluate how his senior laden defense gets shredded for 6 goals in 2 games.”; after combine, before making 2 own goals, it was readily apparent that he was way over his head. His passing was atrocious.
76 3096 No Tom Heinbockel Columbia Sr Ivy 2nd Team; 3g, 3a in 16/16 games; 4 year starter
77 3099 Yes Keith Vereb Pennsylvania Sr Ivy 2nd team; 2g, 0a in 15/16 games; transfer from MD after 2004; tall central defender
78 4000 No Alex Christensen Oregon State Sr PAC10 Honorable Mention; 2g,0a in 19/19; after suffering season ending injuries in 2005 and 2006 was able to survive his senior season unscathed; starter when not injured;
79 4007 No Thomas Lobben Dartmouth Sr Ivy 2nd Team; 0g,0a in 16/16 games; 4 year starter
80 4010 Yes D.J. McCurry UNCG Sr SoCon 1st Team; 0g,0a in 21/21 games; 4 year starter;
81 4015 TV Luke Sullivan Lafayette Sr Patriot 1st team; 2g,0a in 14/14 games; 4 year starter; against Colgate (TV), “not much, bad header in the box – big guy”;
82 4020 No Miles Alden-Dunn College of Charleston Sr 0g,2a in 3/5 games; starter for 2 years after transferring from Boston after freshman year; Injured this year?; former IMG grad;
83 4022 No Patrick Roy Hartford Sr AmerEast 2nd Team; 0g,0a in 17/17 games; transferred from Yavapai JC;
84 4024 No Jarron Brooks St. Francis (Pa) Sr NEC 2nd team; 4g,4a in 18/20 games; 4 year starter;
85 4025 No Andy Cooper Missouri State Sr MVC 2nd team; 2g, 0a in 19/19 games; 4 year starter;
86 4026 No Bryce Luetzen St. Francis (Pa) Sr NEC 2nd team; 0g,3a in 20/20 games; 4 year starter; 4 goals in 2006;
87 4030 Yes Paul Caruso Radford Sr BigSouth 1st Team; 1g; against VMI, “On the opening goal, Caruso made a long throw that senior forward Davorin Husadzinovic flicked on from the near post to the far post and onto sophomore midfielder Justin Zimmer’s head. This was Zimmer’s first goal of the season.”;
88 4034 Yes Elliot Bradbrook Akron Sr MAC 1st team; 5g,2a in 20/20 games; played DM; against WF, did not play; against UNC, “Akron Coach, Caleb Porter, needs to evaluate how his senior laden defense gets shredded for 6 goals in 2 games.”; transfer from Ashland (D2) in 2006
89 4036 TV Brandon Foster UC-Irvine Sr BigWest Honorable Mention; 1g,2a in 20/20 games; starter 3 of 4 years; against UCSB (TV), “big, right back. Doesn’t get in good defensive position before the play occurs. When the ball arrives, he’s scrambling to get there, sometimes unsuccessfully (like for 2nd and 3rd goal). his passing is spotty. beaten by Pontius on dribbling in box on cut move.”;
90 4037 No Kyle Lynch Cornell Sr Ivy Honorable Mention; 0g, 0a in 11/11 games; 3 year starter
91 4038 No Michael Hutchison Campbell Sr Atlantic Sun Conf 2nd Team; 0g,0a in 22/22 games; starter for 3 years
92 7000 Yes Camilo Correa Loyola Sr MAAC 2nd Team; 0g,6a in 23/23 games; not a full-time starter until senior year; against Liberty (NCAA), “The second goal was from a free kick 26 yards from goal. With a 6 man Liberty wall, Loyola set up 2 players in front of the ball as a distraction and to block the goal keeper’s view. Senior defender Camilo Correa, who was in the Loyola mini-wall, turned and shot the ball with authority on goal that Liberty freshman goal keeper, Paul Gilbert was unable to catch cleanly”; against Fairfield, no positive or negative comment recorded;
93 7004 No Michael Okoh Howard Sr ASC 1st Team; 0g,0a in 16/16 games; Howard gave up a lot of goals
94 7008 No Josh White Missouri – Kansas City Sr 0g,1a in 15/15 games; 4 year starter; 6′6″;
95 7009 No Richard Perdomo Mercer Sr 0g,0a in 17/18 games; transferred from Creighton;
96 7010 No Kyle Hency Stanford Sr PAC10 Honorable Mention; 4g,2a in 6/17 games; only started mostly as junior;
97 7014 No Steve Algozino Northern Illinois Sr MAC 2nd team; 1g,0a in 19 games; starter for 4 years; participant in tough defense in 2006 (not so much in 2007);
98 7050 Yes Phil Hartman Richmond Sr 4 year starter as a central defender; Not nearly good enough for the next level
99 7055 No Mason Trafford UNLV Sr MPSF Honorable Mention; 1g,1a in 13/13 games; 13 games – that is all UNLV plays? Wow!; Born in Florida, USA but hometown is Vancouver, BC Canada; not sure if he’s a US or Canadian Citizen Birthdate – 8/21/86; 2 year starter for a bad UNLV team – pass!
100 7075 Yes Kyle Richards Richmond Sr 0g, 2a; against George Washington, “right back Richards is not as talented as his defensive counterpart, Lincoln. His passing was spotty.”; PASS
101 7090 No Blake Gotkowski Northern Illinois Sr 0g, 2a in 18 games; bit player for first 3 years; better options exist