[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. 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 forwards. I’ll follow this with over-all rankings. The number of games started versus the number of games played is written as “15/18 games” (15 games started of 18 games played).

I will be tweaking the forwards a lot more after reviewing numerous tapes.

Enjoy!

1 1 Yes Patrick Nyarko Virginia Tech Jr GA; AA 1st Team; ACC 1st Team; 7g, 10a in 19/22 games; from Ghana, Birthdate: 1/15/86; against SJU, “”Patrick Nyarko did not record a goal or an assist, but the night was not a failure for him. He was involved and provided probing runs and made 3 shots on goal (out of 3 shots). He looks healthy (which for me is the biggest concern). He looks quick. VT is playing him in a wide forward position. This should shield him from big hits with his back to goal and isolate him more in 1v1 situations. This is a good situation for him.”"; against UVA, “”I expect that Nyarko will play in MLS in 2008. He has tremendous skill. Since he’s 21 now, he’ll have a few years as a youth international. He’s worth taking. I do have a few concerns. He’s not able to complete games. His fitness is not 90 minutes quality. At the end of the game, he would not finish off-the-ball runs. But, this can be overcome with additional professional fitness conditioning. He has unique skills. He’s in my first round of the draft.”"; against MD, “”The second goal was a beautiful diagonal from George Zehender that Patrick Nyarko was able to gather behind the MD defense. From the top of the box, near the center of the field, Nyarko slotted the ball into the right lower corner in the the 65th minute. Moments, before Nyarko had a similar opportunity snuffed out by tremendous defense by A.J. Delagarza and Will Swaim.With time winding down and MD pressing forward, Nason scored his second goal and the VT third goal. Nyarko got the ball near midfield, drove down the sideline and split 2 defenders to hit Nason in stride. Nason cut in front of the GK and finished the 6 yard shot with ease.Nyarko showcased why I expect that he’ll come out early and be a first round draft pick. He’s quick and has tremendous technical skill.”" & “”VT still begins with Patrick Nyarko. He’s a talent that I’d pay to watch. He’s exciting and productive. Nyarko uses his dribbling and feints not to show boat but to break down the defense. He assisted in the goal by doing a step-over to beat left back Delagarza. He got to the end line and crossed the ball back to an open and waiting senior midfielder Georg Zehender. Zehender finished calmly. Nyarko will be taken in the first round.”"; against BC (ACC), “”Patrick Nyarko looked strong on the ball and was dangerous with the ball at his feet. He’s continues to be steady. I liked how strong he was on the ball and was difficult to knock off the ball. He picked BC R+Y123euben Ayarna’s pocket, beating another BC defender and delivering a good cross that Jamie Melas cleared out of danger for a VT corner kick.”"; against Cal (NCAA), “”On the first VT goal, Patrick Nyarko beat Andrew Jacobson outside the box, cut and beat another Cal defender, Tyler Berry. Nyarko unleashed a shot that was block. It fell to Ben Nason who side volleyed it with power into side netting in the 25th minute. VT extended their lead in the 56th minute on a Charlie Campbell goal. Just outside of the box, Nyarko headed the ball out to Bryan Collier, who dribbled the ball along the far side of the box. Collier squared the ball to an open Marcus Reed at the penalty spot who fed a pass to the near side to Campbell who hit it first time. The ball got under freshman goalkeeper Stefan Frei. A well struck shot that Frei should have stopped. The eventual game winner was Campbell’s second goal of the game in the 85th minute. While Campbell gets the credit for the goal. It was all Nyarko. Nyarko with a change of pace, he drove around Evan Sassano to get to the touch line. Nyarko centered a ball back to an open Campbell 10 yards from goal in the center of the penalty area. This time Frei had no chance. John Harkes was in attendance. If he wasn’t impressed with Nyarko, I have to question his sanity. Nyarko was absolutely impressive. He was quick, technically efficient. He might be able to be a MLS starter next year on the right team.”"; against UConn (NCAA), In the 22nd minute, a long VT goal kick resulted in the ball being touched by Robert Edmans past the CT defense. Nyarko drove toward goal. 25 yards from goal, he poked the ball past on-rushing goal keeper Josh Ford. It slowly dribbled through the box and off the post for the only score of the day. At the team meal last night, Nyarko was not feeling well. Today, the effect of this illness was apparent. While he did have moments, he didn’t have his endurance.”"; against WF (NCAA), “”Ike Opara contained All-American Patrick Nyarko making Nyarko flow toward the center where WF had defensive support.”" & “”VT success starts and ends with junior forward Patrick Nyarko. He’s a very dangerous player that was slowed down by an effective WF game plan and inspired play by freshman Ike Opara.”";
In preseason, “”In 2006, he scored 16 goals and added 8 assists. As a freshmen in 2005, he tallied 8 goals and 6 assists.

Patrick has a problem staying healthy. I saw Patrick play early in 2006 against UMBC when he was coming back from injury. He was brought in to score a goal and then relegated back to the bench. He has exceptional speed and skill. At that time, Nyarko was gasping for air early in the 2nd half. He reminds me of Dom Oduro (FCD), but a little smaller and significantly more spindly. VT only scored when Nyarko was on the field.

Against UMBC, his first goal was worth the price of admission. At 17:07 in the first half, he took a long pass on the near side, beat a defender with a good first touch, pulled the ball back, moving across the box, faking, driving (leaving defenders on the ground and in his wake), he finished with a sweet touch into the corner of the goal. Minutes later, he stole the ball from a bad pass from a UMBC defender, one move around the gk and calmly buried the ball into the net. The third goal, again, was because of Nyarko. He took a 40 yard pass, air dribbled over the goalie with his first touch, could have been a penalty, but Nyarko stayed up. He regained his balance and took the ball into the corner, leaving the GK trying to cut the angle. Nyarko calmly centered the ball to Vickers for the winning goal. In the ACC tournament, he was unable to lead VT past NCSU despite scoring 2 goals and adding an assist. He is a terror when on the field. The problem is getting him on the field – because of injury and/or fitness. In the spring of 2007, he’s out because of injury, again. He has a world of talent. I will be watching his minutes this year. If he can stay in shape and healthy, he’s a potential first round pick, even as youth international.”"; after combine, while he didn’t put his mark on the combine, he still showed the skills which lead him to the #1 draft pick.
2 5 Yes Joseph Lapira Notre Dame Sr AA 1st team; Big East 1st Team; 9g 10a in 19/23 games; 2006 Hermann Award winner; 2006 22g, 6a – big drop off; played with Irish National team; Creates his own shot; Against UCLA, “Lapira is a fast, hard-working forward. He is a step above the other players.”; Against Gtown, “He didn’t have his best game. His shots were off target. His service on the set pieces were unproductive. Interestingly, the best ND corner kick was made by Alex Yoshinaga – then he didn’t take another. No idea why? Lapira seems to have his confidence shaken. Compared to his Herman trophy season last year, this year has been disappointing.”
3 20 Yes Xavier Balc Ohio State Sr AA 1st team; 2 time B10 1st Team; 6g 13a in 23/23 games; In B10 (Michigan), “Balc did more than just score the goal. His passing was exquisite. At the end of the game, he provided a pass to junior Geoff Marsh that with a better touch should have ended the game at that time. In the end of the first half, Balc delivered a free kick to Doug Verhoff in the box that he headed off target. I’m glad that I get to watch Balc again tomorrow.”; In B10 (Northwestern), “Balc is the man. He’s money with the ball. He doesn’t work very hard on the defensive side. If someone comes by, he’ll pressure but he won’t pursue.” In B10 (IU), “Balc did not bring his “A” game today and OSU couldn’t score. Regardless, of today, he deserves the Big 10 Offensive player of the tournament. His set pieces were dangerous. I like his 35 yard shot in the first half that was just high. He’s a first rounder.”; ; against UMass, “In the first half, Balc took a shot with his right foot. No press release was issued. Balc is a smart player. What he lacks in speed of foot, he makes up for speed of thought.”; against WF (NCAA), “Xavier Balc just continues establishing why he’ll be a high draft pick. His first touch is deft. He reminds me of Jaime Moreno. He doesn’t play a frenetic game relying on athleticism instead he’s much more cerebral. His passing is spot on.”; after the combine, he’s the most technical player in the draft. He lacks speed and energy. I wonder if his technical ability can overcome this deficency in MLS. He best position (probably only) is withdrawn forward requiring an active and speedy forward partner.
4 25 Yes Saidi Isaac Winthrop Sr BigSouth 1st Team; 2006 BigSouth POTY; 12g, 5a; 2005&2006 BigSouth 1st Team; from Kenya no idea on his age; against High Point (BigSouth), ” Sean Weron served the ball over the High Point defense onto senior forward Saidi Isaac’s head. He buried it from 6 yards. Isaac is very quick. His technical skills are exemplary. He reminds me of Patrick Nyarko who might be the best player in the ACC. I’m very impressed. The only knock against him is that he’s from Kenya and the MLS limitation for international players. The third goal by Isaac was pure speed and skill in the 75th minute. He split 2 midfielders just on the High Point side of the half, accelerating as he encountered central defender Adam Hatem. Slowing down to lull Hatem into his trap, he sprang forward just as he got to the box, leaving Hatem behind him with the GK closing. He cut swiftly leaving just the open goal. Wow. Pass the kool-aid, I’ll imbibe.”;
5 27 Yes Ely Allen Washington Sr PAC10 POTY; PAC10 1st Team; 12g, 2a; against New Mexico, “Allen is quick and is tactically savvy. I expect that he might have a future as an outside midfielder at the next level. He takes chances – not only in a positive manner, but also doing what I’d consider ill-advised. For example, with Washington up 1-0, he kicked the ball away, ref allowed that – fine. Then, when the ref was running away (and not looking at the ball), Allen kicked the ball away again. No idea why that wasn’t a yellow. At the end of the first half, he tried to draw a penalty 2 times unsuccessfully. His passing is what makes him special.”; against SMU, “Allen could best be described as pesky. In the 30th minute, he split 2 SMU defenders with a chilling pass to Matt Van Houten that Van Houten shot right at the GK. Minutes later, he heeled it to a breaking Casey Cunningham in the box that was blocked by SMU Leone Cruz for a corner kick. Allen had a chippy moment in the 65th minute. He made a bad tackle on SMU captain Ben Shuleva that was called a foul that could have been a yellow. Of course, Shuleva and Dane Saintus felt the need to push Allen several times. The ref didn’t feel it necessary to admonish the SMU players.”; after the combine, Allen continued to show his ability to make the attack better. I see him as a viable left outside midfielder. moving up;
6 101 Yes Yannick Reyering UVA Jr ACC 1st Team; 13g, 0a including 4pk in 16 games; German; birthdate-7/10/84; had season-ending injury against MD in October; will he be ready for the combine?; Tall, accurate shooter; against NCST (regular season), “He is a steady influence up top amongst the chaos of UVA trying to find him a strike partner. He scored the second goal on a free kick from 28 yards out that went through the wall. Reyering is accurate passing with his head. He can play in MLS – I don’t think that he’ll be a star, but he definitely could be a contributor on the first team.”; against UNC, “Yannick Reyering scored a goal. However, his touch was absolutely atrocious!”;
7 108 Yes Sven Meusch VCU Sr CAA 2nd Team; 10g, 3a; From Germany – Birthdate not known. Originally listed as a freshman, now a senior on VCU site; against UVA (exhibition), “Meusch will shoot from anywhere. With just 30 minutes, he was an interesting player – deserves another look.”; against MD (exhibition), “Meusch is the most polished. He’s a physical presence up front with energy and determination.”; against William & Mary, “The best offensive weapon was freshman forward Sven Meusch’s long throw-ins. Beyond this weapon, Meusch has a powerful shot but was unable to find the target.”;
8 115 Yes Ryan Maduro Providence Sr Big East 1st Team; 5g, 6a in 19/19 games; 2006 All-American; Against Gtown, I was very interested in watching senior All-American Ryan Maduro. He plays a withdrawn forward. Maduro is adept at finding the open spaces in front of the defenders. While he had moments of brilliance, he wasn’t dominating the game.
A couple of observations of Maduro: In the 5th minute against a much larger stronger player, Len Coleman, Maduro held him off the ball. Pretty impressive. Maduro doesn’t look that big. In the 32nd minute, Maduro had a 40 yard pass that just sat on the end line for Nick Cianci to cross through the box. Nothing came of it, but that wasn’t Maduro’s fault. One concern for me is that a helicopter took off during the 1st half and Maduro got treatment for what looked like to me for a bad back. I wonder if this is a chronic problem. In the 60th minute, Maduro tried to take the game over. Off a free kick, Hankard played a direct pass forward to an isolated Maduro in the box. Maduro was able to turn on the defender and produce a powerful shot but was just wide on the near post. Nice shot.
9 120 Yes Lukasz Tumicz Rhode Island Sr A10 1st Team; 12g, 3a; Polish Birthdate: 3/1/85; after combine, mixed feelings; Balc was giving great service and he didn’t convert; willing to take shots; not moving
10 200 Yes Kenzo Webster Michigan State Sr B10 2nd team; 4g; 6a in 21/21 games; In Big 10 tourn (PSU), “Kenzo Webster showed flexibility playing wide right midfield as well starting up top. He’s quick. He didn’t have a good look at goal.” He has a good first touch.
11 207 Yes Kevin Davies Brown Sr Ivy 1st team; 10g, 3a in 15/16 games; 2 year starter (?); Against Rutgers tallied 1 goal, 1 assist, “[team mate] delivered a 65 yard pass to Davies in stride in the 55th minute that Davies was able to chip over the on-rushing Rutgers goal keeper. Beautiful pass/beautiful shot.”
12 208 Yes Kurt Martin Notre Dame Sr Big East 3rd Team; 2g 1a in 20/21; Against UCLA, “playing withdrawn forward played a nice game. He would pop up at opportune times and hit hard shots that were just off target. Perk came up big just at the end of the 1st half on a cracker of a shot!”; against Gtown, “Senior forward Kurt Martin has above average technical abilities. Oddly, as remarked by a ND fan, he turns into traffic rather than away. It causes him more trouble instead of giving him space.”; just isn’t productive enough
13 210 No Juan Gavaria St. Peter’s Sr MAAC 1st team; 2006 MAAC Offensive POTY; 10g; 4a in 19/20 games; against UVA in NCAA, suspended for red card against Loyola in MAAC final. Legitimate red card – intentional push; may have cost his team a NCAA victory.
14 500 No Kraig Chiles San Diego State Sr PAC10 1st team; 8g,4a in 19/19 games; 2 year starter;
15 501 Yes Murphy Wiredu St. Peter’s Sr MAAC offensive POTY; MAAC 1st Team; Canadian; 1/15/85; 14g, 4a in 22/22 games; against UVA in NCAA, “Wiredu is composed, laying the ball off to his trailing midfielders, leading his strike partner and getting it wide to the overlapping midfielders. He took 1 shot in the first half with his left foot. Wiredu wasn’t able to find open space to work. He was marked very closely by the UVA central defense tandem of Zola Short and Matt Poole.”;
16 503 No Mkhokheli Dube Coastal Carolina Sr BigSouth POTY; 2006 BigSouth 1st Team; 11g, 5a in 14/17 games; Did not see play; transferred from NAIA (Lindsey Wilson); From Zimbabwe-birthdate: 6/18/83 – MLS SI in 2008; This will hurt his chances with MLS.
17 504 Yes Patrick Baxter Cinncinati Sr 4g, 4a in 15/16 games; against Depaul (BigEast), “In the 74th minute, Cincinnati’s hope dwindled when [he] earned a straight red card for language that can’t be written in this post.” and “Before that “moment of glory”, he really impressed me. He has very good dribbling, passing, and defending skills. He plays more of a withdrawn forward trying to create for the top running senior forward Kenny Anaba. I think the straight red card was harsh and essentially ended the season for Cincinnati. Saying that, a senior needs to know when to shut his mouth. He cost his team.”; Even after this exhibition, he’s a quality player that could be an asset. I’d be willing to risk a low pick for him.
18 505 No Casey Ftorek Middlebury Sr D3 AA 1st Team; NESCAC 1st Team; 17g,5a in 22/22 games; Div3 champions; transferred from Taft;
19 506 Yes Victor Diaz Wisconsin Sr B10 1st team; 4g 8a in 17/18 games; Spanish Birthdate: 4/18/85; Diaz is slick. He’s a tremendous player. But, he’s not a US citizen and he’s going to be a senior international very soon. I doubt that MLS will have much interest in him.
20 508 Yes Javier Ayala-Hill California Sr PAC10 2nd team; 5g,5a in 20/20 games; starter for only 2.5 years; against VT (NCAA), “”Wideman was able to gather the ball, centering it to an open senior forward Javier Ayala-Hil. Ayala-Hil finished from 5 yards.
In the last minute of regulation, Ayala-Hil tallied his second goal of the game from a centering pass from Wideman.
Ayala-Hil is quick. He’ll need to have a good combine.”";
21 509 Yes George Josten Gonzaga Sr AA 3rd Team; WCC 1st Team; 5g,7a in 19/20 games; after scoring 12 goals per year over the last 2 years, this year was not as productive; 3.5 year starter; after combine, scored only goal in first day, but demonstrated his lack of touch earning the much maligned “feet of stone award”; stones – drop, so does George; scores 2 more goals to win the “golden flip-flop for most goals in the combine”; upgrading – probably just going to be reserve fodder;
22 510 Yes Ricardo Pierre-Louis Lee Sr NAIA POTY; NAIA AA 3 times; 29g, 11a in 17/17 games; from Haiti – birthdate: 11/2/84; missed a month of the season for leg injury; after combine, “big guy, very raw; a project. Not sure that he’s worth it.; upgrading slightly;
23 511 TV Eric Anton Colgate Sr Patriot 1st team; 5g,3a in 15/19 games; 3 year starter; against Lafayette (TV), “scored an oh my gawd goal – 30 yards upper corner side netting, hitting all of it. He was really impressing before he scored the game winner. I like his touch and his athletic leaping. He tried a side volley that was just wide in the first half.”; He might have a chance as a defender.
24 516 Yes Sherron Manswell Boston College Sr AA 3rd Team; ACC 2nd team; 11g, 7a in 21 games; big, strong, very slow. Finishes well with his feet and his head.; From Trinidad-Born: 3/2/83; against VT (ACC), “[he] is a tall durable target. He resembles Jozy Altidore but he has “Jeff Agoos” speed. This is going to be a problem that I am not sure that will be reconcilable in the pros. I think he will be dropping into the 2nd-3rd round unless he cheats on his sprinting test at the combine.”; after the combine, big target forward that doesn’t move well; minor downgrade
25 518 Yes Maximiliano Damiano Argentina X from Argentina, birthdate: 3/15/87; Not in draft list; kept here for ranking purposes; biggest field player, light on his feet with good foot skills. Not mobile enough; still very young;
26 520 Yes Kevin Forrest Washington Sr PAC10 2nd team; 2006 PAC10 POTY; 6g, 3a in 11 games; stress facture in the foot (navicular bone). Hopes to be ready for MLS combine; against New Mexico, “Forrest has both strength in the air and he has a good shot. He’s got potential to be a professional; however, I’m not sure that he’s quality enough to be more than just a bit player (e.g., Brad North, Brad Evans, etc.). In the 7th minute, Forrest drove the ball and shot from the dribble from 30 yards that the NM goal keeper deflected for a corner kick. In the 72nd minute, he received a ball that Allen had been holding, 2 touches and back to Allen a single touch to Forrest for a powerful shot that was wide.”; against SMU, “On the second goal, Allen and SMU defender Richard Oliva got tangled near midfield and the sideline. While Allen turned, Oliva fell. Allen trotted down the side line unchallenged. Kevin Forrest made a supporting run down the middle of the field covered by SMU defender Ryan Mirsky. With Allen approaching, Sandbo closed the angle, Mirsky shaded toward Allen. From 25 yards, Allen curled a ball onto Forrest’s foot that he shot into the unguarded net.” and “success starts up top with the experienced Forrest and Allen tandem. Forrest exhibited why he’s so well thought of in college. However, he’s not able to create his own shot. A reader asked me what I meant by this in a previous post. I look for a player with only 1 defender (or more) to beat to create the space to have an open shot or better yet beat the defender on the dribble. While Forrest can shoot, he really isn’t a terrific dribbler. He can hold the ball or run onto the ball and shoot. In today’s game, he tried to do a step-over and it looked very uncomfortable (not only for him, but for fans in the stands).”; after the combine, he’s not able to create his shot as previously seen. He can play off others. He’s too slow for the next level; downgrading;
27 522 No Jacek Przednowek Robert Morris Sr NEC 1st team; 15g,4a in 15/18 game; From Canada birthdate: xx/xx/xx; starter for 3 years; transferred from St. John’s College (Canada);
28 525 Yes Kai Kasiguran Messiah Sr D3 AA 1st Team; 3 time div III conference POTY, 4 time D3 All-American; 10g, 7a; against York, “He didn’t show me anything.”; after combine, “has some ball skills, but expects more time than available. Supporting runs lacking. Upgrading slightly.
29 528 Yes El Hadj Cisse NC State Sr ACC 2nd team; 5g, 1a in 17/17 games; Ivory Coast citizen; birthdate – 12/30/85 (2 more days!); against UVA (regular season), “On the first goal for NCST, Mora crossed in a ball that senior (and solo front runner) El Hadj Cisse flicked in for the opening goal of the game. Cisse is a fast forward that has the ability to get behind defenses. He is one of the players that tries to embellish on fouls – but not very convincingly.”; against MD, “Cisse was a threat with his speed and tight turns. However, he never got sufficient service to make an impact.”; after the combine, takes too much time to get off his shot; minor downgrade
30 530 No Greg Kilkenny Northeastern Sr CAA 1st team; 7g, 9a in 19/19 games; from Ireland birthdate: 10/10/83; averaging 6 goals per season over 3 years;
31 801 Yes Andrew Wheeler York College Sr CAC (div III) 1st Team; 2006 CAC POTY; 11g, 10a; 2006 Div III All-American; 2007 PDL All-league and MVP runner-up 14g, 5a; against Gettysburgh, “He was an NJCAA All-regional in 2004. The same year that Michael Randolph was a JUCO MVP. I wanted to see if he’s ready to be a professional. Short answer, nope – not yet. My understanding is that he was ineligible to play Division I/II because his grades were insufficient. It’s too bad, because he hasn’t had that day-to-day competition pushing him to get better and work harder. In a competitive environment, he skills and determination could be honed more fine. Wheeler got an early goal by stealing a back pass faking the keeper and finishing the opportunity within 2 minutes of the start of the game. Then a minute later, he settled the ball and passed the ball to an open Justin Suchoski that went just wide. Wow. I was gearing up to see an exhibit of skill. It didn’t materialize. After scoring, Wheeler wasn’t too effective. A head flick here, a flick on, a couple of step-overs. But he was generally too static. He has good dribbling skills and is a tall target (6′3″). Kind of reminds me of Jacqua (at least for being tall). Wheeler seems to like to get wide to give himself more time for his first touch and to isolate the outside defender in a 1v1 situation. Wheeler has a hard shot but today it was erratic killing many low flying birds in the area. His work rate was woefully inadequate. I wonder if he’s lazy because he doesn’t need to run hard to receive the ball or is it that he isn’t challenged. Perhaps, this is his personality. At times, he tries to be too clever (e.g., unnecessary back heels) that might give credence to his being bored. The second half was much better. Wheeler took a very wide position. On one play, he headed the ball over his defender getting behind the Gettysburg defense, and centered the ball to an open Jason Mancuso who let the ball run to give himself more space and finished. On the play, Wheeler didn’t assertively put himself in a better position (rebound, pass back), instead, he did that “fake half run” (if you have ever coached kids, you know this one – half run looking like the player is working, but going nowhere). I observed other runs/thoughts that make me wonder about his tactical complexity. Does he make the proper run? With the run, does he attack at various change of pace? Is he thinking ahead, where is the ball going, where should he be? What could unbalance the defense? I don’t think so. He’s very competent running onto a through ball or taking on a defender 1v1. I have seen him shoot with power from speed. Luckily, I will see Wheeler more this year to either confirm my initial observations/suspicions or refute them. Right now, I don’t think he’s a MLS quality draft candidate.”; against Messiah, “Wheeler was suspended after picking up his 5th yellow card of the season. If I can give him one small piece of advice, keep your mouth shut. The referee doesn’t need your 22 year old opinion. So, I’m disappointed that Wheeler did not play.”;
32 802 No Brett Paschall Elon Sr SoCon 1st Team; 7g,6a in 17/19 games;
33 805 No Anton Axelsson Jacksonville Sr Atlantic Sun Conf 1st Team; 16g,4a in 19/20 games; 8g, 9g in 2006, 2005, respectively; from Sweden birthdate: 2/28/84;
34 806 No Nick Figueiredo Bowdoin Sr D3 AA 1st Team; NESCAC 1st Team; NESCAC POTY; 10g,11a in 16/16 games; 3 time NESCAC 1st team; would need to have a good combine
35 807 No Matt Hoff Harvard Sr Ivy 1st team; 2g, 8a in 16/16 games; 4 year starter;
36 810 No Tanner Wolfe Stetson Sr Atlantic Sun Conf 1st Team; 8g,7a in 15/16 games; 1st team in 2005 and 2006; very small;
37 815 No Ismael Ibarra San Jose Sr MPSF 1st Team; 9g,3a in 17/19 games; transfer from JUCO school; sat out 2006; not sure why;
38 1005 Yes Adrian Bumbut Liberty Sr BigSouth 1st Team; 12g, 5a; Romanian – Birthdate:xx/xx/xx ; against UNCA (BigSouth), “Bumbut (from Romania) was not involved in the scoring today, but he is the leading goal scorer for Liberty for the season with 12 goals and 3 assists. As an international player, I’ve seen better.”; against Loyola (NCAA), “Bumbut was active getting back to retrieve the ball and ensure that junior midfielder Joshua Boateng received it in positions to attack. Loyola was adept at making Boateng take the ball to his less favored right side. Bumbut is actively pursuing a professional opportunity by being invited to the USL, european and MLS combines this off-season. Given his age and his size, I don’t believe that he’s MLS quality.”;
39 1010 Yes Kenny Anaba Cinncinati Sr BigEast 1st team; 10g, 3a in 18/20 games; against Depaul (BigEast), “Anaba stood around yesterday. He’s got a big body but he doesn’t seem to have sufficient desire. He is one of the reasons that Cincinnati didn’t advance. He had one goal called back in the first half for a hand ball. It looked like a good call to me.”;
40 1012 Yes Davorin Husadzinovic Radford Sr BigSouth 2nd Team; 6g, 2a; From Bosnia – Birthdate: xx/xx/xx; 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. The second goal was even better. Elimibi sent a long pass in the “jet stream” that went 40 yards onto the foot of Husadzinovic. He brought the ball down silently, dribbling into the box with tacit pressure. He hooked the ball around the defender into the side netting for a beautiful goal.”;
41 1013 Yes Pat Viray VCU Sr CAA 3rd Team; 6g, 5a; Not a regular starter (probably should have been instead of the freshman forward); Don’t think that he’ll be drafted by MLS.
42 1016 Yes Abimbola Pedro George Washington Sr A10 2nd Team; 6g, 7a in 10/16 games; from Nigeria-Birthdate: 8/1/1987; A10 has him as a junior, GW has him as a senior; against Richmond, “Pedro has speed, power and athleticism. He is a good target in the air, but he wastes many opportunities. He has a strong left foot with a few shots that were just wide or high. For MLS, he’s not worth an international slot, though.”;
43 1017 Yes Sam Bailey Fairfield Sr MAAC 1st Team; 8g,4a in 17/17 games; from England-Birthdate: XX/XX/XX; against Loyola, no negative or positive comment; 4 year starter
44 1019 No Jared Britcher Memphis Sr C-USA 2nd team; 5g,5a in 14/15 games;
45 1024 Yes Omar Alfonso St. Johns Sr 4g, 1a; transferred as grad student from Loyola (MD); Lost 2005 season to hip injury; 2003 MAAC POTY (17g, 6a), 2004 MAAC 1st Team (3g, 6a), 2006 MAAC 1st Team (6g, 7a); only played 15 minutes against Virginia Tech. Born in Colombia, I’m not sure if he’s a US Citizen. Pro prospects not high;
46 1025 Yes Eliot Paschalis Furman Sr SoCon 2nd Team; 3g,6a (2pk) in 20/20 games; from England birthdate: 11/21/83; 4 year starter;
47 1026 No Cory Elenio Evansville Sr MVC 1st team; 7g,9a in 18/20 games;
48 3000 Yes Paul Dudley Duke Sr 7g, 1a in 11/20 games; Tall and slow; tallied 7 g, 1 a; Chris Loftus re-visited; he’d be able to ride the bench. He doesn’t have enough technical skill to warrant a pick.
49 3001 No Richard Godfrey Gardner-Webb Sr Atlantic Sun Conf 1st Team; 11g, 1a in 18 games; speedster on a bad team; from Jamaica birthdate: XX/XX/XX?; transferred from Schoolcraft JUCO
50 3002 Yes Adam Sternberger Rutgers Sr 3g,4a in 18/19 games; against Brown, “With less than 10 minutes remaining and Rutgers down a goal, Rutgers was pushing numbers forward. Senior forward Adam Sternberger took a side volley onto goal that the Brown GK was able to smother.” Pretty athletic move.
51 3003 No Vicente Arze Mercer Sr Atlantic Sun Conf 2nd Team; 5g,7a in 19/19 games; from Bolivia birthdate: xx/xx/xx; ASC all conf team multiple times; small forward; dribbles too much?
52 3004 Yes Keith Savage West Florida Sr D2 GSC 1st Team (3 times), 14g, 9a in 20/20 games; Combine was disappointing for him; might have a chance at defense, but that is a big risk, too; downgrading after viewing at combine.
53 3005 No Dan Shapiro Stanford Sr PAC10 Honorable Mention; 4g,0a in 18/18 games; 3 year starter;
54 3007 No Sean Sassano Appalachian St Sr SoCon 2nd Team; 5g,4a in 19/19 games; 3.5 year starter;
55 3010 Yes Tino Nunez UCSB Sr BigWest 1st Team; 5g, 5a; I’m not a fan; Against SMU, “The play started with Chris Pontius sending a 30 yard pass into the box that Tino Nunez squared to an on-rushing O’Brien who finished to the near post with a well hit ball from 11 yards.” and “I am still not a Tino Nunez fan (I saw him last year). He’s playing outside midfielder and I can’t see him playing in MLS. He just doesn’t work hard enough. Nice college player.”; Against New Mexico, “Tino Nunez had his normal sub-par first half, ill-advised shot in the opening minutes when better options were available, a foolish handball because he couldn’t jump high enough on a ball at midfield, not running for O’Brien into a more attacking position and a few bad touches. However, in the second half, he was alert, active and running hard. He’d make a pass and run to the open space, receive the ball, 1 or 2 touches and pass it to a team mate. I was impressed – however, I wouldn’t draft this guy on my fantasy soccer team just to fill out the roster.”; against UCI (TV), “working hard! something has inspired him (not sure what), good touch and good passing. He dropped the ball to Pontius for first goal.”;
56 3011 TV Scott Hawkins Lafayette Sr Patriot 2nd team; 7g,1a in 18/18 games; 4 year starter avg 7g/yr; against Colgate (TV), “scored an early goal off a scrum in the box – pretty balanced to touch the ball in when it bounced to waste level. Didn’t do much afterwards.”;
57 3015 Yes Ben Page Lipscomb Sr Atlantic Sun Conf 1st Team; 7g (3pk),4a in 19/19 games; against Eastern Illinois, “…very strong shot. “; not optimistic
58 3016 Yes Pablo Moreira Akron Sr MAC 2nd team; 5g, 2a in 19/20 games; only played late in 2nd game of week-end – possibly coming back from minor injury?
59 7001 No Nick Webb Oregon State Sr PAC10 2nd team; 6g,3a in 13/20 games; not a consistent starter throughout career; transfer from Western Washington following freshman year;
60 7002 Yes Spencer Wadsworth Duke Sr 2g, 1a in 6/20 games; Can’t start for college team, not likely to be able to start for a pro team; pass
61 7003 No Tom Oatley Western Michigan Sr MAC 2nd team; 5g,4a in 18/19 games; best season was 2005 12g, 2a; WM not very good
62 7005 No Ian McAuley Evansville Sr MVC 2nd team; 6g,2a in 4/19 games; not a starter in college; From Trinidad birthdate: 11/8/83;
63 7010 TV Aaron Swanson Kentucky Sr C-USA 3rd team; 5g,0a in 11/17 games; transferred from Dayton after taking 2006 off; not prolific enough; against KY (TV), “didn’t have enough speed to get past Chevannes. Tweaked ankle midway through 1st half not to return.”;
64 7011 Yes Blake Danaher New Mexico Sr 2g, 3a; Fast; not a college starter, I’m not optimistic
65 7013 TV Todd Goddard Tulsa Sr CUSA 3rd team; 11g, 1a in 17 games; starter as freshman (mostly come off the bench); against VT (TV), “scored the first goal on a well placed shot against a better goalkeeper, it would probably would have been saved. Either hurt himself (which limited his minutes) or was not in shape (perhaps). Regardless, disappeared even when on the field for long periods.”; against FIU (TV-CUSA), ‘came off the bench to score the tying goal with 9 minutes remaining in the game. He cut in front of the goalie on a long pass and headed it down for a nice goal; mostly a reserve since his freshman year”; against USC (TV), “had a powerful on-target shot off the bench”;
66 7014 No Nicholas Lind UC-Davis Sr BigWest 2nd team; 5g,4a in 18/19 games; 4 year starter; 4 year of insignificant scoring regardless if he’s related to Klinnsman.
67 7015 No Marcus McCarty Northern Illinois Sr MAC 2nd team; 6g,1a in 17 games; transferred from CUSA Memphis
68 7016 No Emile Innocent Howard Sr ASC 1st Team; 2g,2a in 16/16 games; small forward (5′8″)
69 8000 No Jeremy Ortiz La Salle Sr A10 Honorable Mention; 3g, 0a in 15/16 games; Not sufficient productivity
70 8001 No Andrew Villalobos UC-Riverside Sr BigWest Honorable Mention; 1g,2a in 7/18 games; not a starter; not a scorer, not a chance;
71 8005 No Julio Gonzalez San Jose Sr MPSF Honorable Mention; 6g,1a in 8/17 games; transfer from Fresno City college (didn’t play soccer); not a starter in the past 2 years; pass
72 8008 Yes Chris Davis Furman Sr 5g,2a in 2/23 games; not a starter in college; not a pro prospect;
73 8010 No Devon Klipp Philadelphia Sr ASC 2nd Team; 2g,3a in 17/18 games; not prolific goal scorer throughout his career in a weak conference
74 8100 No Curt Zastrow Northern Illinois Sr 0g, 1a in 15 games; forwards who don’t score, need to investigate other work
75 8120 Yes Alimer Gonzalez Wake Forest Sr Scored 1 goal in 4 yrs; not draftable