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Today was the MLS Supplemental Draft. That means a lot of unheralded players, already unheralded thanks to the stature of college soccer, are making their way to various MLS rosters.
The Red Bulls had six picks and used them all, almost entirely on midfielders, filling a need that was rather glaring.
Let's take a look at the Red Bulls' haul, one that's being called the best in the league...
1. Ryan Clark (LB/LM, Monmouth University)
Scouting Report:
GoMUHawks.com: Tireless worker in the midfield... Creative, attacking midfield player... Makes useful runs and delivers quality services
MLSsoccer.com: Young professional. Mature player, really works harder than then next guy. Good attitude ... Definitely a left defender in MLS ... Natural left-footed player, can serve a great ball and a great left-footed cross ... Takes all set pieces ... Has good size, he's athletic and has great pace ... He's not real dynamic but gets himself around and he's pretty clever ... Steady on the ball and good one-on-one attacking player ... Played a lot of midfield for Monmouth and they've moved him around in 2012 (central mid, left mid, forward and left back) ... Attack-minded with good ideas. Can join the attack and serve the ball in from deep-lying areas into box ... 1-v-1 defending is not great but he hasn't had to focus on defending. If he can clean that up and become a stronger defender, he can be very good ... In midfield keeps things ticking side-to-side ... Box-to-box midfielder with great technique ... Shoots well from distance ... Not super-fast but gets it done. Deceptive speed and crafty on the ball ... Looks effortless in his movements ... Can potentially play at left midfield and pinch in. He's not an out-and-out wide guy.
Further Reading:
13. Michael Bustamante (MF, Boston University)
Scouting Report:
MLSSoccer.com: Right-footed, attacking midfielder with great ability and skill ... His passing is good and he takes re-starts. He can be a diference-maker in the game ... Clever, quality player ... Athleticism is going to be the big question mark in addition to the position he plays in MLS. He doesn't have out-and-out pace ... Still, he's good attacking players 1-v-1 ... Did fairly well at right back during the MLS Player Combine, but needs to improve his defending ... He wasn't a busy enough player in college ... If he plays out wide, he can pinch in and combine with other players ... Can he be a two-way player in MLS ... Has dealt with ACL injury, but he's a big-time player.
Further Reading:
Boston University player profile
Named to 2011 Hermann Award watch list
32. Ben Fisk (MF, University of Washington)
Scouting Report:
MLSSoccer.com: Warrior defensive midfielder ... Tough, tenacious tackling holding midfielder ... People will also want to see him play at right back I imagine ... Not big. A Sam Cronin type ... Tenacious little guy in the middle of park ... Great in the air for a little guy ... Plays simple ... Wins tackles ... He was Washington's "glue guy" ... Sits in that hole and plays in front of the back four ... He wasn't asked to cover a lot of ground in the job he did. Can he do it in MLS? ... Good tackler, plays the ball quickly ... He's the leader of their team ... He keeps the ball for the team ... How would he do in a two center-mid set-up instead of three at Washington? The Huskies squeeze their outside guys and he doesn't need to cover as much ground. So not sure about right back ... Tenacious, good in the air and tackles well, keeps the ball ... Organizer. Understands and reads the game well ... Works hard, tackles and passes the first ball he sees.
Further Reading:
34. Marc Cintron (MF, Providence College)
Scouting Report:
MLSsoccer.com: Best position is probably right wing at the next level ... Very athletic, good size and good physical attirbutes .. He's looking to run at guys to get at end line and send balls into the box ... Crosses are his strength ... He receives the ball and accelerates rapidly to top speed and that's why he gets service off. That's his strength ... He can get to the end line and cut things back ... Dynamic. Once his legs get going he's difficult to stop ... Finishing and coming inside is something he needs to work on ... As well as getting more goals out of his game ... Doesn't have the speed and athleticsm for the wing ... Has decent feet ... Scored for Puerto Rico vs. Spain ... Does he have the right mentality for MLS? For him it's more of the mental side of things. He's temperamental and he'll go missing now and again. He takes a play off every now and then ... Big guy, big shoulders and good acceleration ... Has to improve his defending ... He's also a little erratic ... He's involved in the game when the ball is near him ... Not a good striker of the ball on target ... Serves a great ball in, 1-v-1 and he's got a lot of good stuff but in and around the goal he's not great ... For 1-v-1 service he can be put up against anyone in the country in college soccer ... Lot of talent who perhaps has underachieved in college.
Further Reading:
SBNation Mock SuperDraft profile
51. Stephane Diop (FW, University of Connecticut)
Further Reading:
70. Andrew Ribeiro (MF, Creighton University)
Further Reading:
Story from the Portland Timbers official site (Ribeiro was, apparently, a member of the Portland Timbers U-23 team)