When the Sounders use the No. 16 overall pick of the 2013 MLS SuperDraft they hope to do as well as they have done with some of their picks over the last four years.
The MLS SuperDraft can be a tricky thing.
In four years the Sounders have had some incredible success with some picks while others have not panned out, like most teams in the league.
They are hoping for more of the former than the latter when they pick 16th overall in the first round and 35th overall in the second round of the SuperDraft on January 17.
They have done well in the first round, picking Steve Zakuani with their first ever selection, first overall in the 2009 draft and then nabbed David Estrada in the first round in 2010. While Zakuani was an instant success, Estrada didn’t emerge until 2012, when he netted five goals to finish third on the team in scoring. Last year, Andrew Duran was Seattle’s top pick and while a knee injury ended his season during a loan spell with the Atlanta Silverbacks, things are still optimistic for the 23-year-old defender.
In the second round, they’ve had their greatest success with Servando Carrasco with the 27th pick in the 2010 SuperDraft, but have also plucked Bryan Meredith in the same draft with the 29th pick and Mike Seamon with the 27th pick in the 2010 draft. Carrasco has played 34 matches across all competitions while Seamon has made 21 appearances and Meredith has a 1.20 GAA over 16 matches.
Last year, they picked Babayele Sodade in round two, but the forward suffered a season-ending knee injury while playing with Canada at the Olympic qualifying tournament in February. Like Duran, he will be looking to make an impression in 2013.
Beyond those two rounds, the Sounders have also seen success in later rounds. In addition to Supplemental Draft picks Josh Ford and Andy Rose, they have also picked up Mike Fucito in the fourth round in 2009 and Alex Caskey in the third round in 2011 and both went on to contribute to the first team.
As the 2013 SuperDraft class takes shape with the signing of players to Generation adidas contracts adding to the draft pool while players signing Homegrown contracts taking players out of the pool, a clearer picture will emerge as to the type of talent that will be available when the Sounders use their first selection.
The SuperDraft is slated to start at 9 am Pacific Time on January 17.
