2012 MLS Mock Draft: Landing Places for Most Dangerous Scorers

Darren Mattocks, Andrew Wenger, Chandler Hoffman and Casey Townshend are four of the best scorers in college soccer.Now, they are going to take their talents to Major League Soccer, entering the 2012 MLS draft.These four players know how to provide an offensive spark, but how will they be used by their new teams? And, which of the four will have the biggest impact in 2012?Let's take a look at where these four scorers will land. And, while we're at it, let's take a look at how the entire first round will look. 1. Montreal Impact: Darren Mattocks, Forward, AkronThe Impact, MLS's newest team, will get the first pick in the 2012 draft. They'll probably select Darren Mattocks, the high-scoring forward.Mattocks is a high-quality player and a great goal scorer. He scored 21 goals in 22 games last season.However, on a brand-new team, the scoring ability might be limited for Mattocks. This team is going to go through some growing pains and will take some time to develop chemistry.Don't expect much from Mattocks in 2012.2. Vancouver Whitecaps: Andrew Wenger, Forward/Defense, DukeWenger has won both the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and ACC Defensive Player of the Year awards during his illustrious ...

2012 MLS Mock Draft: Projecting Future Stars from First Round

Major League Soccer’s SuperDraft has a plethora of top young players that will help whichever teams they are drafted to from day one. It's an exciting time, as for the first time ever, the Montreal Impact will make their inaugural draft pick.  They have a number of top prospects that could be the face of their franchise that they build a potential championship team around. However, after Montreal, Vancouver, in their second year, picks second.  The young club looks to build after last year’s two top 10 picks of Omar Salgado and Michael Nanchoff.  With the addition of the 19th team, it makes for an even tougher first round. Here are where the future stars of the MLS should go on Jan. 12.   2012 MLS Mock Draft 1. Montreal Impact (First Year): Darren Mattocks, Forward, Akron This Montreal team needs to build around someone that can excite the fans to keep on coming back if they struggle in their first year. Mattocks may be young, as he is only a sophomore from Akron; however, he has breakaway speed and finished with 21 goals in 22 games for his school this year.   2. Vancouver Whitecaps (6-18-10, 28 pts.): Andrew Wenger, Forward/Defender, Duke Vancouver ...

MLS Draft 2012: Budding League Still Figuring out Fine Art of Drafting

Every professional sports league would love to find out the secret to amateur draft success. MLS is starting to realize that the non-exact science can be quite frustrating.Every draft is rife with landmines, and the MLS SuperDraft on Thursday is no exception. For every superstar that gets picked late, there are those Ryan Leaf and Sam Bowie pratfalls that malign just about every sport. Steven Goff of The Washington Post highlights this issue, as most first overall picks in MLS have their careers overshadowed by later draft selections. This is an issue that expansion team the Montreal Impact hope to skirt. This is a deep draft with a ton of midfielders and forwards to be had. If defense is what you crave, you may want to target one of the few great center backs around early. What this crop lacks, however, is a few superstars that will infuse this league from the moment they hit the pitch. That is not to say that there isn't a presumed first overall pick. Many believe that Darren Mattocks from the University of Akron is the no-brainer selection. That leaves a great deal of wealth to be had for those who want some playmakers in the middle. Luis Silva is one name ...

Why We Should Be Bigger Soccer and Hockey Fans, but Aren’t

Upon doing some self-reflecting, I have come to the conclusion that there are many people, myself included, that give hockey and soccer a bad rap. Growing up, neither was particularly apparent in my life, and I am sure that many people are in the same boat.However, there are many people who do enjoy these sports, and I would like to be one of them. I have several friends who like soccer and hockey, and I want to be able to connect with them to share the enjoyment they have for these sports.I've tried several times to get interested in these sports, by watching them on television, following them through the media, and playing them in real life. But I have yet to really embrace soccer and hockey. I have been thinking lately about why that is, and I think I have come up with the rationale.So if you share similar views that I do, here is why and how we can get past it. That way, we can embrace soccer and hockey in a way that many people around the world already do, because I know once we give them a chance and immerse ourselves in these sports, we will find them interesting and may ...

2012 MLS Mock Draft: Complete First-Round Predictions

In search of the next prospect to take their team to the promised land, Major League Soccer scouts and coaches have flocked to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to watch the select few MLS Combine invitees compete. Following the completion of the combine, these scouts and coaches will have just a few days to put together their draft boards, with the draft itself set to begin at 12:00 p.m. EST this Thursday. Fans around the country can watch the MLS draft live from Kansas City, Missouri on ESPN2. Here are my predictions for the first round. No. 1: Montreal Impact - Darren Mattocks It has been generally assumed that the Impact will need a forward because many consider it unlikely that Brian Ching, selected by the Impact in the expansion draft, will play this season. The Houston Dynamo left Ching unprotected in the expansion draft thinking no one else would select him because Ching, who is 33, had stated he would retire rather than play anywhere else. The Dynamo also believed that the hefty price tag attached with the final year of Ching’s contract would thwart any interest. However, the Impact called Ching and the Dynamo’s bluff and selected him anyways. It ...

MLS SuperDraft 2012: Top Prospects, Draft Order, TV Schedule and More

The 2012 MLS SuperDraft is just a couple days away with expansion Montreal Impact set to make the first overall selection. The draft is where teams can stock up on young talent in hopes of contending for a league title in the coming years. There will only be two rounds this season, which is reduced from the usual three. That means 38 picks will be made on Thursday. There's also a four-round supplemental draft scheduled for next week to help teams fill out their rosters. This season's first pick will follow in the footsteps of Omar Salgado, who was selected first by the Vancouver Whitecaps last year. The 18-year-old forward scored one goal in 14 appearances during his rookie campaign.  Where: Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Mo. When: Thursday, Jan. 12 at 12 p.m. ET Watch: ESPN2 and ESPN3.com Draft Order  First Round 1. Montreal Impact 2. Vancouver Whitecaps 3. New England Revolution 4. Toronto FC 5. Chivas USA 6. San Jose Earthquakes 7. D.C. United 8. Portland Timbers 9. Chicago Fire 10. Columbus Crew 11. FC Dallas 12. Toronto FC (via New York Red Bulls) 13. Philadelphia Union 14. Colorado Rapids 15. Seattle Sounders FC 16. Sporting Kansas ...

MLS Trade Rumors: LA Galaxy’s MLS Cup Honeymoon Over; Stars Are Back to Business

Several members of the LA Galaxy are on the move, inking short-term contracts, and putting on new jerseys.But none of them are superstar David Beckham, who recently rejected a contract with Paris Saint-Germain.   Landon Donovan played his first game with Everton on Wednesday as part of a two-month offseason loan deal. Coach David Moyes gave the American a starting role during a matchup against Bolton.  Donovan's side lost 2-1 despite a 100-yard goal from teammate and fellow United States international, goalkeeper Tim Howard.    "Apart from our goalkeeping and bits of Landon, it was hard to see any positives," Moyes told the Liverpool Daily PostRobbie Keane, the Irish national and LA Galaxy striker, is currently training with Tottenham Hotspur, despite a rumoured loan to Aston Villa until MLS play resumes.  "[A loan agreement] is not far away," Aston Villa coach Alex McLeish said.  "We're trying to get things cleared for him [for a fixture next week].    Omar Gonzalez, the LA Galaxy center back and MLS defender of the year, left the United States men's national team unexpectedly on Wednesday.He signed a loan agreement with Bundesliga's FC Nuremburg, and began training with the team on Thursday.  "Omar is an interesting ...

Ranking the Top 10 Designated Players in the MLS

In Major League Soccer, designated players are the most famous, most recognizable players on their respective teams. So which one is the best?That's what this list is here to figure out. First, though, a little background.More than any other development, the Designated Player Rule transformed the MLS. By allowing teams to bring in big-name players for big-time salaries without breaking the salary cap, the rule brought an unprecedented level of star power to the league.David Beckham was the first. Now, with each team allowed two designated players, there are more than 20.That meant making a top 10 list was both easy and difficult. For every success story like Fredy Montero of the Seattle Sounders, there are also major busts and big names with incomplete grades.Take Robbie Keane for example. The Republic of Ireland forward played well in his four appearances in 2011 for the Los Angeles Galaxy, scoring twice. But four appearances is not a big enough sample size to draw reasonable conclusions.So we left him off this list, for now. Who did we include? For this list, we tried to combine the players' 2011 form with their overall accomplishments and reputation.It made for what we're sure you'll agree were ...

MLS News: Grading Toronto FC’s New 2012 Away Kit

 In an odd sort of fashion, Toronto FC's new kit was just recently released today via an on-line soccer shop.  The team is yet to reveal these 2012 away kits themselves yet somehow, someway they are currently for sale.  Apart from the strange fashion in which these jerseys were leaked, Toronto will be supporting a new look in away fixtures this upcoming season.  In a change from the all white 2011 kits, this year's away jersey will support red shoulders that extend down the sides and back of the kit.  Most notably, and in another odd note, it appears as if Toronto has changed their crest for this kit by eliminating the grey from the "T" for a much plainer but appealing look of red and white.  These jerseys are indeed plain and it will be hard to erase the success and appeal of the "all white" kits, but certainly these jerseys could be much worse.  Frankly some of the kits that have been released thus far are absolutely terrible (Columbus what were you thinking with these?).Toronto fans have been fortunate to have a wide variety of fashionable looks over their early five-year history.  Heading into year six I think it is safe ...

David Beckham: Why Staying Away from France Was Brilliant Move

After English midfielder David Beckham's five-year contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy expired, it seemed as if there was a good chance he would go back overseas. After declining an offer from Paris Saint-Germain, however, that won't happen, and I think it was the right choice. Many will call Beckham stupid for deciding to stay in Los Angeles rather than signing on with PSG. That is especially true since Scott French of ESPNLosAngeles.com is reporting that the French football club was offering him roughly $1 million per month for 18 months. Seeing as Beckham had just come off a $32.5 million contract with the Galaxy and made millions upon millions more while playing in Europe previously, money likely isn't even a consideration for him. This decision had a lot more to do with not wanting to uproot his wife Victoria and their children. Many like to criticize athletes for being money-hungry, but with Beckham's decision stemming solely from a family perspective, you can't help but respect him. On top of that, he can continue to be a large fish in a small pond in the MLS. If Beckham were to go to PSG or some other European power, there's no ...