Today was the MLS expansion draft and the Seattle Sounders picked up a couple of good players to play alongside Sebastien Le Toux, Kasey Keller, Freddie Llungberg and Sanna Nyassi .
Each of the other 14 MLS teams were allowed to protect 11 players and Seattle then went ahead and selected one player each from 10 of the 14 MLS teams. The four teams with no players selected were the Colorado Rapids, Chivas USA, D.C. United and FC Dallas.
With their first pick, Seattle picked Houston Dynamo forward Nate Jaqua. Jaqua was is a good target man and he will benefit from playing alongside Ljungberg and LeToux.
Jaqua was the expected #1 pick according to Ives Galarcep and his mock MLS expansion draft yesterday.
Some of the other Seattle picks included:
Nathan Sturgus (Real Salt Lake)
Before injuries derailed his young career, Sturgis was regarded as a future star. The former U.S. Under-23 player has struggled for two years to stay healthy but just might be a gamble worth taking for Seattle. If the Sounders he isn’t worth the risk, don’t be surprised to see Seattle grab young and inexpensive midfielder Joe Vide (D.C. United), who impressed as a defensive midfielder late in 2008.
Bread Evans (Columbus Crew)
If Schmid is providing input into this selection then look for Evans to get the nod. Evans was a real revelation for the Crew this past season and his modest salary makes him even more appealing to a Seattle team already carrying Freddie Ljungberg’s designated player slot. Eddie Gaven seems like an enticing pick as well, but Evans makes a fraction of Gaven’s salary and there are other wing options for Seattle.
“We feel like we got a great mix of players,” said Adrian Hanauer, Sounders FC general manager. “We got an experienced veteran who has been there in the trenches and played lots of MLS games in Peter Vagenas. We got mid-tier experienced guys in Parke, Jaqua and Khano Smith. We’re very excited about the young players we were able to select.”
“We weighted the draft a little more defensively, rather than the attack,” said Hanauer. “We feel very good about our expansion draft players as they complement our existing four players. Together, they comprise a very solid core.”
BELOW IS THE COMPLETE LIST OF PLAYERS SELECTED IN THE 2008 MLS EXPANSION DRAFT:
1. Nate Jaqua (Houston Dynamo)
2. Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake)
3. Jeff Parke (New York Red Bulls)
4. Jarrod Smith (Toronto FC)
5. Khano Smith (New England Revolution)
6. Peter Vagenas (Los Angeles Galaxy)
7. Tyson Wahl (Kansas City Wizards)
8. James Riley (San Jose Earthquakes)
9. Stephen King (Chicago Fire)
10. Brad Evans (Columbus Crew)
