In just under two months, the 20 Major League Soccer clubs will converge on Baltimore for the 2016 MLS SuperDraft. For the first time since 2008, Real Salt Lake will go into that draft with a significant card to play with the fifth overall pick.
With the NCAA Tournament starting Thursday after the various conference tournaments last weekend, the RSL coaching staff has been pulling double duty to make sure no stone is left unturned when the first four teams have selected on January 14 and MLS Commissioner Don Garber is awaiting Salt Lake’s selection.
“We had the entire staff scattered around the country last weekend,” General Manager Craig Waibel said. “Once you get into the tournament you’re going to one-off games. Last weekend we were able to watch a lot of the conference tournaments. The whole staff was on the road gathering information and observing players.”
Throughout the year, RSL Head Coach Jeff Cassar and his staff keep their collective eyes on the college ranks, with each coach assigned to different conferences for scouting purposes. Every few weeks, they get together and discuss players that they’ve seen and continue to narrow down their lists. Utilizing a combination of scouting – both live and on tape – and discussions with coaches and trusted sources, RSL is able to dive deeper into each player who could potentially be selected to play for the Claret-and-Cobalt.
Already boasting one of the top academy systems in the country, RSL will now be able to bolster their next crop of Homegrown Player signings with top flight players in the college system that has proven to be beneficial to teams drafting high. In addition, four of the last five MLS Rookie of the Year winners have come outside of the top five picks, showing that there is no shortage of talent available with the No. 5 pick.
“It’s a talented group without a doubt. There are a lot of talented college players. Maybe they’re not always impactful right off the get-go, but you can see what their potential is and if they could fit into your team,” Cassar said. “What we’re looking for is the best player available. I don’t think we can really start to pick a position of need in the college draft. We just need to get the best available player.”
In addition to the possibility of adding young talent with the pick, Waibel also can see the value in treating the pick like a tradable asset that could enhance the team in other areas.
“The No. 5 pick is a really good player. We have to be conscious not only of the player we are picking, but the player we could get. It’s possible to trade that pick for an impact player,” Waibel said. “We do have our eyes on seniors and undergrads that could sign GA deals, but those don’t always get defined and in the draft until the last second sometimes. We’ll continue to evaluate who we think fits, but we’ll also keep our mind open as to how we can manipulate and possibly move that pick for a player that we already have an interest in.”
