The Montreal Impact will be the 19th team to join the MLS as an expansion team in 2012. The Impact have not played a game yet. Despite this, the Impact have signed 4 players to their roster. The Montreal Impact have played in the North American Soccer League and this is the Impact’s final season in the NASL.
Three players from Montreal’s NASL roster will make the jump from division 2 of the United States Soccer Pyramid in the USHL to tier 1 in the MLS. These 3 players are goalie Evan Bush, midfielder Hasoun Camara, and midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic.
The one player who signed with the Impact for 2012 is Nelson Rivas of Inter Milan. Rivas will be the center back on defense for the Montreal Impact.
The Impact hold the 1st and the 20th overall picks for the MLS Super Draft.
Montreal should take Darren Mattocks with the #1 pick because expansion teams usually draft strikers with the top pick. Mattocks has shown the consistency to be a complete franchise player despite losing a strong supporting cast at Akron. Montreal may opt for Duke defender Andrew Wenger instead because there is speculation that most MLS Draft Boards have Wenger graded out as the top player.
I could see both Darren Mattocks and Andrew Wenger turning down Generation Adidas contracts trying out for European soccer teams. In the rare even that both players opted to do this then Kelyn Rowe the UCLA midfielder would probably emerge as the frontrunner to be the top pick.
I believe Montreal should take Darren Mattocks #1 overall given an expansion teams track records of drafting a forward #1 overall. Most MLS Draft boards do have Wenger graded out as the top player on their boards so that could result in the Impact taking Andrew Wenger with the #1 pick. The Impact may also use the 20th pick on a secondary striker. Montreal invested so much in Nelson Rivas at center back. It would be an insult to Rivas to take Wenger with the top pick. Still, Wenger could start out at right back with Rivas playing center back.
The temptation to draft a defenseman like Duke’s Andrew Wenger may be too strong for the Montreal Impact to ignore. Its going to come down to which one of the two questions Montreal wants to answer. Do we draft a player with the #1 pick based on need? Do we draft the top player on our draft board #1 overall? If Montreal drafts based on need than Mattocks should hear his name called first in January’s MLS Super Draft. If Montreal takes the best player on their draft board then there is a chance Duke defender Andrew Wenger ends up being the top pick.
I think Montreal should and will take Mattocks with the top pick. It really would not shock me though if the Impact selected Wenger because Wenger is considered the top prospect on most draft boards. Don’t rule out UCLA midfielder Kelyn Rowe as a wild card if Montreal isn’t sold on Mattocks or Wenger as a long term player for the franchise.
With the 1st pick in the 2012 MLS Super Draft the Montreal Impact Select Darren Mattocks Forward Akron Sophomore While some media outlets do consider Duke’s Andrew Wenger the favorite to go #1 overall and the top player on Montreal’s draft board I have a hard time believing Mattocks is not the top pick when Montreal’s scouts finish evaluating the 2012 Draft prospects. Mattocks is one of the most complete strikers I have seen in a long time.
Darren Mattocks provides the consistency and has continued to excel as a team leader even when Akron lost 7 draft picks to the 2011 MLS Super Draft. 5 of those 7 were drafted in the top 8 overall. Two other players on Akron’s roster transferred to different schools. Besides Mattocks, only midfielder Scott Caldwell and Akron’s goalie were the only 3 players with significant playing time returning to Akron. If you think about it Mattocks has been the leader of Akron’s soccer team all season as a sophomore after Akron won the 2010 NCAA Mens Championship.
Mattocks had 18 goals as a freshman and has matched that total as a sophomore. That is a pretty significant statement to say the least.
Excluding myself who was on the Mattocks bandwagon pretty early in the season most scouts were skeptical on Mattocks. Scouts thought Mattocks ability to make big plays would decline without his supporting cast. Mattocks answered questions and proved he could continue to be a leader at Akron. That has to count for something at the end of the day. In the end, I think Mattocks ability to answer questions from critics who were uncertain on his ability in 2011 will lead him to being the top pick down the road in January’s 2012 MLS Super Draft.
If Mattocks isn’t on the Impact it will be because Mattocks ends up deciding to pull a Soony Saad trying out in Europe or because a Canadian MLS team will want a player that they know they can get a commitment out of. Mattocks and Wenger are clearly 1 and 2 overall in terms of prospects for the 2012 MLS Super Draft. There are rumors that Mattocks will get a tryout with Chelsea FC in Europe while Andrew Wenger could get a tryout for Arsenal if both players turn down Generation Adidas contracts. Both soccer players could have a future in the English Premiere League, but I am not buying into these smokescreens yet. I think its is a tactic by the players agents to keep two highly touted American prospects from playing in Canada as Montreal and Vancouver have the first two picks in the 2012 MLS Super Draft.
The agents of the top 3 prospects in the 2012 MLS Super Draft Mattocks, Wenger, and Rowe could all end up trying to talk each player out of playing for a Canadian team. These 3 players are the only 3 players worth the top pick.
Montreal could trade down hoping to secure more picks. A team would have to make an offer Montreal could not refuse. The only team with the picks to do this is Toronto FC who has 2 first round picks. I cannot see Toronto FC doing this since they have multiple needs plus there is no guarantee Mattocks, Wenger, or Rowe would commit to Toronto FC.
In the end, I think Montreal will draft Akron forward Darren Mattocks or Duke’s Andrew Wenger with the top pick. With the trend of expansion teams taking strikers #1 overall in years past I am inclined to believe that Montreal selects Mattocks.
