Revs Squad Remains Intact Following Expansion Draft

The Montreal Impact did not draft any New England Revolution players in this year's MLS Expansion Draft, despite some valuable options being left up for grabs. Darrius Barnes, Ryan Guy, and designated player Milton Caraglio were among the Revolution players left unprotected coming into this draft, which would have been significant losses had they been chosen. However,  Revs fans can now rest easy that the current team will remain as is, at least for now.

The Impact's selections were as follows:

Brian Ching (F) - Houston Dynamo

Zarek Valentin (D) - Chivas USA

Justin Mapp (M) - Philadelphia Union

Bobby Burling (D) - San Jose Earthquakes

Jeb Brovsky (D) - Vancouver Whitecaps

Collen Warner (D) - Real Salt Lake

Josh Gardner (F) - Columbus Crew

Sanna Nyassi (M/F) - Colorado Rapids

James Riley (D) - Seattle Sounders -> Traded to Chivas USA for Justin Braun (F) and Gerson Mayen (M)

Seth Sinovic (D) - Sporting Kansas City

The Impact also acquired Tyson Wahl (D) from the Seattle Sounders for allocation money.

Some thoughts after the jump...

All in all, this seems to be a pretty solid draft for Montreal and they've definitely managed to bring in some great, quality players that will surely make the club a force to be reckoned with in the East this coming season.

Looking the list over, the Impact managed to obtain six defenders out of the eleven players that they drafted (including the trade with Seattle), which makes me wonder if perhaps they plan on using any of these draft acquisitions to trade with. Could the Revs be in line to make Montreal an offer for someone like Tyson Wahl or former Revolution Seth Sinovic who both play left back (a much needed gap to fill for the Revs)?

One particular choice in the draft shrouded in a great of controversy is the selection of Brian Ching. Ching, who played a major role in leading Houston to this year's MLS Cup, openly stated that he would retire and join the Dynamo front office if he were drafted by Montreal. It will surely be interesting to see if he follows through on that or if he was just blowing smoke.

Justin Mapp, Sanna Nyassi, and Justin Braun are, in my opinion, the best value that the Impact got out of this draft. These players are sure to make an instant impact on the team (pun intended) and will contribute immediately to the club's attacking play. Justin Braun was an absolute monster for Chivas USA this past season, and at only 24 years old appears to have a great future ahead of him still. He will undoubtedly be a talismanic figure in Montreal's 2012 squad. Justin Mapp is also an exciting player who plays left wing and has established himself as a smart, well-rounded athlete during his time with the Philadelphia Union. Sanna Nyassi, like his Revolution brother Sainey, is fast as all hell and is a great player to have on a counterattack. Used successfully in combination, I could definitely see these three being a true challenge to defend.

If the Montreal Impact does any wheeling and dealing of note in this period following the draft, we'll be sure to let you know. In the meantime, leave us your reactions to their draft selections in the comments section below.