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When the MLS SuperDraft kicks off on January 13, the Revolution will begin a rebuilding process that has yet to get off the ground this offseason. Thankfully, the club will benefit from a deep class of center backs and attacking midfielders, which will provide opportunities to fill roster holes before pre-season camp starts on January 23.
Who should Jay Heaps & Co. target with their second-round SuperDraft pick (31st overall)? Here are four prospects to keep an eye on.
Click here to read part one of this series, which discusses four prospects for the Revs’ first-round SuperDraft pick.
1. Brandt Bronico, Forward/Winger, Charlotte
Accolades: Earned First-Team NSCAA All-Southeast Region honors (2014-2016), won Conference USA Player of the Year (2016)
Should the Revolution select a center back in the first round, the club may set its sights on a replacement for attacking spark plug Femi Hollinger-Janzen in round two. Insert Bronico, who scored 25 goals and collected 23 assists across four seasons with the 49ers, flashing the ability to both finish and create. His success translated over to a two-year stint with the Sounders U-23 PDL side, further strengthening his collegiate resume.
If Bronico does land with the Revolution, he would likely feature as a wide-pushing midfielder with the ability to come off the bench and set up the Revs’ frontrunners late in matches.
2. Trevor Haberkorn, Center Back/Defensive Midfielder, California
Accolades: Earned Top Drawer Soccer Freshman Best XI honors while playing for Furman (2013), named to Southern Conference All-Freshman team (2013)
A 6-foot-3, 185-pound center back with experience in the U.S. Youth National Team system, Haberkorn boasts the versatility to push forward and play as a defensive midfielder. This benefit could boost his draft stock with the Revolution, who desperately need center back depth and could use added cover in the midfield with the expected departure of Gershon Koffie. Even though Haberkorn sits outside the draft’s elite group of center backs, he would offer strong value at pick 31.
3. Wuilito Fernandes, Forward/Winger, UMass Lowell
Accolades: Recognized as a MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist (2016), earned NSCAA All-America First Team honors (2016), named America East Striker of the Year (2016)
Fernandes broke onto the MLS scene at just 20-years old when the New York Red Bulls made him a late-season trialist In 2010. The Cape Verde native never caught on in New York and ultimately attended UMass Lowell, where he just completed a decorated college career.
Now looking for another shot in MLS, Fernandes could serve as a jack-of-all-trades attacker for the Revolution, offering the versatility to play as a winger, lone striker, or attacking midfielder.
4. Robby Sagel, Center Back, Penn State
Accolades: Named to Big Ten All-Tournament Team (2016), earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors (2016), named team captain as a sophomore while playing for Temple (2014)
Like Haberkorn, Sagel enters the draft as a former junior transfer who benefits from an imposing frame (6-foot-3, 175 pounds). Also like Haberkorn, he will likely stay on the board into the middle part of the second round. And while Sagel can’t match Haberkorn’s versatility, he offers experience at multiple levels of soccer, having featured for the U.S. U-17 National Team and the Lehigh Valley United Sonic (PDL, Pa.).
Sagel will have an opportunity to emerge from a crowded class of center backs during the combine, which runs through Thursday, Jan. 12.
Who would you select with the 31st pick in the MLS SuperDraft? Share your top prospects below.