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I have no idea why I love participating in the greatness that is the SB Nation Mock Draft. Maybe it’s a sign that the preseason is right around the corner and it’s the first chance to get excited about something related to the 2018 regular season.
There’s also a satisfaction about identifying at least certain needs for the New England Revolution and trying to research some of the players the club might be looking at. I remember being upset a few years back that I didn’t get to draft Jordan McCrary but was happy the Revs did select him even if it didn’t work out for McCrary on the first team roster.
DRAFT RESOURCES
Here’s a few links I’ll be referencing down below that provide a lot of additional information on the players. I’m not a college scout but enjoy playing one on the internet.
MLS Soccer.com’s Mock Draft 1.0
There aren’t any trades in the SBN Mock Draft, so whatever picks the teams had on Sunday is where we picked. The first seven picks played out like this:
1. LAFC – Tomas Hilliard-Arce (Stanford)
2. LA Galaxy – Mason Toye (Indiana)
3. D.C. United – Chris Mueller (Wisconsin)
4. Montreal Impact – Francis Atuahene (Michigan)
5. Minnesota United – Jon Bakero (Wake Forest)
6. Orlando City – Wyatt Omsberg (Dartmouth)
7. Montreal Impact – Tristan Blackmon (Pacific)
So this isn’t ideal as far as my original plan going into this exercise. One our targets was keeping local defender Omsberg in New England and then hoping maybe Jon Bakero or another attacking type fell to us for one of these two picks. Obviously no good plan survives more than two picks into a mock draft but I think I was able to adjust pretty well for New England with back to back selections in the first round.
8. Joao Moutinho, D/M, Akron, Generation Adidas
#7 TopDrawer MLS Big Board 2.0, #7 to MTL in TopDrawer Mock Draft 2.0, #4 to MTL in MLSSoccer.com’s Mock Draft 1.0, #1 to LAFC in SBI’s Mock Draft 2.0, #1 SBI’s 2018 Big Board
Okay, so Moutinho is not the true defensive prospect I was hoping for with one of these two picks but I’m not unhappy about selecting him. Joao Moutinho is good at soccer but at his more slight 6’0’’ and 156lbs frame he might not be able to transition to an MLS centerback.
This is just fine for New England, who have been spending a lot of money on central defenders in the last couple of years and need more help at either fullback or holding midfield. Moutinho has played central mid in the past as well so it will be interesting to see where New England (or whichever team in MLS who picks him) projects Moutinho at the next level.
The Revolution have played primarily a 4-2-3-1 as well as a 4-4-2 diamond but with new head coach Brad Friedel, a player of Moutinho’s caliber and utility to play fullback, holding mid or even a central midfielder/shuttler type, there’s a lot to like here even if Moutinho can be labeled a project.
9. Ema Twumasi, M/F, Wake Forest, Generation Adidas
#1 TopDrawer MLS Big Board 2.0, #1 to LAFC in TopDrawer Mock Draft 2.0, #6 to ORL in MLSSoccer.com’s Mock Draft 1.0, #1 to LAFC in SBI’s 2018 Mock Draft 2.0, #1 on SBI’s Big Board 2.0
I have no idea what Twumasi is doing still on the board here but after getting one defensive player I was always going to be looking for value here with this pick. It’s hard to get any more value than someone who’s a top rated player on the TDS Big Board.
For all the attacking options the Revs have, there’s a lack of true wingers on this roster. Diego Fagundez fits the role well enough, but Teal Bunbury, Juan Agudelo and even Femi Hollinger-Janzen are more true strikers than wide players and Kelyn Rowe is perhaps better suited in the middle though he’ll play anywhere effectively.
Twumasi doesn’t have the speed of fellow Ghanian prospect Francis Atuahene out of Michigan, but I think his particular skill set might be more beneficial to the Revs. Twumasi is a solid combination player and though he needs to improve a bit in the final third according to scouting reports, I think he could be a solid fit and contribute from the wing off the bench as a rookie. Also played high school soccer in Connecticut, so there, homer pick status confirmed!
Here’s the rest of the SB Nation Mock Draft picks, be sure to check out the full story as well:
10. Real Salt Lake – Mo Thiaw (Louisville)
11. FC Dallas – Eddie Opoku (Virginia)
12. San Jose Earthquakes – Drew Skundrich (Stanford)
13. Sporting KC – Rafael Andrade Santos (VCU)
14. Atlanta United – Tim Kubel (Louisville)
15. Chicago Fire – Ken Krolicki (Michigan State)
16. New York Red Bulls – Brian White (Duke)
17. Vancouver Whitecaps – Mo Adams (Syracuse)
18. Sporting KC - Chris Lema (Georgetown)
19. NYCFC – Alan Winn (UNC)
20. Houston Dynamo – Ben Lundgaard (VA Tech)
21. Columbus Crew SC – Jon Gallagher (Notre Dame)
22. Seattle Sounders – Alex Roldan (Seattle)
23. Toronto FC – Oliver Shannon (Clemson)
Round 2
24. LAFC – Justin Fiddes (Washington)
25. Colorado Rapids – Daniel Musovski (UNLV)
26. Vancouver Whitecaps – Gordon Wild (Maryland)
27. Colorado Rapids – Manuel Cordeiro (Akron)
28. Minnesota United – Brandon Bye (Western Michigan)
29. FC Dallas – Mauro Cichero (SMU)
30. San Jose Earthquakes – Ricky Lopez-Espin (Creighton)
31. New York Red Bulls – Markus Fjortoft (Duke)
32. Columbus Crew SC – Frantzdy Pierrot (Coastal Carolina)
33. Real Salt Lake – Jefferson Caldwell (Virginia)
34. FC Dallas – Cory Brown (Xavier)
35. San Jose Earthquakes – Jose Carrera-Garcia (Cal)
36. Atlanta United – Diego Campos (Clemson)
37. Atlanta United – Carter Manley (Duke)
38. Chicago Fire – Marcelo Acuna (VA Tech)
39. New York Red Bulls – Afonso Pinheiro (Albany)
40. LA Galaxy – Eric Dick (Butler)
41. Minnesota United – Mark Segbers (Wisconsin)
42. NYCFC – Arthur Bosua (Columbia)
43. Houston Dynamo – Ben White (Gonzaga)
44. Columbus Crew SC – Stu Holthusen (Akron)
45. Seattle Sounders – Paul Christensen (Portland)
46. Toronto FC – Albert Ruiz (FGCU)