Keeper may be too talented to pass up
Andre Blake has been described as the best goaltending prospect in decades
After running through three goalkeepers last season before finally finding — pardon the pun — a keeper in Danish import David Ousted, the Vancouver Whitecaps appear to be relatively settled in net.
Sure, Ousted is the only goalie the Caps have under contract at the moment. But finding a capable backup shouldn’t be difficult. And the club is predicting big things down the line for 17- year- old residency program star Marco Carducci.
So why does almost every mock Major League Soccer SuperDraft have the Caps taking Andre Blake, a 23- year- old Jamaican ’ keeper out of the University of Connecticut with the third overall pick today in Philadelphia?
The answer might be in that oft- repeated theory, one the Caps have relied on before — take the best player available.
D. C. United has the first overall pick and most projections have one of the top two centre backs available — University of California teammates Christian Dean or Steve Birnbaum — going there, or perhaps twotime NCAA player of the year Patrick Mullins, a forward out of nearby Maryland. Philadelphia, which has a young starting goalkeeper in Zac MacMath, is expected to take either Dean or Birnbaum at No. 2.
By all accounts, the 6- foot- 4 Blake, who had 37 shutouts in 68 college games, is a star in waiting, the best goalkeeping prospect in a decade. He’s an athletic leaper with cat- quick reflexes and a commanding presence. And his diving save on a free kick labelled for a top corner during one of the player combine matches in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on the weekend was spectacular.
He is also one of seven Generation Adidas signees available in the draft — underclassmen, whose contracts for the first two or three years do not count toward a team’s salary budget.
“For me, it is mostly about having that God- given talent and the ability,” Blake said a year ago. “When you have the talent and the tools you just have to work hard.”
Last week, he said that one of his goals is to become a rookie starter. “My first challenge is to try to get on a team, win the No. 1 spot. Play some very good soccer. Make my name in MLS and take it from there.”
Caps’ president Bob Lenarduzzi, who certainly didn’t want to tip his hand on Wednesday, said “there’s no doubt there’s a lot of potential there. But no way you’re going to take him to start him. If you did that, you’d really be hedging your bets.”
In the 18- year history of the MLS draft, just nine goalkeepers have been taken in the first round. The most recent, MacMath, who went fifth overall in 2011, started eight games late in his rookie season and has been the Union’s No. 1 ever since. But Stefan Frei ( 13th in 2009) and Brad Guzan ( No. 2 in 2005) both became instant starters as rookies.
Frei now is in Seattle where he’ll likely be a backup in 2014. Guzan left Chivas USA after three MLS seasons for Aston Villa of the English Premier League.
Whether the Caps, who have big holes at right fullback and attacking midfield, should use one of their first- round picks — they also select No. 7 — on Blake has generated fervent debate on fan websites. Several think it would be a waste of a pick, while others feel Blake’s undeniable talent could mean he’s an upgrade on Ousted or at least make him a valuable trade asset down the line.
One thing the Caps seem unlikely to do is trade one or both picks.
A couple of teams have inquired about what it would take to get one of the picks, and a flurry of last- minute trade offers could materialize. But both Lenarduzzi and head coach Carl Robinson, who will make the final decision, say they believe they can grab a couple of quality players.
“Unless it’s something very tempting, the third and seventh picks — it’s always a little bit of a hopeful exercise because you don’t know for sure if they can do it at the next well — we think there are players we can get who can hopefully do what Farrell and Dillon Powers and Deshorn Brown did last season,” said Lenarduzzi.
Andrew Farrell, the No. 1 pick in 2013, started 32 games on the New England back- line, while Brown ( sixth overall) and Powers ( 11th) were the Colorado Rapids’ top two scorers with midfielder Powers winning MLS rookie of the year honours.
Vancouver still hasn’t signed a replacement for the retired South Korean Y. P. Lee, so right backs Eric Miller of Creighton and Marco Franco of UC- Irvine have to be on the radar. Miller is also one of the Generation Adidas players.
Another intriguing prospect moving up some draft boards is Brazilian- born Pedro Ribeiro, a 6- foot- 3 midfielder who does well in traffic. He finished his four- year career at Coastal Carolina with 31 goals and 26 assists.
“The main question I have is if I’m looking for starting players, do I think the guy can start right away?” Robinson told Sportsnet. ca. “If he can, then I’ll pick that player and fill the hole. If I don’t, I weigh it up against who is the best possible player. If you don’t pick the best player, then the team after you will. So there’s a lot you have to consider.”
This year’s draft is loaded with centre back prospects.
With young Carlyle Mitchell and Johnny Leveron in the fold and veterans Jay DeMerit and Andy O’Brien still capable, it’s not an area of need for the Caps, but Lenarduzzi wouldn’t rule out taking one, especially if Vancouver could get one of the Generation Adidas players at that position — Dean, A. J. Cochrane ( Wisconsin) or Damion Lowe ( Hartford) — who could be groomed while not counting against the salary cap.
The draft starts at 9 a. m. and will be broadcast on TSN2.