Canadian Clubs Make Super First Two Overall Picks

Today, the 2012 MLS SuperDraft took place. As you can see, I have copied and pasted the first round picks below. The video links do work if you want to see your favorite team's player in action and/or being interviewed.

First Round

Pick	Club	Player	Note
1		Andrew Wenger (Duke)	Position: D/F WATCH: Wenger in action WATCH: Wenger on joining Montreal
2		Darren Mattocks (Akron)	Position: F WATCH: Mattocks in action WATCH: Mattocks on joining Vancouver
3		Kelyn Rowe (UCLA)	Position: M WATCH: Rowe in action
4		Luis Silva (UC Santa Barbara)	Position: M WATCH: Silva in action WATCH: Silva on joining Toronto
5		Casey Townsend (Maryland)	Position: F WATCH: Townsend in action WATCH: Townsend on joining Chivas
6		Sam Garza (UC Santa Barbara)	Position: F WATCH: Garza in action WATCH: Garza on joining San Jose
7		Nick DeLeon (Louisville)	Position: M WATCH: DeLeon in action WATCH: DeLeon on joining D.C.
8		Andrew Jean-Baptiste (Connecticut)	Position: D WATCH: Jean-Baptiste in action WATCH: Jean-Baptiste on joining Portland
9		Austin Berry (Louisville)	Position: D WATCH: Berry in action WATCH: Berry on joining Chicago
10		Ethan Finlay (Creighton)	Position: F WATCH: Finlay in action WATCH: Finlay on joining Columbus
11		Matt Hedges (North Carolina)	Position: D WATCH: Hedges in action WATCH: Hedges on joining FCD
12	1	Aaron Maund (Notre Dame)	Position: D WATCH: Maund in action
13		Chandler Hoffman (UCLA)	Position: F WATCH: Hoffman in action WATCH: Hoffman on joining Philadelphia
14		Tony Cascio (Connecticut)	Position: M WATCH: Cascio in action WATCH: Cascio on joining Colorado
15		Andrew Duran (Creighton)	Position: D WATCH: Duran in action WATCH: Duran on joining Seattle
16		Dom Dwyer (South Florida)	Position: F WATCH: Dwyer in action WATCH: Dwyer on joining Sporting
17		Enzo Martinez (North Carolina)	Position: M WATCH: Martinez in action WATCH: Martinez on joining RSL
18		Colin Rolfe (Louisville)	Position: F WATCH: Rolfe in action
19		Tommy Meyer (Indiana)	Position: D WATCH: Meyer in action

Everyone knew that the top two prospects were Duke's Andrew Wenger and Akron's Darren Mattocks. With the first overall pick, the Montreal Impact made the safe choice. They chose the versatile Wenger, who played a multitude of positions over his career as a Blue Devil. I like the fact that he can play virtually anywhere, is regarded as a good leader, and should help the Impact right away. However, I like Mattocks more for his upside, which I took more about in just a second.

Following Montreal's selection of Wenger, their Canadian counterpart, the Vancouver Whitecaps made the obvious selection of Darren Mattocks from Akron. Mattocks is a Jamaican who overcame humble beginnings to become a soccer legend in his nation. He claims to have chose collegiate powerhouse Akron because he wanted to get used to play in the cold. Looks like that was a smart decision since he is headed to Vancouver. Mattocks is a maturing player who appears to have all the tools needed to be a star. If Mattocks blooms as nicely as most scouts think, he could not only be the face of the Whitecaps, but one of the best players in the MLS.

It will be interesting to see how Wenger, Mattocks, and the rest of the draft picks will do in their first MLS season. The 2012 MLS season will begin on March 10. The MLS Cup Final is scheduled for December 1. All 323 matches will be aired on live television, so make sure to check out the 19 teams in action and cheer on your favorites.