The Core

The Core is a 2003 sci-fi movie starring Hilary Swank, Aaron Eckhart, and Delroy Lindo. In the movie, the Earth’s core has stopped spinning, causing massive natural disasters and threatening to wipe out all life as we know it. A team of scientists are charged to travel to the planet’s core and detonate a series of nuclear devices in an attempt to kick-start the planet’s rotation, thus preventing utter catastrophe. If you have yet to see this piece of movie magic, don’t worry, you haven’t missed much.

BUT, if you have been living under a rock these past few days, you may have missed the news that the Union has put together its own core, choosing 10 players from a pool of 192 made available in the 2009 MLS Expansion Draft.

Considering some of the prominent names on the exposed lists, there were some surprise choices made by Nowak, Hackworth, and the rest of the coaching staff.

GOALKEEPER
Brad Knighton (New England Revolution)

DEFENDERS
David Myrie (Chicago Fire)
Shavar Thomas (Chivas USA)
Jordan Harvey (Colorado Rapids)

MIDFIELDERS
Shea Salinas (San Jose Earthquakes)
Stefani Miglioranzi (Los Angeles Galaxy)
Andrew Jacobson (DC United)

FORWARDS
Nick Zimmerman (New York Red Bulls)
Alejandro Moreno (Columbus Crew)
Sebastien Le Toux (Seattle Sounders)

Brad Knighton was backup to Matt Reis in the 2009 season, and didn’t see much playing time (6 games/540 minutes with a 2.33 GAA). There’s not much chance that Brad will start much for the Union, as reports are saying that a trade (allocation money and a promise not to take any players from their unprotected list) has been made with Real Salt Lake for their backup netminder, Chris Seitz (4 games/360 minutes in 2009 with a 1.25 GAA). Seitz is supposed to be the next quality American keeper to come up through the ranks (see Howard, Timothy and Guzan, Brad), and was a member of the Nowak-coached US Olympic squad. Neither player has a significant amount of experience however, playing second fiddle to a couple of the better keepers in the league. Either they will be battling out for a starting position, or a season veteran will be signed and will take these guys under his wings and help them improve.

The defenders are a mix of league “veterans” and league “rookies”. Shavar Thomas, with 2 MLS seasons under his belt, has helped anchor one of the best defenses in the league the past couple years. David Myrie was signed by Chicago in September 2009, but did not see any playing time for the Fire in his short stint there; the Costa Rican international played on his country’s U-17 World Championship squad and FIFA U-20 World Cup squad. Jordan Harvey spent the better part of 3 years with the Rapids, appearing in 12 games (and scoring once) on loan with the Seattle Sounders in 2006 (then in the USL).

The midfield is also made up of some experienced (read, older) players and some still wet behind the ears. Stefani Miglioranzi, the eldest of the 3 current midfielders, was born in Brazil and but moved to the United States with his family when he was young. He has some experience playing in England with Portsmouth and Swindon Town, and has logged time with the Galaxy (2 tours) and the Crew. Shea Salinas was picked by the Earthquakes in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft and possesses “great speed and an ability to beat defenders one-on-one”. He played one game for the Charleston Battery on loan in 2008. Andrew Jacobson was picked by DC United in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft, but chose to sign for Lorient in France’s Ligue 1. He never played for that team due to injuries, and came back to MLS and was allocated to DC United where he played 17 games (starting 8 of them) in the 2009 season.

The guys up front are where the biggest surprises in the Expansion Draft were for me, and I have to wonder if at least one of them will be used as “trade bait” in the coming weeks/months. Nick Zimmerman, a “quick, right footed winger” who has the eyes of an assassin, was picked by the Red Bulls in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft appearing in 11 games for them, as well as 2 for Crystal Palace Baltimore on a short loan spell. Alejandro Moreno, a product of Caracas, Venezuela, is THE MLS veteran of the group, having been in the league since 2002 and playing for the LA Galaxy, SJ Earthquakes, Houston Dynamo, and most recently the Columbus Crew. He has played 200 games in his career, netting 43 goals with 28 assists. Many consider him to be a “diver”, something I don’t think will be tolerated by the Union coaching staff nor its passionate fanbase. However, even with his smaller stature, I’ve always viewed him as a beast on the field (or maybe more of a bulldog or pitbull). Sebastien Le Toux is the surprise pick for me in the Expansion Draft. A fan favorite in Seattle, having been a member of the team since the 2007 season, Seba is viewed as having a dedicated, strong work ethic, giving 100% each and every game. That is something which will be appreciated and applauded everytime he takes the field. I’m hoping he hadn’t become too attached to the Pacific Northwest, gives his all for his new team, and can replicate the player who won the 2007 USL First Division MVP award.

Category: 2009 MLS Expansion Draft