The 2008 MLS Draft is just ten days away and the MLS Combine begins on Saturday, meaning the Generation adidas draft class should be revealed very soon. Sources are telling me the list has been all but finalized.
A total of nine players have been signed to Generation adidas contract, with a potential tenth still being discussed. Eight All nine of the players have been identified:
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Steve Zakuani
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Omar Gonzalez
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Rodney Wallace
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Jeremy Hall
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Baggio Husidic
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Kevin Alston
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Stefan Frei
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Peri Marosevic
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Daniel Cruz
So who is the ninth signed player? I still haven't secured the identity of the player but I am hearing that it is a member of the U.S. Under-20 national team. That player has been identified as U.S. Under-20 forward Daniel Cruz.
So who is missing from the list?
UCLA midfielder Michael Stephens has yet to sign and is still in talks with MLS. Highly-regarded Wake Forest defender Ike Opara also passed on a Generation adidas contract offer.
The above Generation adidas class is considerably stronger than last year's group and the foundation for a draft that team personnel officials throughout the league are calling one of the stronger and deeper groups in recent memory.
The MLS Combine will take place beginning on Saturday at Lockhart Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The 2009 MLS Draft is set for Thursday, Jan. 15 in St. Louis.
What do you think of this Generation adidas class? Which players would you like to see your team draft from this list? Who do you see being a star? Who do you see being a bust?
Share your thoughts below.
Steve Zakuani is from England, I wonder why he would sign a GenA contract when he could probably make some decent $$$ in England. His brother plays for Fulham. They must have given him some good $$$ to bypass that option.
Baggio is going to be sick in MLS. This kid is still learning so much and has gotten much better each of the last 2 seasons @ UIC.
Too bad the FIRE might not get a local college player whom is a BIG fan of the FIRE.
If my research is correct, six of the nine are Americans. As a person whose top support is for the US Men’s National team, I am trying to figure out if it is more desirable to for the GA to exclusively consist of Americans or if it is not a big deal. I suppose there is a chance that a non-American who goes to college in American and then gets offered a GA contract may be willing to seek citizenship (as Bakary Soumare was until he realized how long it would take). If anyone whose top support is for the USMNT has an opinion about the American makeup of the GA list, I would like to hear your opinion.
U-17’s are signed after Brandenton terms are up.
The next class will have a few U-17’s. I know Gyua (Bayern Munich) is gone for sure. Jerome, Renken, McInerny, Martinez, and Gil are all Europe bound or MLS. A year in college would be a big mistake.
AZ’s own Danny Cruz. Go on, kid.
Seems like the MLS has done a good job this year signing the top young talent in the college game. It’s a contrast from last year where 3 of the Generation Adidas picks were straight out of high school and the U-17 national team (Brek Shea, Josh lambo, Alex Nimo).
Kind of an older group this year. There’d been a lot of 17 year olds in the past few classes.
There should be more impact players in the draft this year based on the oder GA players and a better than average group of seniors (and the reduction in roster sizes)
Ives,
Good stuff tracking all this down, especially Cruz.
He’s not an underclassmen, but have you heard anything about the rumor about Marcus Tracy having signed with a team in Europe?
I was hoping to see MLS sign Cruz. He’s one of the less publicized and seen prospects out there but I continue to hear nothing but good things. Also, it seems like he has the skillset, speed and strength to contribute right away.
Michael Stephens from UCLA
I know this is more away form GA and more draft in general, and maybe a year away, but what are the chances Stephan Jerome signs with MLS? I really like watching him play on the rare occassion we get to.
Is it just me or are GA contracts getting smaller and fewer than they were a couple of years back? It will be interesting to see if 2009 bucks that trend but I noticed the deals last years were well down on average to the previous years.