Ahead of this afternoon’s Supplemental Draft (11 a.m. PT, live tracker on MLSsoccer.com at 10:45 p.m. PT), here are the names that project to be among the Top 10 prospects, including a heavy dose of international players:
1. Kohei Yamada (TheSpa Kusatsu) – Skillful playmaker. Although the Japanese midfielder lacks physical stature, his dribbling ability and vision will prove valuable to a club.
2. Evan James (Charlotte) – Speedy winger with great skill. Canadian may have had a quiet College Cup but he was one of the stars at the MLS Combine with some impressive finishing.
3. Jason Banton (Leicester City) – Englishman’s speed on the left wing and his ability to beat players one-on-one will be attractive to someone. He’ll get a chance to impress in preseason.
4. Gienir Garcia (Cruz Azul Hidalgo) – Young but experienced left back who has cut his teeth at Cruz Azul and manages his position well. Never really exposed at combine and whips in a good ball.
5. Aldo Paniagua (General Caballero) – Although he lacks pace, the Paraguayan is always productive with his touches on the ball and knows where to be on the field.
6. Bryan Gaul (Bradley) – Tall, left-footed center backs who can also play at left back are a valuable commodity.
7. Tony Walls (UW-Green Bay) – Athletic holding midfielder who sniffs balls out. A strong tackler and good in the air. Can also play spot duty at center back.
8. Michael Green (New Mexico) – Skillful and versatile midfielder who is comfortable with the ball at his feet.
9. Alec Purdie (Indiana) – Dynamic wing midfielder. Although not always clean with final touch, the Indiana product works hard and runs all day.
10. Emiliano Bonfigli (Manta FC) – Lacked any real service at the combine and did not show well. A team will take a shot on the Argentine based on his proven finishing ability back home in South America.
Here are the best of the rest, including names of players who did not participate at the MLS Player Combine:
Goalkeepers: Andrew Larkin (Occidental College), Jonathan Lester (San Jose State), Brian Rowe (UCLA)
Center Backs: Stefan Antonijevic (Valparaiso), Justin Chavez (Tulsa), Jeff Pickett (Army), Charles Rodriguez (Charlotte), Andy Rose (UCLA), Isaac Cowles (Charlotte), Daniel Steres (San Diego State), David Tiemstra (Ohio State)
Left Backs: Kris Byrd (North Carolina Greensboro), Jamie Finch (Washington), Logan McDaniel (Loyola)
Right Backs: RJ Allen (Monmouth), Nick Blake (UConn), Mykell Bates (Santa Clara)
Holding Midfielders: Rafael Garcia (Cal State Northridge), Andy Rose (UCLA), Lance Rozeboom (New Mexico), Kirk Urso (North Carolina)
Wingers: Eder Arreola (UCLA), Iyiola Awosika (Radford), Luigi Clendening (Georgia Southern), Evans Frimpong (Delaware), Walter Hines (St. John’s), Luke Holmes (Akron), Antoine Hoppenot (Princeton), Stephen Posa (San Diego), Cyrus Saydee (Michigan State), Max Touloute (IPFW)
Attacking Midfielders: Arthur Ivo (SMU), Jarod Stigall (Denver), Nick Millington (Elon)
Forwards: Connor Barbaree (Portland), Cesar Diaz (UC-Riverside), Oliver Kupe (Northwestern), Steven Miller (Colgate), Michael Roach (St. Louis), Aaron Schonfeld (Eastern Tennessee), Mike Tobie (Judson)
