MLS Draft 2012 Profile: Tyler Polak

by Martin Shatzer on Jan 10, 2012 4:00 PM EST in MLS Draft 2012

D.C. United owns the No. 7 overall pick in the 2012 MLS Draft. We're reviewing some of the top college soccer players who might be worth Ben Olsen's consideration in the first round

Tyler Polak is a 5'-8" hard-working sophomore left back. He helped lead the Creighton Blue Jays to the College Cup Final Four last year, and earned a Generation Adidas contract with MLS. He isn't necessarily rated as an immediate starter by some of the top scouts, but you might say that Daniel Woolard isn't really an MLS starter either.

Taking Polak would mean an investment in the future. He's fast, he's steady, and he likes to get forward to contribute to the attack. Polak had one goal and five assists this season while starting every match for Creighton and playing all but seven minutes the entire year. But he probably won't be the best defender available at the time that D.C. United is picking. He might not even be the best left back available, as Hunter Jumper of UVA has really impressed this week. Just in terms of having an awesome name, I would take Jumper over Polak hands down!

Polak's so-called struggles at the MLS Combine have him plunging down the board in some mock drafts. Jason Saghini even has him falling out of the first round, meaning that he's either putting way too much stock into the Combine, or he didn't pay much attention to Creighton during the year. Not that any of us really did either. Polak has the potential to be a long-term solution at the position that has been the greatest concern for United for the last decade. That potential deserves some consideration at the No. 7 pick.

The 19-year old Polak was a major contributor for the United States at the 2009 U-17 FIFA World Cup. He has 35 caps at that level. And that experience will help him at the next level. Maybe it will help him for D.C. United.

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Left back is a position we need to address today

Polak should be a very good player, but he’s probably 2-3 years from becoming an MLS starter. If we were to take him, we’d still need a starting left back if we want to improve what is a glaring weak spot for us. We’re not going to carry 3 left backs, so that would also indicate that we’re trading Woolard away. It’s either that, or we’re badly overvaluing Woolard.

I don’t think we’ll take Polak unless a lot of other things happen on draft day. Wingers and forwards are where we’re going to be looking.

Writer on SBN's DC United blog Black and Red United | @ChestRockwell14 | KEEP UNITED IN DC

by ChestRockwell on Jan 10, 2012 5:07 PM EST reply actions

Agreed

Unless whatever Hunter Jumper was on this week has a several-year guarantee, in which case I might be okay with taking him.

Scratch that. We need to take an attacker in this particular draft, period.

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by The AMT on Jan 10, 2012 5:18 PM EST up reply actions

polak has nice potential

but definitely seems like he needs more development before he’s ready to play at the MLS level

Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.

by johnjahafanclub on Jan 10, 2012 5:22 PM EST reply actions

Last year was a little more cut and dry

Until Vancouver went all silly, last year it seemed likely we were going to take Will Bruin. This year is a big mystery to me. Maybe that’s because I didn’t watch an awful lot of college soccer this year, and haven’t paid any attention to the combine, which I was all over last year. Is there a player out there that is the odds on favorite for United taking at #7? Sounds like this Jumper guy is on the short list? Perhaps Matt Hedges or Luis Silva? Are any of these names considered the most likely? Do we even know which direction Benny is likely to go in the draft? Attacker or defender… or just take the most talented player left on the board?

So many questions. You might be able to tell, but I’m really ready for this season to begin already. MLS has a plenty long enough season, but the offseason seems to go by so slow. After the Cup final, I have the holidays to occupy me, but after that I need me some soccer. European football gets me by, but I just can’t get as excited for it.

by madavis on Jan 10, 2012 5:43 PM EST reply actions

#7 is tricky to predict

After #1 and #2, calling this thing becomes a crapshoot. Given our needs, I have 2 tiers of likely picks:

Very likely:
Ethan Finlay
Casey Townsend
Kelyn Rowe
Nick DeLeon
Chandler Hoffman

These five all fill an immediate need, could contribute right away, and with Mattocks and Wenger almost certainly going at #1 and #2, one of this group will be there for us to take.

Less likely but still realistic:
Hunter Jumper
Chris Estridge
Aldo Paniagua
Kohei Yamada

Jumper and Estridge are the two fullbacks that look ready to play in the short term, and both can play left back (Jumper is a specialist, Estridge is comfortable on either side).

Paniagua and Yamada are guys that I was hoping would still be out there in the supplemental draft, but the buzz around them is too high. Both have played international soccer at the u20 level, and both are already beyond their first steps as a professional soccer player. That’s a huge advantage in terms of mindset. If we really want these guys (they do address things we need), they’ll have to be picked at #7 or we’ll have to make a trade.

Longshots:
Enzo Martinez
Luis Silva
Matt Hedges

If we take either of the first two, I’d take it as a sign that the club has decided to cut Boskovic loose. Otherwise, we’re being stupid; this pick can’t be used on guys that will be stuck behind a DP and thus rarely (if ever) play. Sure, there’s the possibility that Boskovic leaves mid-season when his contract is up, but we already have a plan for that (De Ro moves to his most preferred position at the point of the diamond, and Wolff starts).

If we take Hedges, it’s because the move for Dudar or whatever center back we’re trying to sign fell through.

In either case, such a selection would require something else happening behind the scenes, so I won’t rate either as likely.

My personal preference is for DeLeon or Finlay, because we’re going to need wingers. Najar will get Olympic playing time, and from an in-game coaching perspective, freshening up your attack with a sub for a wide man is (along with swapping out a striker) the most common sub you see teams make. Taking these two would give us a player that, barring injury, should make 25+ appearances, even if 60-70% of those appearances are off the bench.

We also need to be ready for the potential bids for Najar from abroad (I’ve always felt that any seasons we get beyond 2011 were icing on the cake), and Pontius will also attract attention if he continues the kind of play he had last season (he’d have scored a minimum 9 goals without that broken leg). Picking a young, effective winger to be a sub today and starter tomorrow is the right move for us.

Writer on SBN's DC United blog Black and Red United | @ChestRockwell14 | KEEP UNITED IN DC

by ChestRockwell on Jan 10, 2012 6:15 PM EST up reply actions

Thanks Chest

This is exactly what i was looking for. Sounds like you think we will (or should) go the attacking route in this years draft. Makes sense, and is the route I thought we would go last year, but when Perry Kitchen falls in your lap, you can’t pass it up. Are any of the guys in the “very likely” group, Generation Adidas players?

by madavis on Jan 10, 2012 8:01 PM EST up reply actions

Rowe and Hoffman

Hoffman is the least likely to fall to us out of that group.

Rowe, on the other hand, has all the skill to succeed but was coming off the bench at UCLA this year after essentially taking it easy and trying to get by on his ability alone. I’m a little wary of players who weren’t focused (my favorite word) enough for college.

However, Rowe is also the only one in that group with a realistic chance at making the Olympic squad, which underlines his talent. He’s a high risk/high reward player in my book.

Writer on SBN's DC United blog Black and Red United | @ChestRockwell14 | KEEP UNITED IN DC

by ChestRockwell on Jan 10, 2012 8:54 PM EST up reply actions

as a UCLA fan

I’m telling you Rowe is the better pro prospect than Hoffman. I don’t know why Salcedo had him come of the bench in the semifinal I thought that was retarded. Salcedo makes weird sub choices, some of which cost us points like when he subbed out LB Singh against Santa Clara and our backup LB got burned and gave up SCU’s 2nd goal. Rowe’s stellar play in the semifinal proved that the decision not to start him was a mistake.

Hoffman scores goals yes but he also gets balls served on a silver plate from a loaded UCLA midfield and stellar fullbacks like Singh (7 assists this year I believe).

Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.

by johnjahafanclub on Jan 11, 2012 3:02 PM EST up reply actions

Interesting

Thanks for sharing your first-hand perspective

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by Martin Shatzer on Jan 12, 2012 9:11 AM EST up reply actions

Polak was the star of US U17s, but.....

I can’t overstate how impressed I was by Polak in that tournament, but the scouts were fairly unanimous in saying he wasn’t ready for MLS. He seems to have confirmed it in the last couple of days. United ain’t gonna pick him at #7.

by fischy on Jan 10, 2012 7:00 PM EST reply actions