D.C. United Selects Lance Rozeboom, Charles Rodriguez, Matthew Kuhn In 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft

by Martin Shatzer on Jan 17, 2012 10:55 PM EST in MLS Draft 2012

D.C. United added three more players to its training camp roster today via the 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft.

With the 26th overall pick, United selected midfielder Lance Rozeboom from the University of New Mexico. Rozeboom received adequate reviews at the MLS Combine earlier this month after leading the Lobos to an undefeated season in 2011, and starting every game from 2009 to the present. Rozeboom is described as a central defensive midfielder, but he was observed by Joe Mauceri pulling the strings in New Mexico's midfield, leading me to believe that he may be more of a box-to-box type player than a straight replacement for the more defensive-minded Clyde Simms. Still, if Rozeboom lives up to the potential he showed in college, he may be able to compete with Stephen King and Conor Shanosky for a place in United's 18-man roster for most matches. At the very least, Rozeboom provides a little bit more assurance that we have other options besides Kurt Morsink for when Perry Kitchen is away on international duty.

Chosen with the 45th pick, Charles Rodriguez appears to be a steal on paper. The senior defender captained the UNC-Charlotte 49ers on a surprise run to the NCAA title game while starting all but one game in his entire four-year college career. He was also named a first team All-American. Not too shabby. The 6'-0" Rodriguez was a part of one of the best defensive units in the country in 2011, and hopefully we'll be able to say the same thing about 2012. With three starter-quality center backs already on the roster, Rodriguez should be able to slot in as fourth on the depth chart.

Midfielder Matthew Kuhn was chosen by United with the 64th pick in the Supplemental Draft after finishing a highly-productive and consistent career at Drake University. Kuhn finished with double-digit points in all three of his seasons with Drake, and could be another attack-minded option off the bench for United this season.

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Shanosky to be loaned?

Given Goff’s earlier reporting that Shanosky is likely to be loaned — either out to a lower-division side or to a Scandinavian team — Rozeboom’s presence will be even more crucial than you suppose.

Kuhn will be filling Barklage’s shoes, I guess, while Rodriguez offers depth at both center back and left back (I believe he was a pre0season All-American,,,notquite an All-American, but still noteworthy)

I think DCU did pretty well, considering their draft position (no 2nd rd. pick in the Superdraft and no 1st rd. pick in the Supplemental) .

I’d like to be as complimentary about the players that Sr. Goff is reporting will also be brought to camp. Santos isn’t horrible, and da Fonte may be a real find, but the team needs to bring in some of the better players in Latin America. Let’s hope that the team’s efforts to find a proven European scorer yield better fruit than Danny Allsopp.

by fischy on Jan 18, 2012 12:03 AM EST reply actions

Kuhn, Rodriguez, and the camp rumors

Kuhn was a versatile attacker in college, which usually translates to hard-working wide midfielder in MLS. I imagine he and some young trialists will be fighting to be the last wide player to make the roster (think 5th choice). Of course, that’s based on a roster of 26 or more, which will still require a lot of people being signed quickly.

I like Rodriguez, but if we’re drafting him to spend any real amount of time as Woolard’s understudy, we dropped the ball. We still need to make sure Woolard is the back-up to someone else.

I am completely OK with Maicon Santos coming in as our 4th forward. He’s better than Ngwenya – at the very least he’s more confident, so he won’t drift back into the midfield all the damn time – and his struggles in Dallas were overstated. I’m a touch concerned that we’ll overpay him a bit, but that’s still shaving like $75,000 off the cost of Ngwenya in the same role within the squad.

Where I’d be upset is if Santos is being brought in to start. He’s streaky…not just as a finisher, but in his overall play, as well as his temperament. When he’s off, he’s way, way off, and he can lose his head over little stuff as well. We have to do better than him in our starting 11.

I know nothing about da Fonte beyond what Goff said and a cursory Google search. Rio Ave is a 1st division team in Portugal, but I found no record of him actually playing games there. At this point, my expectation for him will be no greater than what I expect out of Kuhn. If his time hunting contracts abroad (he also had a trial with Racing de Ferrol at one point) toughened him up and whatever he did at Rio Ave gave him more skill or more experience, great. If he’s anything beyond the last guy on our roster, it’s icing on the cake.

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

by ChestRockwell on Jan 18, 2012 2:29 AM EST up reply actions

Rozeboom

I know Mauceri said that Rozeboom was the man controlling the New Mexico midfield going forward, but that doesn’t necessarily rule him out as a defensive midfielder (see: Osvaldo Alonso, Kyle Beckerman). My way of interpreting Mauceri’s look at him is that Rozeboom is the kind of defensive midfielder that can set the tempo for his team. He’s not their playmaker, but he can be the metronome determining whether it’s time to bomb forward and when it’s time to be more deliberate. Incidentally, Kitchen looks to have this ability as well, though both will have to continue to develop it before we ask them to function like Alonso or Beckerman.

I didn’t see him in 2011, but what I remember of him from before that would indicate that he will make the team and could end up being the regular back-up for Kitchen over King (who still has to learn that role) and Morsink (who hasn’t actually signed yet…hope springs eternal). He’ll have to hit the ground running, though, because of Kitchen’s likely Olympic duties.

Given our overall poor draft position, the picks we made look pretty good overall. The grades out there are an exercise in futility, but the players I’m at least somewhat familiar with (all but Kuhn) have all looked like it’s at least possible for them to make it at the MLS level. DeLeon should become a starting-quality player within the next couple of years, Rozeboom should have been off the board well before we were up, and Rodriguez showed the tools to make it as a pro (quick comparison: he’s a little further along than Barry Rice was with the ball at his feet and in making decisions quickly).

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

by ChestRockwell on Jan 18, 2012 2:37 AM EST reply actions