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.
Duke Blue Devils standout Andrew Wenger won the NCAA Defensive Player Of The Year award in 2010. That wasn't enough though. He turned around and won the NCAA Offensive Player Of The Year award in 2011. Huh? Wow. He was a center back then, he's a forward now. To the tune of 17 goals and eight assists for Duke in 2011. He can excel at either position. Any position really.
At the next level, Wenger's projected position is similar to that of Perry Kitchen - he'll play either center back or defensive midfield. Dissimilar to Kitchen though, he can play almost anywhere else too. Rated as the best overall prospect in the 2012 MLS Draft, Wenger would be a steal if he fell to D.C. United at No. 7, like Kitchen did at No. 3 last year. He won't, but we can always hope. In order to get Wenger, United would likely have to trade up, and the price might be too steep.
It would be strange to see United select similar players with their first round picks in consecutive years, but Wenger would be impossible to pass up. He could either spell Dejan Jakovic and Brandon McDonald in central defense, or take over one of the outside back positions like Kitchen did for most of 2011. Or... Imagine this... A bucket four-man midfield with both Kitchen and Wenger starting in the middle? Its enough to make you salivate. Really too bad it won't happen.