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Steven Streff, the newest edition to our writing staff, was able to catch up with Ben Olsen and Dave Kasper and ask them a couple of questions about today's draft.
Ben Olsen
On Miguel Aguilar: "We think he translates, not only to our team and how we play, but he also translates to the league. I think technically he is very sound, I think he is hungry, and he plays a position that I think we can use a little help in. He's a guy you can look down at the end of the bench and bring on to the field, and give something different to the game. He can change the pace of the game, whether its providing assists out wide, or also being able to come underneath and create havoc there."
Aguilar: "It panned out about how we thought it would. We had him very high on our list, and crossing off names, he hung around. He is a foreigner, so that might have helped him drop down, but we think he is worth one."
On-field versus off-field evaluation: "The interview process is a big deal for us. We want guys that are hungry and have that grit that we like at DC United. Obviously the on field stuff has to speak to us as well, but he checks a lot of boxes. There are no slam dunks here, not at [draft spot] 17. But we think he is a kid that wants it, and we are very excited to see what he can do."
On Aguilar's prospects: "We believe he can make our team. We wouldn't pick him in the first round if we didn't believe he could make it. But he is going to have to earn it like everyone else."
On Aguilar's position: "I don't view him as a forward. I have him as a wide midfielder. I think he is capable of going up north and south, and coming back and doing the dirty work. He's got a little something to him like Nick [DeLeon] did when we first saw him in college."
Dave Kasper
On Miguel Aguilar: "He's an interesting player. We like a lot about him. He's a smart soccer player with very good feet, and we think he fits in our culture."
On trading their first round pick: "We were not looking to move up. There was some talk about potentially trading a pick, but that was only if a couple of players weren't going to be there, and Aguilar was only of the guys we wanted to take."