Back in September Brendanukkah put up a really solid post about the upcoming Expansion Draft.
https://www.blackandredunited.com/2016/9/13/12906412/figuring-out-the-expansion-draft
Since comments on that post are closed, I figured I'd restart the conversation now that we've seen how the season played out.
We know that
Jalen Robinson, Julian Buscher, Colin Martin, and Chris Durkin are automatically Protected as Home Grown/Gen. Addidas players.
Given what we saw since September, my protected list
Bill Hamid
Taylor Kemp
Steve Birnbaum
Kofi Opare
Nick DeLeon
Sean Franklin
Lloyd Sam
Luciano Acosta
Lamar Neagle
Patrick Mullins
and either Alhaji Kamara or Kennedy Igboananike
leaving exposed
Travis Worra
Andrew Dykstra
Charlie Horton
Rob Vincent
Marcelo Sarvas
Jared Jeffrey
Alvaro Saborio
Patrick Nyarko
Miguel Aguilar
Chris Rolfe
Chris Korb
Bobby Boswell
Luke Mishu
Bill Hamid is the easiest choice to keep, and DCU’s depth of riches at GK means even if one of our backups gets taken, we’re covered. Kemp is the next easiest choice. Is he the best Left Back in MLS, no. But he’s easily a starter on almost every team and LB is one of the hardest positions to fill. Birnbaum is either a locked in starter or a transfer fee waiting to happen, he stays. I kept Opare over Boswell. Bobby’s age is starting to show, and if he really wants to stay in DC, he can always put the word out that if he’s taken, he’ll retire. With only 5 picks per team and his age and salary, I think he’s safe from getting taken. I kept Franklin because unless you’re moving NDL to Right Back permanently, he’s necessary while DCU finds and develops another starter for that position.
Midfield was tougher, but not by much. The evolution of NDL as a possible Right Back means he stays. He’s so versatile that DCU would be silly to expose him. He’s not a game changer, but he is that guy you can now start at 5 positions and still expect to compete in MLS, and that’s RARE. Sam, Neagle, and Acosta all stay. Acosta and Sam were the creative forces DCU needed, and Neagle is a game changer off the bench and was the team’s leading scorer this season. He can also back up Mullins in a pinch. I exposed all of Jeffery, Sarvas and Vincent. Why? Because with each team only losing one player and Julian Buscher already protected, losing one of them is not the end of the world and there were other players I felt were more necessary. All are good players, but none are irreplaceable. Sarvas comes closest, but at his age and with Chris Durkin coming along in a year or two, if DCU loses him it’s not the end of the world.
Patrick Mullins needs no explanation, he stays.
The last pick was the hardest, because there were a lot of guys I’d rather see DCU protect than either Kamara or Igbonanike. Kamara is looking injury prone and hasn’t proven himself. Igbonanike hans’t shown that he’s a starter over Mullins or even the first offensive sub. At his salary, that’s not good enough. With his contract status unknown, I don’t see DCU keeping him at his current salary next season. Unfortunately, DC has to keep one of them protected because of the number of internationals on the roster. More unfortunately, Miguel Aguilar hasn’t really shown that he’s ready for primetime, so he’s barely in the conversation for protection unless DCU’s staff has literally been hiding him in Richmond as part of a master plan to develop him while the older wingers (Nyarko, Sam, Rolfe) finish out their careers.
Nyarko was another tough call, since I called out Sam and Acosta as creative forces we need and Nyarko fits that bill too. But he’s not young, and he’s got a history of concussions that makes him largely un-attractive as a choice for the Expansion Teams, so he’s the lowest risk to expose. Rolfe is in the same boat, and an even lower risk to get taken since no one is sure his career isn’t over. Saborio is probably leaving MLS, and Korb hasn’t played in over a year, both have to be exposed to save players who are more vital. Luke Mishu is Luke Mishu. I’m sure he’s a lovely guy and he works really hard, but he’s expendable and replaceable.
What do y'all think? Who do you keep, Igbonanike or Kamara? Did I compeltely screw up the Midfield?
