In Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s magnum opus BASEketball, two disillusioned sports fans make a promise to each other and themselves to set up a new professional sports league free from corporate interference, where players can’t change teams and teams can’t change cities.
Sadly that proves to be an impossible dream, as the temptation of fame and fortune proves too much even for the most idealistic of minds. A utopian dream based in youthful idealism will all too often give way to the materialistic instincts of adulthood, and those standing firm are part of a minority too insignificant to make a difference.
The MLS SuperDraft has always struck me as resembling the last vestige of untainted childlike innocence within professional sports. While the similar draft systems of baseball and basketball are not without merit, soccer has that unique combination of a forgiving selection process and the equality of opportunity that follows through salary caps and frequent trades.
When asked to identify their endearing childhood memory of the game, some will point to the first match they went to as a fan. Others might single out the first major international tournament they watched on television.
I for one can vividly remember the Julian Dicks penalty which saw off Everton in 1995, and Gazza’s moment of genius the following year against Scotland. I’m sure you all have similar memories which will stay with you forever.
But the one aspect of football which perhaps unites all nostalgic fans is their memory of the 30-a-side matches in the school playground, where two captains picked players one-by-one in an exercise in ego-massaging or humiliation, depending on your point of view.
As in those games, the MLS SuperDraft sees players selected on the basis of their (perceived) ability, and – as if to add a further element of equality – the lowest-placed team from the previous season picks first and the highest-placed picks last.
This year, with the addition of two franchises to the now 18-team competition, Vancouver Whitecaps will play the role of the first team captain. They have been tipped by many to select Akron Zips phenomenon Darlington Nagbe, son of former Liberian international Joe, and the attacking midfielder will have quite a bit to live up to if his name is the first to be read out tomorrow.
If you are a regular reader of this column, or indeed a keen follower of the MLS, you will know all about the two players given the honour of being picked first in the last two years. But Danny Mwanga and Steve Zakuani are anomalies, with many falling foul of the burden of expectation.
The classic case is Freddy Adu (pictured), who was signed by DC United at the age of 14 in 2004 but has struggled since moving to Europe and is now about to begin his fourth separate loan spell away from parent club Benfica. Others, like Chris Carrieri and Steve Shak, have never really reached their potential in their home country. If being overly critical, one might argue that Rangers midfielder Maurice Edu is one of far too few first overall picks to hit the lofty heights predicted of them.
But – while without doubt a disappointment for the players mentioned – this demonstrates why no player should give up hope. As in the wild goose chase of the playground kickabout, anyone can emerge as the unlikely hero.
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Players can wait until the third or (until this year) fourth round to be selected, and still make a decisive impact in the season. Back in 2006, for example, an uninspiring forward named Jonathan Bornstein was picked up by Chivas USA in the fourth round of the draft. Coach Bob Bradley made the inspired decision to convert the then-21-year-old to left-back, and the rest is history.
Even those brought in through the Supplemental Draft – generally set up to help fill up reserve teams and comprised of players not selected in the SuperDraft – sometimes get their moment in the spotlight, with the occasional first-team regular emerging.
Any player disheartened at what they feel represents teams undervaluing their potential importance to the team can take solace in the career of Jeff Larentowicz. An unlikely hero after joining New England Revolution in the fourth round of the 2005 Supplemental Draft, the ginger-haired holding midfielder played over 100 games for the Revs before moving on to Colorado and helping the Rapids achieve their first ever MLS Cup triumph.
The 2011 SuperDraft will see its fair share of Darlington Nagbes enter the MLS with high expectations, and just as many Jeff Larentowiczs will arrive with nothing to lose. Some will succeed, some will fail, but few will be able to deny they had their chance.