Real looking for impact player in draft

Real Salt Lake has carefully mapped out plans for today's MLS SuperDraft, to be held in Indianapolis.

However, as RSL coach John Ellinger quickly pointed out, sometimes those well-crafted intentions go to waste, leaving teams to scramble.

Nonetheless, Ellinger and Real hope to glean an impact player from this morning's SuperDraft, which will be broadcast live on ESPN2 at 10 a.m.

"We feel like there's an impact player available in the first round," said Ellinger.

Heading into today, RSL holds the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, as well as a selection in the third round (30th overall).

Ellinger said Thursday there are two main areas he'd like to improve in his squad — defense and wide midfield.

To that end, he mentioned several players Salt Lake has interest in: Maurice Edu, MF, Maryland; Bakary Soumare, D, Virginia; Anthony Wallace, D/MF, South Florida; Greg Dalby, MF/D, Notre Dame; Michael Harrington, D/MF, North Carolina; Chris Seitz, GK, Maryland; Robbie Findley, F, Oregon St.; John Cunliffe, F/MF, Fort Lewis.

Edu is expected to be long gone by the time RSL goes on the clock, but any of the other choices seem plausible.

Soumare, Wallace, Dalby and Harrington seem like particularly logical picks, while Findley or Seitz could be in the picture. Seitz has been heralded as the top goalkeeper in the draft, and Ellinger said that contract negotiations with veteran goalie Nick Rimando, whom RSL acquired in the deal for Freddy Adu, have been on-going.

Don't rule out Cunliffe, either. Ellinger said he was very, very impressed with the Fort Lewis star at the recent draft combine.

In any event, Salt Lake hopes to be ready.

As an example of how things can swiftly change at a draft setting, Ellinger pointed to last year's SuperDraft.

Coach Bob Bradley and Chivas USA had the first pick but traded it to New York for the fifth pick and a defender. According to Ellinger, Bradley was willing to make the move because he wanted to select Yura Movsisyan of Pasadena College, whom he believed would be available at No. 5.

Well, Movsisyan was drafted ahead of Chivas and Bradley took Sacha Kljestan instead.

How'd that one work out? Kljestan played regularly and finished second in the Rookie of the Year standings, while Movsisyan only started once for Kansas City.