Solid year for defenders, with lots of possible guys to choose from. Center back is a bit thin past the first 5 or 6, but there is a nice group of left backs with potential, although none are locks. If I have video on a player I will post it below him.
I had about 30 more names I was tracking, but I figure 60 is deep enough. If someone past this gets picked then my bad. You’re guy not on here? Then make your case.
Opara has been the best defender in college the last two years. As a freshman he got into the starting lineup due to a preseason injury to Julian Valentin, when Valentin returned Opara had played so well coach Vidovich scuffled his entire lineup to keep Opara on the field, moving several All-Americans to do so. Big, strong, fast, and a smart defender; Opara is the complete package. He’s at least the best defender to leave college since Chad Marshall and might be the best since Eddie Pope. That is if MLS can land him. Opara missed seven Wake games this year while starting for the US U20s at the Worlds and was still named ACC Defender time of the Year, for the second time, and consensus 1st Team All-American. Opara is the #1 prospect on my overall list two years in a row now and he should be #1 overall pick this year.
MLS Combine.
2009: Herman Semi-Finalist, First Team All-American, Soccer American First Team MVP, Top Drawer Soccer First Team, College Soccer News First Team, Goal.com First Team, ACC Defender of the Year, First Team.
2008: Second Team All-American , Soccer American Second Team MVP, College Soccer News First Team, Top Drawer Soccer First Team, ACC Defensive Player of the Year, First Team.
A midfielder or outside back most of his college career, Loyd was forced to move to center back this season because of injuries and excelled in that position. A First Team All-American and First Team All-ACC, Loyd led the Tar Heel backline to twelve shutouts and only twelve goals allowed all season. Loyd is an extraordinarily fit and athletic player with a great motor and work rate. A smart player and tactically flexible, Loyd can play multiple positions although I feel his best position and future as a pro is in midfield (even though I left him with the defenders), which just happens to be where MLS listed him for the combine. At 5′9″ he’s probably a bit short to play center back for most MLS coaches.
MLS Combine
2009: Herman Semi-Finalist, Soccer American First Team MVP, First Team All-American, College Soccer News First Team, Goal.com Third Team, ACC First Team
Started 15 games for the Tar Heels…scored two goals and had as many assists (through 11/29) for six points…anchored a North Carolina defense that posted 11 shutouts and allowed only 11 goals (0.52 per game) all season…an All-ACC first-team selection despite playing center back for the first time in his career due to injuries on the team.
The massive Watson-Siriboe (6′3″, 196 lbs) dominated play in the Big East this year with UConn to earn the Big East Co-Defender of the Year nod. A former US U18, Watson-Siriboe broke out in 2007 for UConn and might be ranked higher on this list if not for missing half of 2008 with injury. The UConn back line allowed only 10 goals in 19 games this season while posting 13 shutouts. His superlative senior season should be enough to erase any injury concerns. Watson-Siriboe has pace to go with his size, making him very tough to beat.MLS Combine
2009: Top Drawer Soccer First Team, College Soccer News First Team, goal.om First Team, Big East Co-Defender of the Year, First Team
Has not signed with MLS and is probably not eligible to be drafted.
Theoretically only a sophomore, Williams left UNC after his outstanding freshman year to focus on the US U20 team in hopes of signing a professional contract. The somewhat disappointing US performance at the Worlds may have hampered his status as Williams remains “unattached” to any pro club despite trials in Europe. MLS rules can be a bit ambiguous, but having sat out a season Williams should be able to sign with MLS as a free agent after the MLS SuperDraft if he doesn’t sign a Generation adidas deal in advance. A outside back with terrific pace, Williams can both defend and get forward to create havoc. Williams is also a former US U17 residency player and he did play some PDL soccer with the Carolina Dynamo this last summer.
2008: Top Drawer Soccer All-Rookie Second team, ACC All-Freshman Team. Soccer America All-Freshman Team.
The towering (6′5″) Cardenas was effective at both ends of the pitch for the Aztecs, leaving SDSU with 12 goals and 7 assists. A four time Pac-10 honoree, including Pac 10 Freshman of the Year in 2006, Cardenas has excelled against heavyweight competition week in and week out and is capable of shutting down an offense. A former US U20 call up, Cardenas has been involved in 21 shutouts in his college career.
Another big (6′3″) center back out of the Big East, Edginton was named Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year and was a unanimous selection to the 2009 All-Big East First Team. He led the Cardinal D to 13 shutouts in 20 games giving up only 12 goals all year. Edginton can provide a little something going forward as well as he grabbed two goals and two assists this season. Recently called to the New Zealand senior national team, Edginton is a former Kiwi U20, U16, and U14.
MLS Combine
2009: Second Team All-American , Soccer American Second Team MVP, Top Drawer Soccer Second Team, College Soccer News Third Team, Goal.com Second Team, Big East Co-Defender of the Year, First Team (Unam).
The first of two good defenders coming out of Creighton this year, Schuler is an intimidator and dominate physical presence in the back for the Bluejays. Schuler helped Creighton to eight shutouts this year, a school record thirteen last year, and thirty-nine in his career. A top ten prospect out of high school, Schuler was red-shirted at Indiana in 2005 before transferring to Creighton. Despite his size and power, 6 foot 4, 185 pounds, Schuler plays a disciplined game earning very few yellow cards.
MLS Combine 2009: MVC First Team. 2008: Second Team All-American , Top Drawer Soccer Third Team, College Soccer News Second Team, MVC Defensive Player of the Year, First Team. 2007: MVC First Team Indiana transfer
The 6-foot-4 center back was dominant this fall, helping the Bluejay defense log a school-record 13 shutouts. A Bluejay captain, he anchored the back line to a 0.48 goals against average while starting every match and leading the team by playing 1,852 of the possible 1,864 minutes during his junior season.
A tremendous athlete, Rice is the best player every produced by the University of Kentucky. Back to back Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year nods in 2007 and 2008, followed up with an All-American award in 2009. “Only” 5′11″ but blessed with a tremendous vertical, Kentucky added a stat to their game tracking just for Rice, headers contested/won. Over ‘08 and 09′ Rice won an astounding 315 of the 373 headers he contested, roughly 84%. Rice can get forward dangerously too, he leaves UK with twelve goals and seven assists. He was also recently named one of 15 players on the ESPN High School All-Decade Team for leading St. Ignatius to back to back Ohio state titles.
2009: Second Team All-American , College Soccer News Third Team, Goal.com Third Team, Conference USA First Team.
2008: College Soccer News Second Team, Top Drawer Soccer Third Team, Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year, First Team.
2007: Top Drawer Soccer Second Team, Conference USA Defender of the Year, First Team.
2009: AA Second Team, Top Drawer Soccer Second Team, College Soccer News Second Team, Goal.com Second Team, Big Ten Co-Defender of the Year, First Team (Unam). 2008: Third Team All-American , Soccer American Second Team MVP, Big Ten Second Team. 2007: Big Ten Second Team. 2006: Big Ten FTLeft back
The other top notch defender out of Creighton this season is the lefty, left back Seth Sinovic. Selected to the MLS Combine last year, the red-shirt senior Sinovic made the decision to pull out of the event and return for a final year with the Bluejays. Granted a hardship year by the NCAA, Sinovic had an outstanding season being named to his second straight All-MVC First Team, his third conference nod in four seasons. A defender capable of shutting down an opposition player one v one, Sinivic also contributed going forward tying for the Creighton lead in assists with six in 2008, then grabbing three goals and four assists this season to finish second on the team scoring charts.
West Coast Conference Player of he Year as a left back is a nice feat to pull off. Peterman was also WCC First Team in 2008 and All-Rookie Team back in 2006. Peterman likes the ball at his feet and relishes taking players on the dribble. He was a marked man in 2009, literally, as some teams tried to counter him with a marking forward. Peterman has a really nice left foot and is the kind of two way player that should excel in MLS.
MLS Combine
2009: Third Team All-American , Top Drawer Soccer Third Team, West Coast Conference Player of the Year, First Team. 2008: West Coast Conference First Team
2006: Big Ten FT An exceptionally gifted athlete that played centrally on the US Youth teams, but is a bit on the short side and will likely play wide in MLS. He wanted to sign out of U17 residency but on the advice of MLS coaches, notably Sigi Schmid, he went to college for two seaJrns. US U17 residency and US U20.
MLS Combine2009: All-American Third Team, Top Drawer Soccer Honorable Mention, College Soccer News Second Team, Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year, First Team.
2009: NSCAA D2 Player of the Year, First Team All-American.2008: Colonial Athletic Association Male Athlete of the Year, NSCAA D2 Player of the Year, NSCAA First TeamAA, CCAA Defensive MVP & First Team, national champs.
2007: Third Team All-American, CCAA First Team & Newcomer of the Year.
2006: Rondo JC team MVP.
Gallaugher becomes the only Division II men’s soccer player to win multiple Player of the Year honors since the award was first bestowed in 1996, and only the second D-II player to ever win multiple Player of the Year awards after Christian Brothers University’s Missy Gregg claimed back-to-back women’s soccer Player of the Year honors in 2001 and 2002.
2009: Big East Second Team.2008: Second Team All-American, Top Drawer Soccer First Team, College Soccer News First Team, Big East Defensive Player of the Year, First Team. 2
2009: Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year, First Team.2008: Colonial Athletic Association First Team.
2007: Colonial Athletic Association Second Team. 2006: Colonial Athletic Association All-Rookie Team
Martinez, who also plays for the Puerto Rico national team, started every game in his four seasons at Hofstra except for his debut as a freshman, when he came off the bench.
MLS Combine2008: Tore ACL still Pac 10 Second Team.
2007: Pac 10 Honorable Mention.
Barry, who completed his college career with the 2008 season, suffered an anterior cruciate ligament knee injury midway through 2008 and was not a viable candidate to attend the 2008 MLS Combine.
2009: AA Second Team, NEC & ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, First Team.2008: NEC First Team.
2007: NEC Second Team.
2006: Virginia Intermont College
English CB
Bostock, who was also named the NEC and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, helped lead a MU defensive unit that led the nation in goals against average with 0.45 tallies allowed per game and rank second in the nation in team save percentage (.891).
2009: American East Defender of the Year & First Team.Annese played in 16 games, including 14 starts, tallying two goals on six shots this season. Offense aside, he also proved to be a defensive catalyst, helping the ‘Cats post a goals against average of 0.57 and three shutouts in America East play, both top honors within the conference.
2009: Third Team All-American , Southern Conference First Team. 5 goals.2007: nissed half year wit injury
center back, 4 year starter
Schuermann, a defenseman from Fort Mill, S.C., started all 18 games and scored five goals on the season. He had a hat-trick at Furman on November 3, the ninth in school history. He has started all 65 games in his career and has seven goals with one assist.
2009: Conference USA First Team. Led Conference-USA in game-winning goals with four2008: Led the Thundering Herd in goals (4) and points (10) in his first season at Marshall.
Played the last two years at Essex Community College in Maryland … Named a NJCAA Second-Team All-American in 2007 … A first-team all-conference selection in both 2006 and 2007
2009: Patroit League First Team.2008: Patroit League Second Team.
He was named MVP of the Patriot League Tournament after leading the team to back-to-back 1-0 wins over Lafayette and American. In fact, Bucknell broke the school record for shutouts in a season with 12, with 10 of those coming by 1-0 margins.
Selwood missed only one start in his last two seasons and was the leader of Bucknell’s defense from his center back position. Selwood anchored a standout defense that had allowed only 17 goals in its first 22 games before conceding five to No. 2 Virginia in the NCAA Round of 32. Selwood was named to all-tournament teams in each of the five tournaments in which Bucknell played over the last two years, including the Nike Fall Classic, the Mayor’s Cup and the Patriot League Tournament this season.
2009: A-Sun Defensive Player of the Year, First Team.2008: A-Sun First Team
2007: A-Sun Second Team. 2
006: A-Sun All-Freshman Team.
England
Hodge, a senior defender out of Devon, England is the first Hatter ever to be named A-Sun Defensive Player of the Year. The Stetson team captain anchored the backline that led the conference in goals against. He started all 16 games he appeared in this season at center back
2009: Summit League First Team.2008: Summit League Second Team but injured.
RB, Trinidad, 3 year starter
James and Hildebrandt both led a defensive effort that only allowed 11 goals this season, the lowest in the league, and only two against Summit League opponents.
2009: American East First Team.2008: medical redshirt
Scotland
Carson missed last season with an injury but has returned this season as the team captain and has anchored the Bearcat backline. He has paced a defense that ranks second in the conference with 0.98 GAA and has recorded five shutouts.
2009: MPSF First Team.Played a large role in directing a young Spartan back line that lost its other three starting members to graduation, to seven shutouts on the year.
2009: Big West Second Team.2008: Big West First Team.
2007: Big West Second Team.
2005: medical redshirt for Cal State LA
Lozano broke the Highlanders career record for matches played this year and finished his four-year UCR career with 71 matches played, 61 starts and one assist from his defender slot.
Hedevag all the way at 34?! He was BW Defender of the Year and you have him at 34? I know he didn’t have a great combine b/c of injury and stomach flu, but I would think he is higher that that. He’s also more of a utility player and has good skill up top as a target striker.
the more i hear/read about watson sirboe, the more i’m liking him w/ one of our 5-6 picks. would that be too high for him? would that be a good use of our pick?
Hedevag all the way at 34?! He was BW Defender of the Year and you have him at 34? I know he didn’t have a great combine b/c of injury and stomach flu, but I would think he is higher that that. He’s also more of a utility player and has good skill up top as a target striker.
He dropped from the combine performance. But he’s also low because he really had one strong season combined with not being a domestic player.
Would a team drafting Sheanon Williams be taking a big risk that he does not wish to sign with MLS?
I don’t think he’s even draftable, I left him in cause he’s sat out a year and has been wanting to sign with someone.
the more i hear/read about watson sirboe, the more i’m liking him w/ one of our 5-6 picks. would that be too high for him? would that be a good use of our pick?