The emotion and energy that usually accompanies draft day was muted this year when MLS teams selected 65 new players at ABC's
All-Star Cafe. Maybe it was the smaller venue than recent years or the lack of a flashy video montage featuring last season's top rookies. Maybe it was the limited number of hopeful players and families in attendance or the absence of a media horde. Although those factors contributed, the likely cause for the subdued atmosphere was that players knew that merely hearing their name did not mean the start of a pro career – only the right to try out for one.
With contraction shrinking the number of MLS jobs, this might be the toughest year ever to carve out a roster spot. So the nerves of getting selected were dwarfed by the challenge ahead, the challenge of beating out peers and proven veterans.
Most of the players who stood behind the podium at the 2002 MLS SuperDraft showed little glee in mumbling a few thanks to their parents and their new team. Notable exceptions were Taylor Twellman and Carl Bussey, taken by New England and Dallas, respectively.
"I'm from Dallas, I played high school soccer in Dallas, I played college soccer in Dallas, I live in Dallas, I'm a Dallas boy, I love Dallas and now I'm staying home to play with the Dallas Burn in front of all my Dallas family and Dallas friends," said Bussey, who captained SMU last fall.
Perhaps Twellman, who spent the past two years in the German League's reserve system, had a greater appreciation of the option to play in America than his draft mates.
"This is everything I was hoping for," said Twellman, after the Revolution made him the second overall pick. "I was stuck in a situation at 1860 Munich where the youngest player on the first team was 24 and it didn't seem like my chance was going to come. I talked to my family and then Sept. 11 happened, so I just decided not to sign my option."
Even the eager Twellman tempered his celebration, knowing that the hat trick he scored in the final Umbro Select All-Star game means nothing now.
"No one's really seen me play for two and a half years," he said. "[The combine] was yesterday, and I'm only as good as what I do tomorrow."
OPPOSITE ENDS. One the few players without the pressure of tryouts looming over his head was Justin Mapp, a 17-year-old from Brandon, Miss., who was taken fourth overall by D.C. United. Mapp and five other Project-40 players will savor their protected status when they watch their teammates sweat through cuts.
But for youngsters such as Mapp, there are other concerns. Fitting in with a group of older men, many of them married, who are veteran professionals can be difficult. Finding a living arrangement suitable to his parents and finishing high school are paramount. Playing time might not come easily in the first couple seasons, as Jamar Beasley, Seth Trembly and Eddie Johnson discovered.
So when United went against previous statements and picked a teenager for the third consecutive year, Mapp was surprised and delighted it was him. The two most successful teens are already there – Bobby Convey and Santino Quaranta.
"Seeing that young players have actually gone in and played helps," Mapp said. "And even if I didn't play the first year or second year, that's all right, because I've seen what they've done and I know it can be done."
Mapp will remain in Mississippi this spring to finish his high school diploma before reporting to United. That, coupled with the scholarship option of Project-40, encouraged Mapp's mother, Jan.
"This was the best decision because he can still do the two things that are most important to him," said Jan Mapp. "He's going to have to make smart choices no matter what he does at this age, but [United] has good leadership in place and some guys his age, which helps."
On the opposite end of the spectrum from Mapp in terms of job security is Mohammed Fahim, whose status as a foreign-born college senior compounded with a poor showing at the combine. One of the elite college players the past two seasons, Fahim plummeted into the third round before D.C. United took him.
As the first two rounds progressed, Fahim's face contorted with increasing angst.
"I was a little out of shape for [the combine]. I didn't play my best at all," Fahim admitted while waiting.
When Fahim's name finally was called, the guy sitting next to him smiled and applauded. It was John Barry Nusum, still unselected, but happy to see one less comrade in that excruciating seat.
"We're going through this together," Nusum said. "All these guys we played with this weekend know this isn't the best year to be coming out of college."
Just as the words left his mouth, Nusum's turn came and he was off to Columbus to compete against Edson Buddle, Brian West, Dante Washington, Jeff Cunningham and Brian McBride for a job.
AT PEACE. Luchi Gonzalez and Chris Gbandi, Hermann Trophy winners who wrangled with the idea of playing in Europe and spent their own money to go on trial, seemed at peace with their decision to join MLS.
Gonzalez, another SMU product, trained briefly with Spain's Second Division Racing Ferrol.
"They were very interested, but they wanted me to come back in May to sign, and it was all by word of mouth," Gonzalez said. "Is it worth trusting something like that to pass up something like this where the environment's perfect? I feel more comfortable here in the States, and I just want to get my feet on the ground here. The league has done so well, and I've looked up to guys who are still playing in the league. I didn't want to get caught, lost in Europe."
Gbandi's reasoning was similar, with the added incentive of being where U.S. coach Bruce Arena can see him more frequently.
"My ultimate goal is to play in the World Cup for the U.S. one day," said Gbandi, who is recovering from a knee injury. "Going over to Europe, there's the uncertainty of sitting on the bench and stuff like that and really not playing. This gives me the opportunity to come in, hopefully play right away and showcase what I can do. … If I was playing for a lower-division team over there, my agent could call Bruce and say, 'Chris had a great game,' but it's not the same."
Choosing to sign with MLS ended almost two years of conflicting advice, harsh debate and changes of mind for Gbandi, a Liberian national who is seeking U.S. citizenship. He had opportunities on the table in Norway, Spain and the Netherlands, but instead wound up within a few hours' drive of his hometown, Houston.
"As soon as I decided to sign, my mom said, 'You look so much happier,'" Gbandi says. "It was like a big relief. There was so much pressure, so much uncertainty. Now I can focus on my rehab. … Rehab is terrible. There is so much repetition, it's so boring. But now that I have something to shoot for, I can at least be doing it with a smile on my face."
by Soccer America Senior Editor Will Kuhns
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