SuperDraft 2019 Revs Primer: How Generation Adidas may (or may not) factor into the Revs' draft, and some predictions

As Thursday afternoon’s overcast skies fade into a cold, early January darkness, it means we’re only a matter of hours away from the first two rounds of 2019 MLS SuperDraft (1 p.m. Friday at mlssoccer.com). You’ll have noticed we’ve taken a rather broad look at the eligible players earlier this week.

Now, let’s take a narrower view with some questions surrounding the Revolution’s draft. There’s a lot of things to tackle here, so let’s not waste any additional time.

Will the Revs take a Generation Adidas player at Nos. 9 or 11?

Short Answer: I wouldn’t rule it out, but I wouldn’t bet the mortgage on them doing it, either.

Long Answer: Our esteemed member Boston Revolution asked me on Monday what I think it would take to trade up to get Manchester, N.H. native Siad Haji, a Generation Adidas midfielder, and I said that I would have to give up some Targeted Allocation Money as well as one of picks 9 or 11 to pull the trigger.

After thinking about it more over the last few days, I take 9 or 11 off the board. I leave the TAM on the table and throw in the 2020 first-round pick Sporting Kansas City sent New England in exchange for Krisztian Nemeth back in August. That’s not to say that another club would go for it — and again, Haji is a GA.

Now, some of you non-soccer gurus -- or you once-every-four-years viewers -- who are reading this are asking yourselves, "What in the wide, wide world of sports is a GA?" Glad you asked.

Pssst: You MLS soccer gurus can skip over the next 10 paragraphs or so. You know this stuff. This info isn't for you.

MLS came up with the Generation Adidas -- GA, for short -- program shortly after the league opened in '96. It's a program that allows college underclassmen soccer players to forego the remainder of their intercollegiate eligibility in order to enter the draft. These players are usually the top underclassmen, players who many coaches in Division 1 soccer feel are the ones most ready for the professional ranks. A number of players have used this avenue to enter the professional ranks; for instance, former Revolution forward and US international Clint Dempsey (he who scored the US' first goal in the 2014 World Cup 29 seconds into the match) was a GA draftee in 2004, and ended up having a 14-year career in both MLS as well as the English Premier League.

Since the program began, the Revolution have selected 14 players via Generation Adidas. The last one? Current Revs right back Andrew Farrell, who was the No. 1 overall selection in the 2013 draft.

MLS encourages teams to draft GA's in order to help continue their development in the pros, and they offer clubs an incentive to do this: GA's are automatically put on a club's Supplemental Roster -- the off-budget roster -- for budgetary purposes until they "graduate" from the program and are then moved to the club's Senior Roster -- the on-budget roster. In short, their salaries do not count toward your Annual Roster Budget -- basically, the salary cap. Supplemental Roster players have every opportunity to play every week, just like the Senior Roster; they're just terms MLS uses for budgetary matters.

For instance, Farrell graduated from the program in 2014, and he has been on the Senior Roster since then. Teal Bunbury, who was a GA when Kansas City drafted him in 2010, graduated from the GA program in 2011. Former Rev defender Kevin Alston was a GA draft pick in 2009, and he graduated from the program that year. So it really depends on when a club wants to take you out of the program and put you on the Senior Roster; there's no real arbitrary time period.

(Quick aside: I'll be posting a handy dandy little Roster Rules guide for you which will explain how MLS uses these mechanisms. Again, just for the soccer newbies.)

The playing trajectory of a GA, for the most part, sees the player enjoying a fantastic career with their drafting club, or with other clubs in MLS (or in Dempsey's case, overseas). Kyle Beckerman, for instance, was a GA player at age 17 in 2000 when the defunct Miami Fusion drafted him; he's now with Real Salt Lake 19 years later. The current "elder statesman" of the GA is current Colorado Rapids -- and former US international -- goalkeeper Tim Howard, a 1998 GA draft pick with the former New York/New Jersey MetroStars (now the Red Bulls) who has had a rather lucrative professional career.

For some GA's, their MLS careers -- or any top-level soccer career -- is short-lived. Take 2008 GA draft pick Rob Valentino: the Revolution drafted him, but he never played a league game for them. The Revs transferred him to Colorado, but he didn't play for the Rapids, either. He would end up playing lower division soccer until he retired in 2015. The same is true for 2012 GA draft pick Tyler Polak. He was a second-round pick of the Revs, but he only made one appearance for New England before he was sent out on loan to Rochester. After that, the Revs released him, and he has played lower division soccer for five different teams since then; last week I reported that Polak is now playing for Greenville in the third-division USL League One.

(Divisions is another thing I need to explain to the non-soccer gurus. That's another lengthy explanation. Get your Dunkies and crullers ready for that.)

Basically -- and I hate to say it -- with SuperDraft and NCAA Division 1 soccer losing importance in MLS circles with Homegrown players -- and that's a whole different mechanism -- arriving more and more on the scene year by year, it's really a Your Mileage May Vary situation with both GA's and non-GA college seniors. Right now, the draft is mainly used for certain Academy graduates who have not signed with their parent club for a variety of reasons, are from an area of the country who are not served by an MLS Academy (Robbie Mertz from the University of Michigan is one of the players like this; he's originally from Pittsburgh, which only has a USL club -- the Riverhounds -- and a part-time Academy, not a full Academy like the Revs), or are international imports who came to the States for not only the education, but also to jump-start their footballing careers; 6-foot-6 German goalkeeper Ben Lundt, who is a product of the Hertha Berlin Academy, is one of those types of seniors available for the draft Friday.

GA's also generally command a larger salary than other draftees: In 2018, Farrell had a salary of $267,600. Now-former Rev Kelyn Rowe? He was a 2012 GA (first round) who made $258,000 last year. Bunbury? $260,000.

But non-GA 2018 first-round draft pick Brandon Bye? He made the Reserve Roster -- another off-budget mechanism -- minimum of $54,500 last year. Same with former Rev Mark Segbers. Current New England center back Jalil Anibaba was drafted in 2011 by Chicago, ninth overall -- non-GA. His salary in 2018 was $90,000. So your earning potential as a GA is generally greater than that of non-GA draftees over the course of one's career.

And some clubs don't really want to pay those sums, or don't have X amount in additional funds to pay. Or they just don't have the room in the Supplemental Budget.

One of the other incentives to a GA player? They are automatically protected while they are in the program when an expansion draft comes around. And with the league expanding and multiplying with the force of a rabbit these days, it's not a bad idea to have one or two in your squads.

So to wrap this diversion in a tidy bow, the Pros to a GA selection: You can keep them off-budget while you develop them into starters or depth pieces, and they are automatically protected during expansion drafts. The Cons: they eventually cost more than non-GA draftees, and their career trajectories may not be in sync with how a team hopes.

OK, back to the draft.

Where was I? Oh yeah. The question now is, if you trade up to select him, you better have room in the Supplemental Roster for him.

As I wrote a few weeks ago, the Revs’ Supplemental Roster (spot Nos. 21-24) is usually full of off-budget Homegrowns (Scott Caldwell, Zachary Herivaux, Isaac Angking) and one additional regular starter (Matt Turner was there in 2018). That might have changed, with new Homegrown Nicolas Firmino moving into Turner’s slot; in what I reported a couple of weeks ago with my unofficial roster, I had Bye there in slot No. 24, with Firmino in Reserve Roster slot No. 29 (Nos. 29 and 30 are reserved for Homegrowns).

To accommodate a GA player, some roster finagling would have to be done. It’s entirely possible that there is a space open and that Bye and Turner are already on the Senior Roster. Again, me hypothesizing.

If the latter is how general manager Michael Burns sees the roster with room on the Supplemental, then it’s entirely possible that the Revolution move up, or stay pat and select a GA at Nos. 9 or 11. We suspect there will be a few GA’s available at those two spots, given that a Callum Montgomery and an Andre Shinyashiki and a Nils Bruening aren’t GA players and are expected to go rather high.

But it wouldn’t shock me if the Revs pass on a GA. Outside of moving up, if New England gets to 9 and 11 and doesn’t pick up a GA in those spots, I think you have your answer.

If there are GA’s available at No. 9, should the Revolution take one?

In my astute, educated, unbiased opinion? Absolutely. If UNC’s John Nelson, a GA left back, is available at No. 9, they should consider it greatly. After all, new Revolution left back Edgar Castillo only has so many miles left on his legs; he’s 32, remember. Nelson is a sophomore in Chapel Hill — 21 years old — with so much upside to develop. And should something happen to Castillo, there’s the left back of the future, waiting in the wings to produce — and defend.

Of course, there are a few other options at left back — Akeem Ward, for instance, or East Lyme, Conn.’s Logan Gdula, if they’re available — who aren’t GA and (I believe) would perform at the same level, with a lesser price tag in the future.

The same would go for Haji in an offensive role. And again, there has to be room in the Supplemental to take a GA.

What are the Revs' needs are going into SuperDraft?

Outside of a back-up left back, The Boys In Blue have need of another young striker — Juan Fernando Caicedo is 29 (turns 30 in the middle of July), Teal Bunbury will turn 29 just before the start of this season, Juan Agudelo is 26, and Brian Wright will turn 24 in March — additional help in the back line, and quite possibly an attacking midfielder. New England has a logjam in the midfield (five attacking, four defending), and I would think that if there is one available in the second or third rounds that Brad Friedel likes, then, by all means, grab him.

There's also the fact that the club has spent a truckload of money in the back line, and haven't been to the playoffs in three years despite throwing good money after bad at a problem expecting a different result. There are some talented center backs; I'd consider moving up to get Montgomery.

Do the Revs need to draft a striker at some point Friday?

I would have to think so, mainly for the reasons I stated above. Age is a massive factor with this current Revolution strike corps, and the club needs to think about the future -- especially if there isn't a center-forward in the Academy that's ready for the Big Time. I know the Revs have said they are keeping an open mind entering the draft, but honestly, I'd like them to be more pragmatic and proactive rather than reactive.

Think about it: Caicedo, if the Revolution trigger his buy clause in the loan agreement with Independiente, will be 31 in the middle of the 2020 season. If he is re-signed, Bunbury would be 30 next year. Agudelo would be 27, Wright would be 25.

Even if a Revs striker picked in the first round this year does not get that many opportunities — see also: Mark Segbers last year — he would pick up valuable skills in training this year, and quite possibly be ready to take the mantle of prime striker in 2020, especially if New England does not re-up Bunbury or Wright in November. Wright hasn’t shown too much in his time (one goal in 12 appearances) in Foxborough. Bunbury’s second half of 2018 needs to be taken into account; we don’t know (yet) if he will reclaim his form from the first half of last season, and sustain it over the entire year.

With a great number of talented, attacking players in this year’s draft, I don’t think New England can go wrong by picking one at 9 or 11. Like I said earlier this week, I don’t believe Shinyashiki will be available at 9, but if he is, I’d grab him and run; if not, Bruening, Amir Bashti, Sebastian Elney, Peter-Lee Vassell. I think the fans would be happy with any of those at 9 or 11, and I really wouldn’t want to risk waiting until the second round. You can get good value there, though, especially if UConn’s Abdou Mbacke Thiam or BC’s Simon Enstrom are still around. Mbacke Thiam, though, at 27… he may only be around for a few seasons, at most, and then it would be back to the drawing board.

You had UMass-Lowell’s Jakov Basic listed in the Combine invitees last month, but you didn’t list him with the defensive midfielders on Tuesday. What’s up?

The former RiverHawk signed with Croatian side Hadjuk Split’s reserve team late last week, Ives Galarcep reported before the first set of Combine games Saturday. Basic’s film was the first one I watched last week. He has good skill on the ball, especially with his footwork. He has his head on a swivel at all times, which is pretty darn good — you don’t see that in certain defenses, even in MLS. So he won’t find his name called Friday, and he did not take part in the Combine.

If Burns and Friedel gave you the keys to the Camaro Friday, how would your draft board play out?

You’re really asking for a lot. OK, you twisted my arm:

9. Striker/left back
11. Left back/striker
33. Center back
50. Attacking midfielder
81. Center back/defensive midfielder

You’ll remember that I said on Tuesday this defensive midfield class is rather thin, and I don’t suspect that the prime choice selections will be available that late. And right now, with four players on my personal depth chart for DCM (Caldwell, Luis Caicedo, Wilfried Zahibo, Herivaux), I feel there’s plenty of competition there.

If Needham’s Harry Swartz is available in that third round (which will be done by conference call next week), he would be a value choice and a boon to the Revs’ marketing department (Needham’s 20 miles from Gillette, a 24-30-minute drive depending on traffic and which road one takes). But I’d only do that if I have all of my positional needs taken care of, something that should happen (should, should) within 20 minutes of each other Friday. And remember, he took a knock on Wednesday.

I also wouldn’t say no to a center back at 9 or 11: remember that New England spent $3.7 million in the defense in 2018, with nearly $2.8 million going to four different players at center back.

If they pulled two productive CB’s out of this draft at the Reserve Roster minimum of $56,250 or so, and develop them properly, that defensive salary number will be a little more palatable for my tastes.