Hot Time In Old Town - Wheat From Chaff: 2015 MLS SuperDraft storystreamTRADITION - HONOR - PASSIONhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50655/htiot-fav.png2015-01-20T19:08:33-06:00http://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/rss/stream/73152722015-01-20T19:08:33-06:002015-01-20T19:08:33-06:00MLS Draft: Fire pick up Shinsky in fourth round
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<img alt="Alex Shinsky (R) started for the Maryland squad defeated by Harry Shipp's Notre Dame in the 2013 NCAA final." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/joysEI4cYbM2vditk09FPDe4jno=/0x76:3411x2350/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45505120/usa-today-7613557.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Alex Shinsky (R) started for the Maryland squad defeated by Harry Shipp's Notre Dame in the 2013 NCAA final. | Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Former US youth phenom struggled with injuries before captaining a strong Maryland NCAA side</p> <p>On a day when MLS divvied up its remaining draft picks via conference call - in other words, the MLS SuperDraft, rounds 3 & 4 - the Fire <a href="http://www.chicago-fire.com/news/2015/01/chicago-fire-select-alex-shinsky-mls-superdraft">picked up one-time US U17 youth starlet Alex Shinsky</a>, lately the captain of a powerhouse University of Maryland squad.</p>
<p>Shinsky, 21, of York, Pennsylvania, has already fought through more difficulty than veterans 10 years his senior. The outside midfielder was rated as the No. 1 recruit in the nation coming out of high school, and started for the US U17 squad in the Youth World Cup in Nigeria in 2009. He'd spent most of his high school years at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. - the same academy that Fire attacker Mike Magee attended a few years earlier.</p>
<p>But injuries don't care about pedigree, and it was injuries that derailed what had seemed a rocket-ship to the pros. A series of meniscus tears - two to one knee, one to the other - diverted his training time to rehabilitation, and he struggled to remain fit enough to play. In four years at Maryland, Shinsky only made 56 appearances, including 10 last season.</p>
<p>Despite that - or perhaps because of the fortitude honed in repeated bouts of grueling rehab - Shinsky was one of the leaders for a Maryland side that routinely made deep runs in the NCAA tournament. Consider <a href="https://mullinspatrick.wordpress.com/2013/07/03/risking-it-all-to-gain-everything/">this blog entry </a>from Herrman Trophy winner Patrick Mullins, a teammate of Shinsky's at Maryland:</p>
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<p>... we all face challenges in our soccer careers. We all encounter opportunities to propel our game to a higher level. The difference between Shinsky and most players is that he isn't afraid to take a risk. He has the fearlessness and self-belief to take on any challenge. Not only take on a challenge but know he will succeed.</p>
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<p>Welcome to Chicago, Alex Shinsky. We hope your knee problems are behind you, and wish you nothing but the best.</p>
https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2015/1/20/7863273/mls-draft-fire-pick-up-shinsky-in-fourth-roundSean Spence2015-01-15T19:00:02-06:002015-01-15T19:00:02-06:00Draft Recap: In surprise, Fire get Polster, Bryce
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<img alt="Matt Polster was overcome with emotion during his thank-you speech." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CBJOAkhWc802W16r17wD9VbeYm0=/0x59:3974x2708/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45226408/usa-today-8331222.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Matt Polster was overcome with emotion during his thank-you speech. | Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>With needs galore in the back line, the Fire technical staff picked a college centerback who prefers defensive midfield and a long-shot attacker on the first day of the 2015 draft</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/">Chicago Fire</a> certainly confounded expectations in the first two rounds of the 2015 MLS Draft today. The question is, will the surprise turn to elation or confusion? Are today's surprises the result of a club working an unexpected plan well, or some less salutary exercise?</p>
<p>Coming into the draft, conventional wisdom was that the Fire would add defenders left, right and center. After all, the Men in Red are fresh off the worst defensive performance in club history, a defensive stank so profound and lingering that it chased <span>Jhon Kennedy Hurtado</span> off to <strike>Brigadoon</strike> <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://delete.sbnprivate.com/">Chivas USA</a>, sent <span>Bakary Soumare</span> to Montreal to lick his wounds, and cut <span>Patrick Ianni</span> adrift from playing soccer altogether.</p>
<p>Sure, there were other needs. The wings are undermanned, at least until <span>Patrick Nyarko</span> and <span>Mike Magee</span> are available for selection. There's a few box-to-box guys who try to play as destroyers. But it was in the defense that we expected to see the most action.</p>
<p>And the first draft pick, the seventh overall, seemed to confirm that thinking. Matt Polster is a known quantity to the coaching staff, a solid if unspectacular defense-minded player who played with simple authority in the Combine. He'd played with the Chicago Fire PDL team last summer.</p>
<p>The pick was something of a shock to every else, though - Polster was not considered one of the top 10 centerbacks in the draft by most pundits, but the Fire made him the very first backline guy selected. Of course, Polster said in interviews after the pick that he preferred to play in midfield, but everybody wants some things they cannot have. Yallop's quote on the matter was "We see him as a centerback right now." So, central defender, sorta, to bring the total on the roster to four.</p>
<p>Polster's passion is not to be questioned, however. Stunned to have his name called this early, the NSCAA Scholar All-American wept throughout a passionate series of thank-yous. If he can play, expect to love him, and for him to love the badge.</p>
<p>In the second round, things got truly interesting. With the 28th pick in the draft, the Fire selected the very last guy added to the MLS Combine list - St. Louis attacker Kingsley Bryce. Bryce's numbers with SLU are hardly eye-popping, and his selection triggered a stream-of-consciousness explanation from former USA captain John Harkes: "Last guy added [to the draft], who knows what he did. Coaches see something, some little glimmer, make a little move and they think, 'That was good.' "</p>
<p>Whatever glimmer Yallop & Co saw from Bryce was apparently enough to warrant selection. Bryce can play on the right wing or up front, which means he might see his most time in the Fire badge early in the season, while attacking stalwarts Magee and Nyarko are still on the shelf.</p>
<p>The question now is, what do these off-the-beaten-path picks betoken? Here's a few possibilities:</p>
<h5>Yallop & Bliss see around the corner</h5>
<p>It's possible that these guys were simply the best players available, either at their positions or overall. There's no script. It's possible. Geoff Cameron, 42nd pick overall, would like to emphasize this. And don't kid yourself - however big a nerd you are about football, unless you're deeply involved with scouting college soccer in the Midwest, you don't know these guys as well as Yallop, Bliss, and their scouting staff do.</p>
<h5>Mind over matter</h5>
<p>Another interesting tidbit coming from the draft is that both Bryce and Polster have outstanding academic records. If this is meant to signal a more cerebral style of football from the Chicago Fire, that's outstanding.</p>
<h5>The St Louis gambit</h5>
<p>An affiliation with new USL Pro side Saint Louis FC has long been rumored, and could be announced any day. Do Yallop & Bliss have enough other irons in the fire (heh) that they feel confident drafting guys they figure will spend a year or two in USL Pro? Maybe Yallop is happier with his current roster than he's let on? Both players have spent the last four years in the St. Louis area and would certainly feel comfortable there, if not delighted at failing to make the big club.</p>
<h5>Scouting drought</h5>
<p>Sources have told me that almost every department within the Fire organization has seen its budgets tightened since last season. Has this hurt the Fire's efforts to scout collegiate players in the SuperDraft? When both one's picks are from a single metro region, and both immediately provoke whispers about 'reaching' ... hmm.</p>
<h5>Beware the herd</h5>
<p>There is a massive amount of herd thinking around the draft. The lists begin coming out in mid-December, the mock drafts, and everyone reads them and shares them - but the poisonous fact is there's really about five guys writing who actually scout the college game at the depth necessary to make an informed opinion, and they're just human. They have their prejudices and their misconceptions, but their mock drafts still have an outsized influence on the soccer hive mind. If you're going to do better than the baseline, you've got to think differently than the baseline, eh?</p>
<p>Of course, there is the other possibility - performing worse than the herd. Results, those implacable curmudgeons, will tell all.</p>
<p>Matt Polster, Kingston Bryce, we who love the Fire wish nothing but triumph for you. Be incredible.</p>
https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2015/1/15/7554389/draft-recap-fire-claim-polster-bryce-leave-cf97-nation-scratching-itsSean Spence2015-01-15T14:14:04-06:002015-01-15T14:14:04-06:00MLS Draft: Fire select Kingsley Bryce 28th
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<p>Chicago adds another intelligent young player in winger/forward from St. Louis</p> <p>We're almost there. The long cold is almost over. Players report to Toyota Park in 10 days for preseason.</p>
<p>The Chicago Fire's roster is almost there, too. The latest addition - St. Louis University forward Kingsley Bryce - was picked up with the 7th pick in the second round of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, 28th overall. Bryce's addition leaves the Men in Red with 24 men on the roster, 25 if the long-rumored re-signing of Alex comes to fruition.</p>
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<p>The pick shared a few similarities to the Fire's first-round choice, defensive midfielder . Both Bryce and Matt Polster (cf97's first-round pick) have sparkling academic records, and both played college ball in the St. Louis area. Could loans to long-rumored USL Pro partner St. Louis FC be in the offing?</p>
<p>Bryce promises to add depth to the attacking positions, but was a head-scratcher in terms of filling out the roster. The Fire still have only Jeff Larentowicz, Adailton and Eric Gehrig as centerbacks; first-round pick Polster has played there but "prefers to play in midfield."</p>
<p>The Fire do have one Designated Player slot available; is it possible they could burn one on a defender? That has been a rarity in MLS, but it's possible such a move could bolster the Men in Red strongly. Failing that, there's always rounds three and four of the draft, which will take place Tuesday afternoon via conference call.</p>
https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2015/1/15/7553061/mls-draft-fire-select-kingsley-bryce-28thSean Spence2015-01-15T12:48:15-06:002015-01-15T12:48:15-06:00MLS Draft 2015: Fire pick Matt Polster 7th
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<figcaption>Matt Polster, everybody</figcaption>
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<p>Men in Red bolster defense, defensive midfield with Southern Illinois-Edwardsville standout</p> <p>With the seventh pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/">Chicago Fire</a> have selected Matt Polster, a stout-tackling defender who played his college ball at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.</p>
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<p>While not a prominent name in the awareness of MLS fandom, Polster is a known quantity to the Chicago Fire technical staff. Not only did he play for four years just a few hours downstate, but he also played with the Chicago Fire PDL team last summer. 'Connection to the badge' has been a consistent theme in the club's offseason acquistions, and this continues that theme. The potential benefits of this strategy were on display in Polster's draft speech, a tearful soliliquy.</p>
<p>It could be that a strong showing at the MLS Combine forced the Fire's hand with this pick. Playing at both defensive midfield and center defense in the exhibition league, Polster was calm, authoritative, and clean with the ball at his feet. As the Fire have need of both centerback depth and a guy who can play destroyer, Polster's skill set lines up nicely.</p>
<p>The Men in Red are left with one pick today: The seventh pick of the second round, 28th overall.</p>
https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2015/1/15/7552331/mls-draft-2015-fire-select-xxx-with-7th-pickSean Spence2015-01-15T10:00:02-06:002015-01-15T10:00:02-06:00Roundtable: Hot Time talks Fire's first-round pick
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<p>"With the seventh pick of the first round, the Chicago Fire select ..."</p> <p>While it's easy to see that the MLS SuperDraft is less impactful now than at any point in league history - strip-mined, as it is, of its best and brightest by the Homegrown Player rule, among other factors - it's still one of the most affordable ways to build a balanced roster.</p>
<p>Maybe it's no longer 'Super,' but it's still relevant, especially for teams like our Chicago Fire. Messrs. Yallop and Bliss have thrown themselves into the offseason with gusto, with nine newcomers already inked for 2015, but holes still remain on a roster that redefined 'threadbare' after a close-season purge. There's only three centerbacks. Central midfield is a bit thin. Patrick Nyarko's rehab means that there's minutes to be won on the wing. And so on.</p>
<p>In an effort to anticipate the thought process of our front-office braintrust, Hot Time's writers have spilled some photons on who they'd like to see picked with the Fire's first pick, the seventh overall. Of course, you likely have a better idea; for that, there's the comments section!</p>
<h4>John Jenzeh: Nick Besler, DM, Notre Dame</h4>
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<p>I'm usually not one to be in favor of drafting to make up for past mistakes. Recent history hasn't seen the Fire draft anyone useful since arguably Patrick Nyarko (also in the 7th spot) almost a decade ago. After last year's abysmal miss in what was deemed a pro ready prospect in Marco Franco, the Fire need to select a player who is ready to contribute.</p>
<p>With the heavy roster turnover, holes in defense, and lack of depth at central midfield, Nick Besler would be an ideal pick. At the moment, the roster is devoid of a true holding midfielder, especially if Jeff Larentowicz is to reprise his role at center back as expected. Besler should in no way be expected to start every game or instantly become an elite player, but he does have the IQ to learn on the fly and the physical tools to be an MLS player. Much like big brother Matt, the younger Besler measures in at roughly 6 feet in height. A gradual shift to central defense at some point in the future might be in the cards, and that wouldn't be a bad thing.</p>
<h4>Dan Paulmeyer: Axel Sjoberg, CB, Marquette</h4>
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<p>When looking at the recent signings made by the Fire along with who has departed the club, the major area of need is center defense. Adailton has been brought in but the position still lacks depth. Now that Patrick Ianni has retired, who doesn't come as a shock to many, the position remains an area of need.</p>
<p>In the first round of the draft, the Fire should address this need with Axel Sjoberg from Marquette University. At 6'7'', Sjoberg would immediately add height to the backline and also some much needed youth. Adailton and Larentowicz are both 31-years-old so time isn't on their side. Eric Gehrig has been added and hopefully can contribute too.</p>
<p>The MLS season is a long haul and if the Fire want to compete, a fourth centerback is necessary. There will always be the option to loan him out for playing time if he takes some time to adjust to MLS. As the Fire go through more transformation, a young prospect to the backline would be a welcomed addition.</p>
<h4>Braulio Antonio Diaz: Dzenan Catic, F/M, Davenport University</h4>
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<p>I'm not up to speed on the draft, but after doing some poking around, I'm going to try and make a case for FWD Dzenan Catic. He's a Michigan kid who went pro after high school, but didn't cut it in Germany. Came back to the states and played for Davenport University in Grand Rapids, which is just an hour from where I am. I'd have him as a midfielder for the Fire, to add depth to the wings.</p>
<h4>Adam Merges: Tim Parker, CB, St. John's</h4>
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<p>Since the Fire seem to be going young with all of the offseason changes and are lacking in the defensive department, I think they should go with Tim Parker, a central defender at St. John's. At 6'2" and close to 200 pounds, word on the street is that he has all of the attributes to be a lockdown defender but like all draft prospects has some developing to do. He could be one of those players that is sent to the USL Pro for a year and then returns after playing time in the lower leagues to be a piece to build around in the back for years to come. This pick would signify from the Fire that they are willing to develop a team rather than buy a team.</p>
<h4>Sean Spence: Fatai Alashe, DM/CB, Michigan State</h4>
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<p>Two things make me select Fatai Alashe of Michigan State for our mock first-rounder here: His upside, and his flexibility. Alashe's muscular, battering-ram midfield game could use some refining, but one isn't named first-team All-American just by being physically overwhelming (although he sometimes was with Michigan State). His flexibility, though, could be the key to sticking with the Fire; while his first touch concerns me as a midfield prospect, it's de-emphasized if Fatai is considered as a potential centerback.</p>
https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2015/1/15/7551289/roundtable-hot-time-talks-fires-first-round-pick-mls-superdraft-chicagoSean Spence2015-01-15T08:00:02-06:002015-01-15T08:00:02-06:00 MLS Draft 2015: Time, order, Fire picks & stream
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<img alt="The 2014 draft taught us that sometimes it doesn't work out. Marco Franco, we barely knew you." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/l2aZkBKz_Kj_0-_4-zfQV4Ix4Nk=/0x141:1460x1114/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45221778/usa-today-7679831.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>The 2014 draft taught us that sometimes it doesn't work out. Marco Franco, we barely knew you. | Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Read up on the Fire's needs and picks, then watch the stream of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft here with us at 11:30 a.m. CST</p> <p>Today's MLS SuperDraft kicks off at 11:30 a.m. CST today, with the first two rounds being streamed by the league here:</p>
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<p>So what have Fire faithful got to look forward to today? The club have three picks in the four rounds of the draft, having traded their natural third-rounder to Seattle as part of the ill-fated deal that sent Jalil Anibaba to Seattle for Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Patrick Ianni. Two of those picks will happen today - the 7th pick of each of the first round and the second, meaning the 7th and 28th overall.</p>
<h5>Fire picks: 7 & 28. Needs: Centerback, midfield</h5>
<p>Those two picks are fraught with potential for a roster that has plenty of holes still to fill. Despite inking nine new players for 2015, the Fire still count only Jeff Larentowicz, MLS journeyman Eric Gehrig and new, unseen Brazilian Adailton as centerbacks; if Chicago doesn't draft a central defender, things are definitely getting weird. The Men in Red could also use reinforcing in the center of midfield and along the flanks, especially as Patrick Nyarko is likely to need significant cover even after he returns from rehabilitating his surgically-repaired knee.</p>
<p>We will be covering the Fire's draft live, so stay plugged-in to Hot Time for up-to-the-minute news!</p>
https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2015/1/15/7551245/mls-superdraft-time-order-watch-online-fires-picks-and-live-streamSean Spence2015-01-15T07:00:03-06:002015-01-15T07:00:03-06:00MLS Mock Draft: The Fire picked who, now?
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<p>In which I explain my selections on behalf of the Fire in the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mls/2015/1/12/7527189/mls-mock-draft-2015">SB Nation mock draft</a></p> <p>SB Nation has released the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/mls/2015/1/12/7527189/mls-mock-draft-2015">results of our mock 2015 MLS Superdraft</a> - two rounds of dart-throwing and note-cribbing, distilled. I come to you today, fair readers, in the interest of transparency; I wish to explain the selections I made on behalf of the Fire, feebly researched as they were, and explain my reasoning.</p>
<p>My first precept was that I was not looking for attacking players. Perhaps if our draft went four rounds, as the real MLS draft does, I'd've spent more time researching attacking players as long-term projects. The SB Nation draft was only two rounds, though; given the Fire's considerable investment in attacking players already this preseason, my interest was further back, deep in midfield and in defense.</p>
<p>So, without further ado, the guys I picked, and what I was thinking:</p>
<h5>1st round: Fatai Alashe, D/DM, Michigan State</h5>
<p>Alashe has what scouts in other (American) sports call a 'pro body.' He's strong, mobile, and seems to be a leader on the field when he plays with MSU.</p>
<p>(I was also under the impression that he'd signed a magical document called a <i>Generation Adidas contract </i>with MLS, which means that until he's an established regular, he's essentially free under the salary cap. In a capped league, getting depth contributors who circumvent the salary cap is incredibly important. But he's not GA, which means half of my motivation for the pick was incorrect. What's even more important than signing free players? <i>Double-checking your notes to make certain they are actually free.</i>)</p>
<p>As much as I like Alashe's game, I had some trepidation over picking him, simply because his natural position - defensive midfield - isn't one of the club's most pressing needs; why not pick a centerback? That's where live draft tactics come into play - my target at centerback was Marquette senior Axel Sjoberg, who isn't rated as one of the top five prospects at that position (incorrectly, in my mind). With several more-highly-touted centerbacks still on the board, I gambled that Sjoberg would continue to be available 20 picks later, which he was.</p>
<p>This pick also reflects the fact that, despite having several candidates on the roster, I'm not sold on any of them as solo defensive midfielders. <span>Matt Watson</span> has tremendous work-rate and decent ball skills, but his passing can be wayward and he lacks a defensive mid's paranoid awareness of the space behind him. Razvan Cocis is more creator than destroyer, and needs a partner in a double pivot if he's going to play deep. <span>Chris Ritter</span> is coming on, but may lack the athleticism to function alone in front of the back line. Alashe has tremendous range, and could mature into an elite MLS destroyer.</p>
<h5>2nd round: Saad Abdul-Salaam, Akron</h5>
<p>So having picked Alashe in the first round - partially because of a mistaken idea about his contract - I was left with my draft sheet in tatters. I didn't want to spend both picks on central defenders, and Alashe might wind up as one; so my previous hope for the second round, Marquette's mammoth centerback Axel Sjoberg, was suddenly surplus to requirements. So I went for an MLS classic: "The best player available."</p>
<p>Abdul-Salaam likely isn't ready to play right back at the MLS level right now, which is okay; <span>Lovel Palmer</span> has that position on lockdown based upon his ironman performances in 2014. The Akron speedster can spend a year or so working on his positioning and thought process. If all goes well, Abdul-Salaam could become the kind of marauding wingback Fire fans haven't seen since before <span>Gonzalo Segares</span> slunked off to Cyprus.</p>
<p>So, there it is: My Mock Superdraft experience, revealed. What have we learned? I'd suggest the following: 1.) Always double-check your notes; 2.) It's a crap shoot; and 3.) <i>Always double-check your notes.</i></p>
https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2015/1/15/7536837/mls-mock-draft-the-fire-picked-who-now-mock-draft-explanationSean Spence