MLS drafts two Louisville soccer seniors

Within just a few minutes, both senior starters from the University of Louisville soccer team’s College Cup squad found new teams during today’s Major League Soccer SuperDraft.

Defender J.T. Murray was selected 32nd overall (14th pick in the second round) by Sporting KC, the team formerly known as the Kansas City Wizards. Three spots later, midfielder Charlie Campbell was chosen by FC Dallas, the runner’s up in the 2010 MLS Cup.

Of the two, Murray seems to be in the better position to make the squad. KC is a bit thin in the back, having lost longtime stalwart Jimmy Conrad after the last season. Having failed to make the playoffs for two years running, and with a new name and a new stadium, KC is in rebuilding mode, which should help Murray’s chances. Interestingly, one of his rookie teammates is Konrad Warzycha from Ohio State, which has developed a pretty intense rivalry with the Cards.

Campbell faces a harder task in Dallas. He’s trying to make a team that utterly destroyed the MLS glamour squad – Team Landon Donovan/David Beckham, aka the LA Galaxy – in the MLS Cup semifinals. Dallas has skilled payer’s at Campbell’s outside midfield position, so he’s going to have to work to make the roster.

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The big news out of the draft is College Cup champion Akron, which had seven (count ’em, seven) players, all of them starters, drafted. Five of them were among the top eight picks. All five were early entries in draft, with eight years of eligibility remaining among them. The two Akron seniors who were drafted didn’t go until the second round, on either side of Murray.

That shows just how much emphasis the MLS, like so many other pro sports, now places on youth and potential. Today’s draft leaves Akron with a huge rebuilding task. Recent history at another Midwest soccer power suggests it won’t be an easy task. Indiana, which won national titles in 2003 and 2004, saw a bunch of early departures in the next several years. They haven’t been past the quarterfinals since.

• Louisville’s other College Cup opponent – North Carolina – had four players taken in today’s draft. All were seniors – two defenders in the first round, two midfielders in the second.
• Michigan, the fourth College Cup team, saw only senior forward Justin Meram drafted. The Wolverines lose three other players to graduation, only one of them a regular starter.

That would seem to leave Louisville best positioned among the 2010 College Cup participants to make a return trip next season. The decision by junior All-American and Hermann Award finalist Colin Rolfe not to enter the MLS draft was a huge plus for the Cards.

Stalwart central defenders are harder to find that flanking midfielders, so replacing Murray will be harder than finding someone to take Campbell’s place. But you can bet Coach Ken Lolla will be using Louisville’s new-found soccer prominence to bring in a top-notch group of freshmen.

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The biggest disappointment was that Ohio State junior defender David Tiemstra – he of the infamous unpenalized assault on Rolfe – opted for another year in school.