In a three-part series, Montreal Impact Director of Soccer Operations Matt Jordan will discuss who the Impact has its eye on offensively, in the midfield and on the backline. Here’s at a few look at a few available forwards
With the MLS Player Combine set to start tomorrow, ahead of the SuperDraft scheduled for January 17, Impact Media sat down with Matt Jordan to get the club’s perspective on the top players available in this year’s draft.
Although the consensus across the league is that this year’s talent pool isn’t as deep as 2012, Jordan feels the club's approach to the draft this year is a bit different than last year.
“The biggest difference from last year’s draft to this year is that we have the majority of our team in place going into training camp,” said Jordan. “This year we can put more of a focus on our specific positional needs within the framework of our roster. It’s also important we evaluate the talent we have within our Academy, bringing it all together to do everything possible to help the club find success.”
Jason Johnson – Virginia Commonwealth University
“Johnson is a dynamic forward, who is very athletic and physically gifted. He has the ability to play as a winger and as a striker. He has excellent speed and strength and has the ability to put the defence under pressure at all times. He signed a Generation adidas contract with the league.”
Eriq Zavaleta – Indiana University
“Zavaleta is technically sound for a big man. He scored a lot of goals this year while helping Indiana win the National Championship. He is good at bringing his team into play with his back to goal. His best quality is his presence in the box in crossing situations; his mobility could be a bit questionable at the next level. I think it is still to be determined what position he will play in the pros. He signed a Generation adidas contract with the league.”
Ryan Finley – University of Notre Dame
“Finley is a very competitive and hard working forward. He battles for every ball and is very aggressive in the offensive third; he makes hard runs in the box and looks to shoot every opportunity he gets.”
Deshorn Brown – University of Central Florida
“Brown is a physical specimen with a good combination of speed, strength and power and has scored a lot of goals over the last two years. Tactically, he still has room to grow but I would anticipate he is taken fairly high in the first round. He signed a Generation adidas contract with the league.”
adidas 2013 MLS Player Combine
January 11-15 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida
