Pick Team Simon Borg Matt Doyle Jason Saghini

1 Walker Zimmerman (DF) Furman / GA New Toronto head coach Ryan Nelsen is the personification of leadership and character. But he'll be stuck on the bench. That's why he takes Zimmerman to be the Nelsen on the field of play. Natural-born leader from the back. Andrew Farrell (DF) Louisville / GA Consensus seems to be that he’s the No. 1 heading into the Combine. He’s wildly athletic, but questions remain about his technique, as well as what position he’ll eventually play. Expect a lot of trade talks about this pick. Walker Zimmerman (DF) Furman / GA He might need a year to adjust to the MLS level, but he's the best prospect down the line and Toronto have set themselves up to be able to give him a year to adjust.

2 Carlos Alvarez (MF) Connecticut Chelís and Chivas USA announce their intentions to the rest of the league by drafting the son of a former Chivas Guadalajara player with Mexican blood. It's their only pick of the SuperDraft: Mission accomplished. Mikey Lopez (MF) North Carolina / GA Probably isn’t the second-best talent in this draft, but he’s the first-best Mexican-American, which means he fits Vergara's reimagined Chivas. Some have Lopez pegged as the next Chris Armas, but he didn’t show quite that much bite in college. Mikey Lopez (MF) North Carolina / GA Andrew Farrell is the obvious choice here for Chivas – he even speaks Spanish – but hey, it's Chivas … let's mix things up. My real bet is on a trade of this pick for allocation money and an international roster spot.

3 Andrew Farrell (DF) Louisville / GA Nelsen wants a hard team? Then the athletic specimen that is Andrew Farrell, who can play both right back and center back, will help the cause. And the fact that he's actually pretty good on the ball won't hurt. Toronto emerge with the consensus two best picks of the SuperDraft. Walker Zimmerman (DF) Furman / GA Zimmerman is slightly bigger and slightly less athletic than Farrell. He also doesn’t have any nagging questions about where his best spot is. TFC don’t really need him, with Doneil Henry and Gale Agbossoumonde already on the roster, but they can’t really afford to pass on him, either. Kyle Bekker (MF) Boston College The left midfielder from BC is going to be coveted by all three Canadian teams, so Toronto don’t have the opportunity to trade down and take him later with Vancouver prowling at No. 5.

4 Ryan Finley (FW) Notre Dame With Saer Sene coming off injury and Jerry Bengtson likely getting called up by Honduras a fair bit, Finley gives them depth at forward. He can run onto the quality service that the Revs midfield is capable of.

Jason Johnson (FW) Virginia Comm. / GA Johnson is Saer Sene 2.0, or so the Revs hope. He’s tough holding the ball up in traffic, has a cultured left foot and speed to burn. Andrew Farrell (DF) Louisville / GA Farrell can help out right away as a right back and push Kevin Alston while being groomed to move to centerback when needed. He offers an athletic pairing for the cerebral A.J. Soares in what could be a great partnership for years to come.

5 Kyle Bekker (MF) Boston College Vancouver have vowed to make a more concerted effort to develop players for the Canadian national team. Here's their chance with this dynamic midfielder. Eriq Zavaleta (DF/FW) Indiana / GA “What’s Zavaleta’s best position?” is one of the big debates heading into the draft. Some see him as a traditional No. 9 with hold-up and goalscoring skills, while others see him as the type of central defender to build a team around. The Whitecaps could use either, or both. Dillon Powers (MF) Notre Dame Adds depth to the Vancouver midfield behind Barry Robson and could probably play any of the central spots if needed.

6 Jason Johnson (FW) Virginia Commonwealth / GA The Rapids are a team rebuilding their forward corps and why not forget about Omar Cummings with his compatriot Jason Johnson, who also likes to get involved in the build-up. That's the game Oscar Pareja is trying to implement. Deshorn Brown (FW) Central Florida / GA He’s a pure speed forward, a guy who goes past a static backline onto any through ball the midfield deigns to send. The Rapids could use exactly that. And if he learns to play the flank, that’s a nice bonus as well. Eriq Zavaleta (FW) Indiana / GA Pareja surprised some when he went with Tony Cascio over the GA pick, Enzo Martinez, last year. This year he goes GA with Eriq Zavaleta who moves back to CB and adds some needed depth.

7 Deshorn Brown (FW) Central Florida / GA Many want to slot Kekuta Manneh here, perhaps because he lives in Texas. But Schellas Hyndman's team doesn't need trickery and cleverness. FC Dallas need speed and they'll get it with Brown. Dillon Powers (MF) Notre Dame Dallas need depth everywhere, but more than that, they need a few cultured midfield players to team up with David Ferreira. That’s what they’ll get in Powers, who grew up a stone’s throw from FC Dallas Stadium. Kekuta Manneh (FW) Austin Aztex / GA Hyndman can afford to take the youngster with huge upside (who reportedly has already signed with MLS) and get the left back depth he needs with their pick in the second round.

8 Eriq Zavaleta (FW) Indiana / GA A Generation adidas player is just what the doctor ordered for a team that wants to make sure as much of its salary budget is available for its European scouting missions. Their new coach can take his time to decide if Zavaleta is a forward or defender. Ashton Bennett (FW) Coastal Carolina International slots are at a premium in Montreal, so that makes Bennett’s Canadian residency worth its weight in gold. He’s a pure goalscorer who can thrive on the kind of service the Impact’s forwards spurned last season. Jason Johnson (FW) Virginia Comm. / GA Montreal have a nice forward pairing in Marco Di Vaio and Andrew Wenger, but could use a speed option to mix in. Johnson is that and more, and the GA tag makes it an easy pick.

9 Mikey Lopez (MF) North Carolina / GA Many players have tried their hand at the holding midfield spot in Columbus. Lopez has the best chance to sticking for many years to come. Carlos Alvarez (MF) Connecticut Few players come out of college ready to be a No. 10 in MLS, but Alvarez just might. At the very least he’ll be able to spell Federico Higuaín at times, as well as providing something of an insurance policy. The Crew could also very well trade this pick. Ryan Finley (FW) Notre Dame The Crew could use some depth behind their international pairing up top, and a goalscorer who makes smart runs could pair well with Federico Higuain's vision.

10 Emery Welshman (FW) Oregon State Make that two Canadians for the Whitecaps in the SuperDraft. Welshman is a dynamic, explosive player who would add a new dimension to the Vancouver forward department. Blake Smith (MF) New Mexico Smith has the whole bag of tricks on the ball. He’s also got great quickness, very good top-end speed and vision. He’ll need to learn to play faster, but regardless, he looks like a perfect fit for Martin Rennie’s 4-3-3. Deshorn Brown (FW) Central Florida / GA With all of the talent on their front line, you'd think they'd be set, but internaional call-ups will affect the Whitecaps, and you can never have enough speedy goalscorers on the roster.

11 Kekuta Manneh (FW) Austin Aztex / GA The veteran-heavy Fire add the young legs of an electric Gambian forward, who is more crafty than Sherjill MacDonald and faster than Chris Rolfe. With the salaries taken on during the offseason, the GA tag will be a welcome one. Kekuta Manneh (FW) Austin Aztex / GA Manneh, like DeShorn Brown, hasn’t officially signed yet, but is expected to. Not a lot is known about him outside PDL circles, but as a second forward, he seems to have the rep and the buzz to be a good understudy for Chris Rolfe. Erik Hurtado (MF) Santa Clara The versatile attacker fits the bill for the Chicago Fire who have a team of interchangeable parts that love to get up the field quickly.

12 Blake Smith (MF) New Mexico Many consider Smith the best left-sided player in the SuperDraft. His skill, trickery and speed could help jumpstart a new-look Real Salt Lake attack. Ryan Finley (FW) Notre Dame Finely does one thing: score. That should fit RSL’s needs, since they’ve consistently come up one goal short in big games over the past three years. Any attitude questions can be answered while he’s picking the ball out of the net. Ryan Hollingshead (MF) UCLA This would be a gift falling into Jason Kreis' lap. Arguably the top wide midfielder dropping all the way to the 12th pick helps the rebuilding process for RSL.

13 Eric Schoenle (DF) West Virginia A center back the way Dominic Kinnear loves them. No-nonsense, tough and exceptional in the air on defense and on attacking set pieces. Eric Schoenle (DF) West Virginia Neither Schoenle nor the Mountaineers had a great 2012 season, but he’s still a big, technical central defender who can provide depth at a spot where Houston needs it. Jimmy Nealis (DF) Georgetown Without many glaring needs, Kinnear takes the best left back off the board to provide some competition for Corey Ashe and depth for CCL.

14 Dillon Powers (MF) Notre Dame Dedicated, hard-working midfielder who covers tons of ground in midfield and is versatile enough to man several areas of the field. And he's a technically proficient player. Perfect combination of skill and industry as SKC look to make up for the loss of Roger Espinoza. John Stertzer (MF) Maryland Stertzer has that “never going to be a star, always going to be a contributor” air about him. He’s just a midfield handyman who does everything pretty well, doesn’t give the ball away and walks off the field as a net positive almost every time out. John Stertzer (MF) Maryland Sporting KC go back to the well that once got them Graham Zusi and find a guy who can play understudy to their creator in the middle of the field.

15 Jose Diaz (DF) UC Riverside A playmaking center back with whom the Earthquakes are already very familiar. He's cultured enough to be getting looks from Mexico, but he's also physically strong enough to slot into an MLS side.

Tommy Muller (DF) Georgetown Maybe not the guy they want, as Eric Schoenle is probably a better fit for a team that loves them some set pieces. But Muller is, first and foremost, a solid defender who gives them depth at two positions of need. Taylor Kemp (DF) Maryland Defensive depth is the biggest need and Kemp is a seasoned player who can eat up minutes and provide excellent service out of the back for the Quakes.

16 Dylan Tucker-Gangnes (DF) Washington One of the top three centerbacks in the draft and one who the Sounders will have watched closely. He's compared to Seattle native George John, who the Sounders missed out on a few drafts ago. It won't happen again. Dylan Tucker-Gangnes (DF) Washington With Jeff Parke going out, that opens up a lot of minutes in the center of defense. In steps Tucker-Gangnes, who’s dominant in the air and can distribute. That’ll trump concerns about his quickness. Carlos Alvarez (MF) Connecticut Possibly the top central midfield prospect in the draft slips to bottom of Round 1 because of questions about where he fits on the field. It doesn't matter to Sigi Schmid. Too much quality to leave on the board.

17 Jimmy Nealis (DF) Georgetown D.C. were forced to improvise way too many times at left back last year not to use this pick to find one. Nealis, who played at nearby Georgetown, has the perfect mix of size, skill and work rate of the deep pool of left backs in this draft. Jimmy Nealis (DF) Georgetown United’s cap space is going to go to attacking help, while their draft picks will go to fullback depth. Nealis is the best this draft has to offer, and could go eight spots higher. He combines well, serves in a nice cross and is tough – on both sides of the ball – in 1-v-1 situations. Blake Smith (MF) New Mexico Another player too good to pass up at this point in the draf. Smith could play as a second forward if needed but can also add depth to the wings for D.C. to allow Chris Pontius to push up the field and get closer to goal.

18 Taylor Kemp (DF) Maryland They rave about his left foot and the quality of his delivery as a left back. The technical side of this player's game will make a great fit for the European-style Impact. Kyle Bekker (MF) Boston College Really attracted notice more for his play with the Canadian U-23s, in a deep-lying playmaker’s role, than in college. He could make a good understudy to Patrice Bernier if he’s willing to be patient. Emery Welshman (FW) Oregon State The Impact continue to fill the attacking cupboard with the Canadian speedster, who is dangerous going at defenders.