With Fire coach in place, attention turns to the draft
Having introduced his new coach Monday, Fire technical director Frank Klopas is spending the rest of this week trying to fill out the club's roster.
After introducing new coach Carlos de los Cobos, Klopas made a stop in Florida for the draft combine before heading to Philadelphia for Thursday's SuperDraft, when he and de los Cobos are scheduled to make five selections, starting at No. 13.
Who they pick could depend on whether Klopas can complete any player transfers in the meantime. Will they sign anyone before the draft?
"Probably. But it could be more than one," Klopas said. "That kind of changes the outlook of what we're looking at at that time."
Since August the team has lost center back Bakary Soumare, left back Gonzalo Segares, right back Brandon Prideaux, forward Cuauhtemoc Blanco and right midfielder/forward Chris Rolfe. Which player will Klopas and de los Cobos try to replace in the draft?
"That also depends on some of the guys we're very close to signing," he said. "If there's a left back there, that's a need. If we don't (sign a left back), then maybe that's an area in the draft that you're looking for.
"Central defender? That's an area that we need cover there. Forward. We've got to get a forward. We lost Chris Rolfe. Wasn't so much a forward, playing on the right side. It's good to get someone on the right side."
While the mock drafts indicate the Fire could pick a central defender in the first round, de los Cobos' notion of switching to a 3-5-2 formation from a 4-4-2 could put that idea to rest.
Klopas indicated the Fire will look for the best player still available when the 13th pick rolls around.
"You've got to have dynamic players. It helps when you have players who can play different positions," Klopas said.
Two of the top forwards in the draft, Harvard's Andre Akpan and Akron's Teal Bunbury, the Hermann Award winner, played in the Fire's development system.
"With those guys being here with us, we have a good idea of what they can do and they can't," Klopas said.
Neither is likely to be available at No. 13, though the draft often surprises. Patrick Nyarko was projected as the top pick in the 2008 draft, but he fell to the Fire at No. 7.
The top local player in the draft is 6-foot-4 central defender Chris Schuler of Creighton, a product of Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora. He's projected as a second-round pick. UIC goalkeeper Jovon Bubonja also is likely to be picked in the first couple of rounds.
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<li><a href="/story/?id=350284">Can Fire's de los Copos succeed where so have failed? <span class="date">[01/12/09]</span></a></li>
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