Wizards Fantasy Draft Rounds 7 and 8

Here are rounds 7 & 8 of the Wizards fantasy draft.

Previous Rounds
1 & 2
3 & 4
5 & 6

7(1). Team Shook - Alexi Lalas - And with the the first pick in the seventh round, Team Shook selects Defender Alexi Lalas. Lalas played only one season for the Wizards, coming over in a 1999 trade from the Metrostars with Tony Meola. At the time, Lalas was the key player in the deal, and didnt disappoint having arguably his best season on MLS playing every minute in 30 games for the Wizards, scoring 4 goals from the back, and being named team defender of the year. Of course the key player in that deal long-term turned out to be Meola who led the team to the MLS Cup title the following year, and Lalas's controversial exit from the Wizards diminished his standing amongst fans; but Lalas's on field contributions in his one season in the rainbow colors cannot be denied, and earns him a spot on our roster.

7(2). Team DTB - Digital Takawira - With the second pick of the seventh round, Team DTB selects Digital Takawira. The Digital Crawl comes to team DTB. Digital is the 4th all time leading scorer in league goals with 28, and 5th overall with 31. His high was in 1996, when he scored 15 goals in all competitions. The Wizards first 3 seasons, he was THE number 2 option offensively for the Wizards behind Preki, and he was able to deliever more times then not. Plus how can I pass on bringing back the Crawl Digital Crawl ad campaign?

7(3). Bravado FC - Brandon Prideaux - After impressing with a stint for the Seattle Sounders in the A-League, Prideaux was signed in 1999 by Kansas City, appearing in 15 matches (eight starts) on the season. In 2000, he started all 31 of his appearances on the campaign, helping anchor the defense that captured the MLS Cup. He currently holds the record for longest tenure in MLS without a goal, a mantle he assumed from (now former) Wizards' defender Nick Garcia.

8(1). Bravado FC - Jose Burciaga Jr. - With the first pick of round eight, Bravado FC selects Jose Burciaga Jr. Despite suffering two ACL tears in the first three years of his MLS career - forcing him to miss the majority of the 2002 and 2003 campaigns - the Duncanville, Texas, native has been a solid contributor on defense for the Wizards. It is Burciaga's offensive output, however, that is the leading influence in this pick, as the defender led the Wizards with 24 points (8 g, 8 a) on the 2006 campaign and scored the opening cup goal in what should have been a 2004 MLS Cup win for Kansas City.

8(2). Team DTB - Michael Harrington - With the second pick of the 8th round, Team DTB select Michael Harrington. While Harrington has only played one season so far with the Wizards, he's shown himself to be a very reliable and capable player on the left side either at the back position or on the wing. With 3 goals and 4 assists in his rookie season, Harrington has shown an ability to get forward and will complement Chung well on the left side.

8(3). Team Shook - Matt McKeon - McKeon appeared in 144 games for the Wizards from 1996 (after being the #1 overall pick in the inaugural MLS College Draft) thru 2002. McKeon was an key contributor to the 2000 MLS Cup winning side; playing a formidable holding midfield on one of the best defenses in MLS history, and chipping in to the attack with 3 goals and a career-high 11 assists (good for second on the team) in 30 games.

McKeon is also fourth in Wizards team history with 19 playoff appearances under his belt, scoring 3 times and adding one assist in those games.