Sporting KC Have the Third Pick in the Dispersal Draft and Thoughts on What to Do

MLS today held a drawing to determine the order for next week's dispersal draft for the players that had been on Chivas USA's roster. The one exception being the team's leading scorer, Erik Torres, who the league is working out an option to buy and will go through a different allocation process to a team.

Sporting Kansas City will have themselves an early selection in the draft as their envelope was pulled third, giving them the third pick in the draft after FC Dallas and New York City FC. That should leave Kansas City with the opportunity to pick up some talent from the club. The pick cannot be traded, so KC will either be picking someone up, or passing on the opportunity.

The players taken in the draft will have to be protected or exposed in the expansion draft that comes up after the season is over. So any player that KC takes may not be with the team for long if they are exposed in the expansion draft and taken by New York or Orlando.

With the third pick there are a couple options that KC could go with in regards to picking players. There are a few players available that Kansas City could certainly take a flyer on for the team next year. Dan Kennedy, Chivas' captain will likely be off the board though. While Dallas has two quality goalkeepers in Chris Seitz and Raul Fernandez (Fernandez on $160,000 base, $247,500 guaranteed salary) they could look to take Kennedy ($211,750 base $213,416.67 guaranteed) and trade him with another team who is in greater need of a goalkeeper. If Dallas doesn't take him, I am not sure I can see Kennedy slipping past NYCFC. The expansion side has one goalkeeper on their roster currently, Josh Saunders but he's on a low salary ($48,504) and I'd expect NYCFC to bring in a starter, and picking up one for nothing in the dispersal draft seems a good way to do it. So I just don't see him falling for Kansas City to take with the number three spot.

Another name on Chivas roster that won't be there is Eric Avila. The midfielder is on his way out of MLS after Chvias USA agreed to a deal in principal to sell him to Santos Laguna in Mexico.

Even with the trio of Torres, Kennedy, and Avila all likely off the board there still are a few players that I think KC could target with the third pick that could contribute to the team.

Andrew Jean-Baptiste - The 22 year old defender has had some rumored locker room issues, but he wouldn't be the first "cancer" to come into KC's locker room. Peter Vermes has shown that he can handle those types of players quite well. This year, Jean-Baptiste was limited to just sight starts due to injury, but started 22 last year for the Portland Timbers on their way to finish first in the Western Conference last year. With Aurelien Collin's future in question and Ike Opara's return time still not known, he'd provide a good target on set pieces and a solid defender next to Matt Besler.

Thomas McNamara - A bit of a gamble, but a move that could pay off for KC. McNamara started Chvias' first six games of the year before an ACL tear put him out for the rest of the season. He showed plenty of flashes for Chivas and contributed a goal in their opening win over Chicago. His recovery would be a question and with KC's injury issues this past year it might be something to avoid, but he'd provide decent, inexpensive depth for the team.

Marco Delgado - The Chivas USA Homegrown talent has started 25 games over the past two years for Chivas USA, but each of the last two seasons has ended with surgery so it's another player that may be an injury risk. Still, Delgado is a member of the US20 team, including serving as the team's captain in two friendlies in Italy. He's a player that could play either on the wing or as a wing back in KC's system. And at 19 he's still quite young.

Caleb Calvert - The other homegrown player has yet to make his first team debut, but a 6'2" 18 year old forward has to get you at least a little excited. But with him you'd have to expect little from him the next couple years. While both Delgado and Calvert are Chivas homegrown players, if I'm understanding it right, KC would not be able to utilize their HGP designation in the expansion draft to not have to expose them.

Nathan Sturgis - The 27 year old has been all around MLS, playing on seven clubs in his eight seasons in the league. He's played in over 120 games in MLS play and would give Kansas City experience and versatility as Sturgis can play in the midfield or on the back line which is something KC could have used more of this past season. His salary may be a little high for a utility player at $114,000 though.

There are other options out there as well that people may find interesting, but I think that the price of those players will turn KC off from those players. Players like Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Nigel Reo-Coker could help Kansas City out in different aspects on the field and if both make it through the different drafts without being picked up and end up on waivers, I wouldn't be against KC looking to get them at a new, lower price. But with Hurtado on a $210,000 base and guaranteed salary and Reo-Coker on a $400,000 base, $446,500 guaranteed, there's no way I would use a pick on either one of hose two. I have similar thoughts for the likes of Marvin Chavez ($200,000). Bobby Burling may be the most appealing defender outside of Jean-Baptiste, but as I'd look to bring him in primarily as a back up, I think the $115,000 is too much for him. Especially when the team has $97,500 base tied up with Opara depending on his health.