PDL Feature
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
TAMPA, Fla. – TopDrawerSoccer.com unveiled its first MLS SuperDraft Big Board on Wednesday morning, with the top five senior prospects for the 2014 edition of the draft all bringing PDL experience as they get set to move to the top flight of North American soccer. Former PDL Award-winners also registered strongly, with players such as the Baltimore Bohemians’ Pete Caringi and the Michigan Bucks’ Kevin Cope also included in the Top 20.
Leading the senior class is former New Orleans Jesters standout Patrick Mullins, who had 12 goals and three assists in 21 games across two seasons after previously having played for the Baton Rouge Capitals. Mullins, also a standout at the University of Maryland, is the reigning MAC Hermann Trophy Award winner, and has helped the Terrapins reach the third round of this year’s NCAA Division I Tournament.
Sitting at No. 2 on the board is Reading United captain Steven Neumann, who has spent the past three seasons with the Mid Atlantic Division club. In addition to starring for Georgetown, Neumann scored seven goals, and added seven assists, in 27 regular-season appearances for United, with the club reaching the playoffs in all three seasons out of the tough Mid Atlantic Division.
Former Orange County Blue Star defender Steven Birnbaum, Chicago Fire U-23 forward Harrison Shipp and the Real Colorado Foxes’ Kyle Venter complete the top five on the board, with Shipp potentially available to the Fire as a Homegrown Prospect, which could see him follow in the footsteps of the Sounders FC U-23’s DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders FC), the Ventura County Fusion’s Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy) and Michigan Bucks’ Stephen Caldwell (New England Revolution) in being signed before the SuperDraft takes place.
A pair of Neumann’s Reading teammates are also part of the Top 10, with Coastal Carolina’s Pedro Ribeiro coming in at No. 6, and the University of South Florida’s Ben Sweat at No. 8. The Ventura County Fusion’s JJ Kovar checks in at No. 9 after another strong season for Stanford this fall.
Two standout defenders sit just outside the top 10, with the Carolina Dynamo’s Christian Ibeagha at No. 11 and Cope at No. 13. Ibeagha has been a stalwart for the Dynamo, being a finalist for PDL Defender of the Year in 2012, while Cope was named the 2012 PDL Defender of the Year, and scored five goals in 25 appearances during the past two seasons for the Michigan Bucks.
Caringi, who won the PDL Golden Boot in 2013 with 16 goals for the Bohemians, comes in at No. 16 after he continued to show his scoring prowess for UMBC this fall. The standout forward was named the America East’s Striker of the Year for a second consecutive season as he scored 10 goals and 22 points for the Retrievers this fall.
Overall, 63 players of the 100 have previously played in the PDL, with some notable names coming in further down the list. The Austin Aztex’s Kris Tyrpak, who was named 2013 PDL Most Valuable Player, comes in at No. 63, while Reading United’s Jason Plumhoff, who joined Tyrpak and Caringi as a 2013 All-League selection, is No. 42.