Revolution coach Steve Nicol and assistant Paul Mariner have devised a simple formula for the Major League Soccer draft - simply select as many players as possible from Wake Forest University.
The Revolution drafted five former Wake Forest players from 2004-07, three of whom (Michael Parkhurst, James Riley, Wells Thompson) started for the team last season.
But, now that the Demon Deacons have won the NCAA championship, the Revolution pipeline to Winston-Salem could be drying up. New England has the No. 13 selection in the draft next month, so it likely will not have a chance for its top choice. Previously, Nicol could sit back patiently and wait for players such as Parkhurst, former Furman star Clint Dempsey, and former Indiana forward Pat Noonan. If other MLS teams have been paying attention, though, they will snap up those types of players this time.
Not all is lost for the Revolution, though.
Unlike other professional sports drafts, the MLS version does not guarantee a supply of talent. Those eligible for the MLS draft often have other options, and many of the talented underclassmen choose to remain in school. So, though there is a wealth of talent in the college ranks, some of the best prospects will not be draft-bound.
Charlie Davies, expected to be the No. 1 pick last year, went to Europe instead; Davies might have remained in the United States but wanted to play for D.C. United or the Revolution, and the draft order virtually guaranteed that would not happen.
Others with similar ability and ambitions could follow Davies's example. Sal Zizzo completely bypassed the college season with UCLA to sign in Germany (Hannover 96) after a strong performance in the U20 World Cup last summer.
Wake Forest will send two outfield players to the MLS scouting combine next month, midfielder Pat Phelan and defender Julian Valentin. It will be interesting to see how they are evaluated, since the physical attributes of both players have been questioned, Phelan in terms of speed, Valentin (5 feet, 11 inches) in terms of size.
But the best Wake Forest prospects likely will not be involved in the draft. Marcus Tracy, 21, the MVP of the College Cup, plans to return for his senior season. Forward Cody Arnaux and left-sided midfielder Austin da Luz are sophomores and defender Ike Opara is a freshman. Arnaux, 19, probably could swing a rich deal in Europe just by sending tapes to several clubs.
Meanwhile, Tracy, who scored 100 goals at Newtown (Conn.) High School, appears to have little more to prove at the collegiate level after scoring twice in the semifinals (2-0 win over Virginia Tech) and once in the title game (2-1 win over Ohio State).
Another unlikely to benefit from continuing to perform at the collegiate level is left-sided midfielder Roger Espinoza, an Ohio State junior. The problem for Espinoza is that he is so adept on the ball that he attracts at least two opposing players, at least one of whom will be tempted to foul him. The more Espinoza threatens, the more roughly he will be treated, as happened against UMass when defender Daniel Lepone leveled him in the center circle in the semifinals.
Espinoza's strength is running at the opposition and breaking down the defense with dribbles. The only way Espinoza becomes less of a target is by joining a professional team that has several players with similar attributes and alternative attacking options.
Only six players from the Final Four teams (three each from Ohio State and Wake Forest) have been invited to the MLS combine. Ghanaian forward Patrick Nyarko would be a certain first-round pick should be decide to leave Virginia Tech. And Tech coach Oliver Weiss believes midfielder Ben Nason should be a combine pick. UMass was without a combine candidate, but goalkeeper Zack Simmons emerged after a spectacular performance in a 1-0 loss to Ohio State.
Simmons could follow the example of Wake Forest's Brian Edwards by remaining in college for a fifth year. Keepers can afford to put their professional careers on hold, since they are not likely to reach their peak until their late 20s, anyway.
"Wake Forest was clearly the best football team," said Nicol, who attended the semifinals in Cary, N.C., along with Mariner. "They all pass the ball and they are all hungry to do well.
"Valentin is a good organizer, he talks all the time, and he has a lot of experience with the [US] Under 20s. Phelan has done very well [as a defensive midfielder] but it's not something we desperately need, with Shalrie Joseph and Jeff Larentowicz coming back. Depending on what's available, we will look for what we want and what we need, and if that's not available, go for a good player."
Tricky business
The Revolution and D.C. United are among the MLS teams continuing the talent search in Argentina. Juan Sebastian Veron last week turned down United's offer to stay with Estudiantes da La Plata.But Veron might have been an unrealistic target. There are dozens of lower-paid, lower-profile players in Argentina, United's Christian Gomez a good example. Arsenal de Sarandi, which produced Gomez, last week won the Copa Sudamericana, the first trophy in the club's 50-year history. According to the Buenos Aires daily La Nacion, the highest-paid Arsenal players are forward Jose Luis Calderon and defender Anibal Matellan, both earning $5,000 monthly.
Arsenal's title run has placed its players in the showcase window. The trick for MLS teams, then, is to sign those players before they become attractive commodities.
Letup on the pitch
Davies scored the US' third goal in the first half of a 3-3 tie with China in Guangzhou in a pre-Olympic Games exhibition yesterday. The US squandered a three-goal halftime lead, surrendering the tying goal on an added-time penalty kick . . . The England Football Association has raised the ante for national team coaches by signing Fabio Capello to a contract worth about $12 million annually, which will work out to nearly $1 million per game over four years. Since 1990, Capello has won six Serie A titles (five with Milan, one with AS Roma), plus two (with Juventus) that were nullified because of a corruption scandal, and two Spanish championships (with Real Madrid). That raises the question of why Capello had to wait until he was 60 to be named coach of a national team.Frank Dell'Apa can be reached at f_dellapa@globe.com.
