As the Houston Dynamo prepare for Thursday’s MLS SuperDraft, the club feels good about its position.
With a roster that has suffered few losses, most notably Andre Hainault and the still undecided Macoumba Kandji, Houston has already made moves to augment those changes with the additions of Eric Brunner and Omar Cummings.
Factor in an MLS Cup final starting XI that remains under contract and forwards Cam Weaver and Brian Ching re-signing and there are not a lot of holes the Dynamo will be forced to fill with a player out of college.
So instead of being pushed in one direction or another, the club will instead look to use the draft to add some final touches, on the backline or with speed in the attack, as the club prepares to start preseason January 21.
“This year, we have the 13th pick in the draft, which I think is a good pick,” head coach Dominic Kinnear told MLSsoccer.com. “Going into this year we’re not looking goalkeeper, we have two good goalkeepers, and we feel our central midfield, especially on the defensive side, is pretty good and our center back situation is pretty good.”
With a strong roster in place the key word for the Dynamo will likely be depth. After all, the club will play in four separate competitions this season, including closing one CONCACAF Champions League appearance in the spring before starting another in the fall.
With depth on the mind, versatility could be a key factor in any player the Dynamo look to add. Also, instead of taking the best pick available, the club could look at a player’s position as a deciding factor.
“Unless someone really blows us away, there could be a lean towards a position of need versus the best player available,” Kinnear said. “It all depends on how you feel the depth of your team is and where you think you can position a player.”
Houston certainly feels good about their depth. The club has been built with a number of players who can fill multiple roles and several established stars that make a starting XI projection easy.
Now with a pick in the middle of the first round, the club will be looking to get a solid player that will be asked to contribute on the team’s depth chart this season.
“We have a couple of potential spots open and, ideally, I’d think you’d like to add an attacking player or two and potentially add some depth on the back line,” club president Chris Canetti told MLSsoccer.com. “Depth is a big priority this year given the number of games we’ll play in various competitions that we’re going to compete in.”
Darrell Lovell covers the Houston Dynamo for MLSsoccer.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DarrellLovell.
