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 The big day is here for three Wisconsin players, who hope to hear their names called during the Major League Soccer SuperDraft.
The consensus among national writers who cover the league is that midfielder Calum Mallace (Marquette) and forward-midfielder Ethan Finlay (Marshfield) will indeed be selected in the two-round draft, and midfielder Tony Walls (Wauwatosa East/UW-Green Bay) also could be among the 38 selections.
The SuperDraft starts at 11 a.m. and will be televised live on ESPN2 and streamed on ESPN3. Here's a look at how the state trio fared in the final versions of mock drafts:
Mallace
Jason Saghini, MLSSoccer.com: No. 4 (1st) to Toronto FC. "Five years without a playoff appearance, TFC is a team with a win-now attitude. Despite Rowe's potential, they go with Mallace, who can step in right away."
Simon Borg, MLSSoccer.com: No. 8 (1st) to Portland Timbers. "A player after John Spencer’s own heart. Tough, spirited, no-nonsense and good on the ball. Can be Jack Jewsbury’s double."
Travis Clark, MLSSoccer.com: No. 13 (1st) to Philadelphia Union. "The tall midfielder is ready to contribute in MLS and can compete for minutes right away."
Ives Galarcep, FoxSoccer.com: No. 16 (1st) to Sporting Kansas City. "Sporting KC could use some central defense depth and could easily grab Creighton product Andrew Duran, but landing a central midfielder like Mallace, who impressed at the Combine with his two-way ability, could be tough for Peter Vermes to pass up."
Steve Davis, SI.com: No. 18 (1st) to Houston Dynamo. "This guy is no-nonsense ball winner who covers lots of ground and values possession. Was there ever a pick more tailor-made for coach Dominic Kinnear, who could use some cover behind Adam Moffat at holding midfielder?"
Drew Epperley, WVHooligan: No. 17 (1st) to Real Salt Lake. "Mallace had a very impressive Combine, one that could land him higher than this. He is a solid holding midfielder that would fit perfectly in Jason Kreis’ system. Look for him to be a reliable Kyle Beckerman backup."
Finlay
Clark: No. 7 (1st) to D.C. United. "In need of depth on the wings and up front, the versatile Finlay is an intriguing option who can play both positions and contribute right away."
Borg: No. 10 (1st) to Columbus Crew. "Can play either wing and gives Robert Warzycha the option of moving Eddie Gaven into central midfield if necessary."
Saghini: No. 15 (1st) to Seattle Sounders. "Finlay's versatility in the attacking end adds valuable depth to a team that will play a lot of games in 2012."
Galarcep: No. 23 (2nd) to Chicago Fire.
Davis: No. 15 (1st) to Seattle Sounders. "Never mind the flight delays and lack of sleep that could have easily derailed his combine performance. Finlay turned heads (and possibly opinions) with a hat trick immediately upon getting into his first match in Fort Lauderdale. That cemented his rep as a prolific, consistent goal scorer; he hit for 43 over four years at Creighton. Finlay won't be a starter for Sigi Schmid, but the Sounders don't need him to be one. Rather, he can add depth to a side that already looks stocked heading into 2012."
Epperley: No. 10 (1st) to Columbus Crew. "With Robbie Rogers out the door to Leeds United, this pick fills a need to help make up for that loss. Finlay can play up top or on the wing like he did at the Combine."
Walls
Borg: No. 33 (2nd) to San Jose Earthquakes. "The club could use depth at defensive midfielder. A hard-nosed, no-nonsense player who can bring the right bite to close out a match."
Saghini: No. 33 (2nd) to San Jose Earthquakes. "Without glaring needs, Quakes take a shot with a defensive midfielder who has a lot of tools, but also some questions marks."
A few other notes and observations from across the web:
- Mallace was listed among the top performers at the Combine by Franco Panizo of Soccer By Ives. "The lanky Mallace was one the best central midfielders at the combine. He showed the ability to control the tempo of games, and capped off three good days of work with arguably the best goal of the combine on Tuesday, his 22nd birthday. Mallace received a pass from Luckymore Mkosana, dribbled away from a defender and ripped a shot that curled into the upper corner of the goal."
- Joe Mauceri of TopDrawerSoccer.com ranks Finlay as the fourth-best prospect in the draft, with Mallace 11th and Walls 89th. He believes both Finlay and Mallace are likely to make an MLS team's roster. Mauceri tabbed Finlay as the second-best forward available, and among midfielders he rates Mallace fifth and Walls 38th.
- Finlay is 10th and Mallace is 13th on the Goal.com USA "Big Board," done by Kyle McCarthy. Of Finlay, he writes: "Saturday's hat trick likely clinched his MLS contract and probably reminded a few MLS technical staffers why he scored all of those goals for the Bluejays." Of Mallace, he wrote: "Lots of production, little fuss in the center of the park."
- Galarcep's list of the top 50 prospects for the draft includes Mallace at No. 15 and Finlay at No. 24.
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