MLSsoccer.com continues its team-by-team preview of the 2013 SuperDraft with a look at the Montreal Impact's potential strategy.
Marco Di Vaio and Andrew Wenger need help.
The Montreal Impact will likely need to add to their forward corps in the 2013 SuperDraft with only two dedicated forwards currently on the roster. But players like Jamaicans Deshorn Brown and Jason Johnson may be off limits. That's because the Impact are out of available international slots (all eight are occupied).
The problem is the options for domestic strikers are limited.
Montreal Impact SuperDraft Picks: #8 (1st Rd), #18 (1st Rd), #27 (2nd Rd), #32 (2nd Rd)
Montreal Impact Depth Chart (22 players):
Goalkeepers (2): Troy Perkins, Evan Bush
Right Back (2): Callum Mallace, Zarek Valentin
Center Back (5): Hassoun Camara, Matteo Ferrari, Alessandro Nesta, Nelson Rivas, Karl Ouimette
Left Back (2): Dennis Iapichino, Jeb Brovsky
Right Midfielder (3): Davy Arnaud, Sanna Nyassi, Sinisa Ubiparipovic
Central Midfielders (2): Patrice Bernier, Collen Warner
Attacking Midfielders (2): Felipe Martins, Andrea Pisanu
Left Midfielder (2): Justin Mapp, Lamar Neagle
Forwards (2): Marco Di Vaio, Andrew Wenger
Internationals slots (0 of 8 remaining): Camara, Felipe, Di Vaio, Ferrari, Iapichino, Nesta, Rivas, Pisanu
Montreal Impact SuperDraft Priorities
Forwards: The Impact currently have just Di Vaio and Wenger at striker, unless you’re considering Felipe or newly signed Andrea Pisanu as withdrawn forwards. Bottom line, they need help in this department.
Wish List (forwards): Eriq Zavaleta (Indiana), Ashton Bennett (Coastal Carolina), Ryan Finley (Notre Dame), Erik Hurtado (Santa Clara), Chris Thomas (Elon), Emery Welshman (Oregon State)
Central midfielders: The club is on track to reprise the Collen Warner-Patrice Bernier pairing in midfield (unless Felipe makes a return to a deep midfield role). They could use a two-way central midfielder who can serve as a back-up or just give them a different tactical look in the middle.
Wish List (center mids):Dillon Powers (Notre Dame), Mikey Lopez (North Carolina), Kyle Bekker (Boston College), John Stertzer (Maryland), Michael Bustamante (Boston University), Machael David (UC Santa Barbara)
Left midfielder: The Impact brought the left-footed Justin Mapp back and they’ve also used the right-footed Lamar Neagle on the left as an inverted midfielder. But another naturally left-footed player would offer some flexibility for new manager Marco Schällibaum.
Wish List (left mids):Blake Smith (New Mexico), Donnie Smith (UNC Charlotte), Uwem Etuk (West Virginia), Don Anding (Northeastern), Antonio Aguilar (DePaul)
