Minnesota United: Analyzing the Loons’ SuperDraft Results (Rd 1-2)

Minnesota United had a busy day at the MLS Draft on Friday, three trades and four players selected, adding depth to some key areas in the process.

Minnesota United started off their day by making a trade with the Chicago Fire. For the #5 pick, Minnesota acquired Chicago’s #15 pick, $175k in allocation money, and goalkeeper Matt Lampson. The Loons weren’t done making moves yet, though. They then traded $150k in TAM to the Montreal Impact for the #7 overall pick, but even that wasn’t the end to their draft day moves

In their 3rd and final trade of the day, Minnesota traded the #28 overall pick and $50k in allocation money to Toronto FC for the #23 overall pick. So, without further ado, here are Minnesota United’s Day 1 picks.

Pick 7, Round 1: Mason Toye (F, University of Indiana)

The youngest player in the draft at just 19 years old, Toye is a big, physical striker, who has a lot of upside. While Minnesota has Abu Danladi and Christian Ramirez on the roster, Ramirez may miss some MLS action due to National Team duty, and it’s always good to have depth in case an injury happens.

Overall, Toye is a project with a high ceiling who now has a chance to learn under two very good strikers until he’s ready for big minutes in MLS.

GRADE: A-

Pick 15, Round 1: Wyatt Omsberg (CB, Dartmouth University)

In a bit of a surprise, Dartmouth Defender Wyatt Omsberg fell to the Loons at #15. Widely regarded as the 2nd-best CB in the Draft, mock drafts had Omsberg going as high as 4th overall. The 3x All-Ivy League First-Team selection and 2x Ivy League Defender of the Year provides solid CB depth for the Loons and should make the decision to play Francisco Calvo as a Left back a little easier.

Minnesota appears to have gotten an absolute steal in Omsberg, and it will be interesting to see how many minutes Omsberg gets in his rookie season.

GRADE: A 

Pick 23, Round 1: Carter Manley (RB/CDM, Duke University)

Manley started all 17 matches for the Blue Devils during his senior season, mainly as a right back, but he also played in the midfield on some occasions. Manley’s greatest attribute is his pace, meaning that he’ll likely be a fullback at the MLS level.

Manley has some work to do if he wants to lock down a spot on Minnesota’s MLS roster, but he plays a position of need for the Loons and has all the physical tools to play at the MLS level.

GRADE: B

Pick 17, Round 2 (#41 Overall): Xavier Gomez (M, University of Nebraska-Omaha)

Gomez is a bit of an unknown. As a 4-year starter at Nebraska-Omaha, Gomez made 68 appearances, scoring 8 and assisting on 11 in the process.

Gomez appears to not be much more than a training camp invite at first glance, though he did reportedly have some interest from unnamed Scandinavian clubs before the Draft, so he might just surprise some people.

GRADE: C