Snow and the harbor winds greeted MLS coaches, staffs, fans, and other assorted soccer folks as they descended upon Baltimore, MD for the 2011 MLS SuperDraft. A quick stroll through the Baltimore Convention Center shows workers scurrying about to set up for the draft while team and league executives have meetings to talk soccer, operations, ticket sales, community relations, digital media, PR, and, of course who will each team draft.
The Portland Timbers staff arrived with coaches and technical staff coming up from the MLS Combine in Ft. Lauderdale, and other staff jetting in from Portland. Make sure to check in with www.portlandtimbers.com as we give updates on what we see, what we’re hearing, and what’s happening. Follow along on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook to get up-to-the-minute updates.
On SuperDraft Day on Jan. 13, be sure to tune into ESPN2 beginning at 9 a.m. Pacific for live coverage of the first round. Rounds Two and Three will be carried live via MLSsoccer.com. All rounds will be covered at www.portlandtimbers.com via a CoverItLive chatroom with live updates from the draftroom floor.
The 2011 SuperDraft will consist of three rounds of 18 picks for a total of 54 player selections. Through the Expansion Priority Draft, Vancouver Whitecaps FC earned the first selection in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft while the Timbers will select second. The next six selections are from teams that did not qualify for the 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs beginning with the team with fewest regular-season points. The remaining positions are ranked by fewest regular-season points among the teams that were eliminated in the same round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
