Offense Is Priority for Galaxy
The Galaxy moved to strengthen its attack Monday by selecting forwards with each of its first three picks in Major League Soccer’s sixth annual draft.
Los Angeles made Brian Mullan, who helped Creighton finish second in last season’s NCAA tournament, its top pick. Coach Sigi Schmid said he can envision Mullan having an immediate impact.
“He’s a kid who’s not afraid of challenges,” Schmid said. “One of the things we like is his willingness to battle. He can be a presence up front. The way he played at the final four was a big plus for him.
“With Luis Hernandez going to miss so many games, [Mullan will] get a chance to step in. Sasha [Victorine, a first-round draft pick in 2000] is a very intelligent forward while Brian is a hard worker. I think there’s an opportunity for them to work together. It’s a young combination, but it can work.”
Mullan, 23, was taken as the ninth pick overall and Schmid was surprised to find him still available.
“We ended up altering our initial strategy a little bit because he was still on the board,” Schmid said. “We didn’t expect that to happen.”
Los Angeles selected Isaias Bardales Jr. of San Jose State with its second pick, the 11th overall. Bardales, 22, was a starter for Schmid on the U.S. under-20 national team and would have played in the FIFA Youth World Cup in Nigeria in 1999 had he not suffered a broken leg.
“He has size, speed and is a great pick for our market,” Schmid said. “He can play wide and at the back too. He’s like [Galaxy midfielder Pete] Vagenas, a good all-around player with a soccer brain.”
The Galaxy’s third pick, and the 16th overall, was a surprise as Schmid selected former Gonzaga forward Brian Ching, who has been playing for the Spokane Shadow in the Premier Development League.
“He’s probably the most unknown guy in the draft,” Schmid said. “Hopefully he’ll become the John Stockton of MLS.”
Ching, 22, trained with the Galaxy for a couple of weeks last summer and impressed coaches.
“He’s very versatile,” Schmid said. “He’s the big forward we’ve been looking for a little bit. He can get up in the air and he can finish crosses. So I’m excited about it. It’s a little bit of a risk because he hasn’t really been a national team [-level] player.”
Two other Galaxy picks were larger gambles because neither player has been signed by MLS and both have expressed strong interest in playing in Europe.
The first is Robert Russell, 21, a midfielder from Duke who was picked fourth by the Galaxy and 22nd overall.
Los Angeles selected midfielder Brent Rahim, 22, of the University of Connecticut and the Trinidad and Tobago national team, as its fifth pick and the 45th player chosen overall.
The Galaxy selected midfielder Alex Bengard, 21, of Cal State Dominguez Hills in the fifth round, and defender Mike Potempa, 21, of Clemson in the sixth.
