Yallop drafts 10 for MLS expansion club San Jose
Coach Frank Yallop, only weeks after walking away from the Galaxy, on Wednesday began building his next Major League Soccer team.
Yallop selected 10 players in the MLS expansion draft to begin stocking the newly reconstituted San Jose Earthquakes, the team he coached to league titles in 2001 and 2003 before it folded in 2006 and became the Houston Dynamo.
The first player Yallop chose was defender Ryan Cochrane, who Sunday won his second MLS title with the Dynamo. Yallop also plucked players from the Galaxy and Chivas USA, selecting Galaxy “super sub” Gavin Glinton, a 28-year-old midfielder-forward, and Chivas defender Jason Hernandez, 24.
Also chosen were defenders Clarence Goodson of FC Dallas and Chris Pozniak of Toronto FC, and midfielders Ned Grabavoy of the Columbus Crew, Brian Carroll of D.C. United, Ivan Guerrero of the Chicago Fire, James Riley of the New England Revolution and Joseph Vide of the New York Red Bulls.
Yallop, who was allowed to choose only one player from each team up to a maximum of 10 in all, did not select a goalkeeper, even though Houston left unprotected three-time MLS champion Pat Onstad, who played for Yallop at San Jose.
Nor was Yallop tempted by other “name” players left exposed by their MLS teams. Among those he ignored were Dallas midfielder Denilson, a 2002 World Cup winner with Brazil, former Portugal international defender Abel Xavier of the Galaxy, and Costa Rican national team striker Andy Herron of Columbus.
The highest-salaried player Yallop chose was Honduran national team defensive midfielder Guerrero, who earned a guaranteed $187,500 this year with Chicago. The remainder of the players will not have as much impact on the salary cap, leaving San Jose free to pursue other starters, and perhaps to make a run at the Galaxy’s Landon Donovan.
In an indication of probable changes ahead, among the 13 players that the Galaxy left exposed were frequent starters Peter Vagenas, Kyle Martino, Alan Gordon, Kelly Gray, Kevin Harmse and Xavier.
Chivas USA left 18 players available to the draft and the most surprising player it did not protect was Honduran international Ramon Nunez.
