Can Cincinnati have a better Superdraft in 2020 than in 2019?

FC Cincinnati, Inter Miami, and Nashville SC will take part in the 2020 MLS Superdraft. Miami and Nashville are new expansion teams that not only will take part in the Superdraft but the Expansion Draft. The expansion portion of the draft allows them to acquire five players within the league to jump start their rosters. FC Cincy did not use their picks wisely last season by drafting Darren Mattocks (F), Kei Kamara (Trade), Roland Lamah (M), Eric Alexander, (Waived), and Hassan Ndam (Loan).  David Beckham’s Inter Miami need to take notes on how FC Cincinnati failed with their drafts. Here is how each team should draft; the  order has not been announced.

Nashville

Assuming Nashville will pick first, they need to trade their first expansion pick for 50,000 in GAM (General Allocation Money) and trade that money to FC Cincinnati for the MLS rights for Defender Forrest Lasso. Lasso was a beast for 2018 FC Cincy but did not catch stride in the teams’ first MLS season. ( www.mlssoccer.com )

If LAFC’s Lee Nguyen is available for selection Nashville should hop on that pick for the veteran midfielder. The 32-year-old has not produced in 2019 because of lack of playing time for Bob Bradley’s LAFC Squad. If Nashville can grab him off the market, Nguyen will receive playing time and can produce assists. ( www.mlssoccer.com )

Another player worth trading for is Julian Gressel of Atlanta United. Both Miami and Nashville should be going for this player because the German midfielder is a huge presence and could be a designated player for Nashville. In 2018, Gressel had 14 assists and 4 goals with the title of MLS Cup Champions. Atlanta is in contention to win the USA Treble (U.S Open Cup, Campeones Cup, and MLS Cup). All Atlanta has to do is win the league to complete the feat. Gressel has made 28 appearances this season with 4 goals and 8 assists.

FC Cincinnati will only be entering the Superdraft in 2020 and no picks have been set for either team with exception of Nashville and Miami (first and second). FC Cincinnati really messed up their draft last year because we drafted a few rookies that were loaned out to be built into professionals but were later called back because of international break and millions of injuries. The only decent player that FC Cincy got away with was Frankie Amaya. Frankie, a rookie out of Santa Ana, California and UCLA is a speedy attacking midfielder who gave FCC fans some sort of hope in this season of misery.  Amaya can’t be chosen by any team in the expansion draft because he is part of Generation Adidas and FC Cincy is excluded from the Expansion draft this season. Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young professional soccer talent in the United States. All three teams will have a successful draft if each team can get a solid DP or a couple of marquee players.