This year's Supplemental Draft consisted of 4 rounds for a total of 76 picks, and followed the format of the Super Draft. Teams aren't limited to combine players during the draft, and have the option to draft eligible college players during this time as well. This is what makes the Supplemental Draft more interesting to some, its unpredictability.
The first player drafted out of the Big West Conference was Cesar Diaz Pizarro (University of California Riverside). Pizarro is a forward and was selected sixth during the second round by the San Jose Earthquakes. Pizarro earned Big West Co-Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Big West honors during his senior year, and finished his career at UCR ranked second in points and goals scored. He finished first in game-winning goals.
The second player drafted was Miguel Ibarra (University of California Irvine). Ibarra was one of the Big West players invited to the combine, but was not picked up until the eighth pick of the second round by Portland. Ibarra was the other Co-Offensive Player of the Year and was also named the Big West tournament MVP. Ibarra had nine goals and eight assists during his senior year, helping to keep UCI nationally ranked throughout the season.
Tim Pontius (University of California Santa Barbara) was selected fourteenth in the second round by Seattle. Tim is the younger brother of UCSB legend Chris Pontius (DC United) and plays defender (unlike his brother). Even as a defender, Tim has been known to make some aggressive runs into the midfield, and even scores on occasion. A notable goal can be seen here as he capitalizes on a cheeky keeper.
The fourth Big West player selected in the second round was Kevin Venegas (Cal State Fullerton). Venegas was selected eighteenth by Chivas USA. Venegas is listed as a defender by MLS, but played midfield frequently for Fullerton. Venegas is part of the squad that was briefly ranked in the top 25 during 2011. Unfortunately Fullerton was unable to keep their unbeaten streak going, and fell out of the rankings and out of contention for the Big West Title.
The last Big West player selected during round two was Rafael Garcia (Cal State Northridge). Garcia was selected nineteenth by the Los Angeles Galaxy. Garcia also received an invite to the 2012 combine, and did well enough to catch the eye of Bruce Arena and co. Garcia will join fellow CSUN alumnus Sean Franklin on LA, also playing the position of Midfielder.
Round three of the Supplemental draft quickly jumped back to the West, as Andrew Fontein (University of California Irvine) was selected second. Fontein is a Goalkeeper and was selected by the Whitecaps. Fontein had a goals against average of 1.0 during the 2011 season, and recorded nine shutouts and 84 saves. His size at 6-1 also gives him some curb appeal.
James Kiffe (University of California Santa Barbara) was selected sixth in the fourth round by San Jose. Kiffe is another Combine attendee and is listed as a defender. Kiffe played Midfield for UCSB and netted two goals and six assists during the 2011 season. Kiffe is the second Gaucho and fourth player with Big West affiliation selected by San Jose during the two drafts, so lack of familiarity should not be an issue with these players.
Finally, the last player drafted from Big West was Wes Feighner (Cal Poly). Wes is a defender with quick pace and good decision making and was picked-up by the Seattle Sounders. Wes played and started 14 games for Cal Poly in 2011, but suffered an injury during the highly volatile Blue Green rivalry match in San Luis Obispo. Seattle must not be so concerned, as they choose him with their last pick.
A total of ten Big West players were selected during the two drafts. Garza and Silva showed that the conference possesses individuals with high quality talent, and the later picks showed that Major League Soccer recognizes the level of competition present. The two drafts were overall a hugely successful, and those who participated in the MLS live chat during the draft will recall the amount of buzz about Big West. Unfortunately, there is one player from Big West who really missed out during the drafts, Patrick Sigler.
In an earlier piece I predicted that Sigler was a questionable, but a good choice, and I wasn't alone in that sentiment. Matt Doyle is an MLS analyst and was partially responsible for running the chat on Tuesday. He was asked:
 Tuesday January 17, 2012 2:48 |
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I wondered if my Cal Poly/Big West bias was clouding my judgement, but Doyle confirmed that he thought Sigler had quality. Sadly, Sigler ended up being a risk no one wanted to take.
All-in-all, the Big West produced some great teams, games, and players during the 2011 season. 10 players were selected to join MLS squads, 2 players were selected in the first 10 picks. The Big West Conference doubled the amount of players selected in 2011, and 7 of its 8 teams had players drafted. I'd like to say thank you to the fans of Big West who've helped to cultivate such a soccer focused conference, and may 2012 be an even better season.
Supplemental Draft
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