In most cases, the best thing about finishing in last place is that you get a high draft pick the following year. Unfortunately for DC United, they finished in last place in a year where two expansion teams were preparing to enter the league. And so in tomorrow's 2011 MLS Draft, United will pick third overall, behind the newly formed Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers.
The odds seem to be in favor of United selecting an attacking player with their first round pick. Team President Kevin Payne even said that they are "focused on the attacking players that we've seen." The most talented forwards likely to be available with the third overall pick are U.S. U-20 forward Omar Salgado, proven Indiana junior Will Bruin, and brewing Ecuadorean international star Joao Plata.
New details have also revealed that the Whitecaps may be willing to part with their first overall pick because top prospect Darlington Nagbe might not be willing to play in the Pacific Northwest. United has been mentioned as a team who could possibly move up to select the Hermann Trophy winning forward from Akron.
United could also use help on the defensive front, with Kofi Sarkodie, Zarek Valentin, and Jalil Anibaba all possibilities, but Payne has also stated that D.C. would prefer to find a veteran to address that need.
The draft will be held at 12:00 PM tomorrow at the Baltimore Convention Center, and Black And Red United will be there live to bring you all of the action.