Plumbing The Depths

I was reading some analyses of the upcoming SuperDraft, and there was some discussion of what the Fire might do based on their needs. Most of this was coming from people who don't know anything about the Fire, so it was sort of amusing. But it got me thinking about what this team may be lacking as we start moving toward some hopefully meaningful player acquisitions in the next couple of months.

Goalkeepers: Zach Thornton, Henry Ring (out of contract), Matt Pickens

This is one area the team need not worry about at all. It's looking more like Ring will by plying his trade elsewhere, but Thornton is a rock and Pickens presumably hasn't lost the potential that the team saw in him with the Fire Reserves, despite a disappointing loan to the A-League last season that saw him see very little game action. That said, it's not out of the question that we would pick another goalie, but he'd have to be better than Pickens to see any time whatsoever.

Defenders: Jim Curtin, CJ Brown (out of contract), Evan Whitfield (out of contract), Kelly Gray, Leonard Griffin, Denny Clanton

The worst-case scenario here is that Honduran defender Samuel Caballero doesn't sign, and the Fire aren't able to come to terms with Whitfield or Brown. Then we clearly need guys in the back. On the other hand, if all of those three are on the team, it's unlikely that a rookie could win a spot in the starting lineup, so it would be a matter of edging in front of Griffin and Clanton on the depth chart.

So what's really going to happen? I suspect either Brown or Whitfield will be back, but not both. Same goes for Clanton and Griffin. I just don't know which in either case. Caballero will sign, and we'll probably try to draft one defender that at least can make a case for being a solid substitute.

Midfielders: Chris Armas, Jesse Marsch, Logan Pause, Scott Beute, Craig Capano, Justin Mapp, Alex Boucicaut

Issues abound in the center of the field for the Fire. Do Armas and Marsch have enough gas in their tanks? Can they stay healthy? Can Pause regain the form that had him an early contender for Rookie of the Year in 2003? Is Beute ready for prime time? Is Capano the answer? If so, what's the question, exactly? Can Mapp play 90 minutes? How about central attacking mid? Does anyone think Boucicaut will be back?

How these questions get answered will dictate how the midfield might change in 2005. Armas and Marsch still have to be your go-to guys, and Mapp is a lock on the left wing, as his game seems more well-suited to the flank than the middle, despite his offensive upside. Capano might be ready to take on the playmaker role, but also might not. Personally, I see him as more of a holding mid, but then that creates a huge logjam at the destroyer role, with four guys lined up for one spot, and it puts Jesse Marsch on the bench, which doesn't make sense.

In any event, it means the right flank and the attacking midfielder role are somewhat up for grabs. The former seems more solvable through the draft than the latter, with the bar being set at being better in that position than Nate Jaqua or Evan Whitfield playing outside of their natural spots.

Forwards: Ante Razov (out of contract), Damani Ralph, Andy Herron, Nate Jaqua, Dipsy Selolwane
Three of these guys are really good. One will be in a year, maybe two. Two won't have much in the way of national team commitments. And one is from Botswana.

The only scenario that leaves the Fire in need of a forward is if Ante Razov leaves, as we need at least two serviceable strikers during World Cup qualifying when Herron and Ralph are gone. Jaqua is one of those two, but Dipsy Selolwane, if he manages to stay with the team, is not. Word on the street right now is that Razov will be back, though, so any potential draft pick has to be better than Nate to have any hope of playing time.

Overall, it comes down to this:

• In the entirely unlikely event that there's an MLS-quality playmaking midfielder, we take him.
• In the slightly less unlikely event there's a defender better than Evan Whitfield and C.J. Brown, we take him.
• In the more likely event there is a quality right-sided midfielder, we take him.
• If there is a defender better than Denny Clanton and Leonard Griffin, and ideally better than Kelly Gray, we take him.
• If there is a goalie better than Matt Pickens, we take him.
• If we draft another defensive midfielder of about the same quality as Pause and Beute, I'm going to start calling GM Peter Wilt "Crumbs," in honor of Jerry Krause, who never met a power forward he didn't like. Or didn't draft.

Of course, I don't know enough about this year's SuperDraft crop to say who might fit any one of these bills, but that's how I see the holes the Fire may need to fill.