2024-11-23, 01:36 PM - Word count:
The league’s largest draft class in ages celebrated their Academy season in style last week with the S18 prospect draft, welcoming a whopping 53 new players into the SSL’s 8 premier organizations. With each team preparing for the future, let’s take a look at the newest SSL first round rookies and how they’ll fit into their new teams.
1.
União São Paulo - Julian Rubio - donut
The first pick off the board is a striker! Donut is an outstanding user and one of the top earners in the draft class, so it’s no surprise to see him go this early to a team in desperate need of both talent and leadership. USP has no strengths of note on the roster, destined to sit at the bottom of the standings for at least another season, but with both of their majors strikers looking inactive, it seems reasonable that Rubio will be a short term stay in the minors before moving up to the big league as a franchise cornerstone piece.
2.
CF Catalunya - Ben Nelson - Ben
Grabbing a position of need here, Catalunya makes an outstanding pick in Ben Nelson. The minors roster has a bottleneck at the CDM position, with an inactive a regressing vet ahead of Nelson on the depth chart, but I don’t expect that to hold the team back from giving their franchise pick a spot in the starting lineup. The real question is how quickly we’ll see him make the jump up to the majors, as Catalunya has no native CDMs on the roster. Secondary positions or a scheme change may be coming for them in the near future.
3.
CA Buenos Aires - Daryl McManus - cake307
Rumor has it that Buenos Aires drafted McManus for the mullet alone, but they’re in luck, because Daryl is a top notch player, and Cake is a top notch user, joining the SSL for the first time after making a huge name for themselves in the SHL. Daryl is a very well rounded player, which could mean a slow start to the rookie campaign, but also promises great things to come as he gains TPE and reaches his potential. Since McManus is the only native CM on either majors or minors roster, it will be interesting to see what the organization does tactically to make use of their newest star.
4.
Hollywood FC - Thomas Hohenhahn - norththegreatestshowman
For most of their academy season, the S18 class watched in amazement as Rubio and Hohenhahn started the first true rivalry among the class. Rubio won the honors, finishing the season one goal ahead, one spot in the standings and a championship ahead, and now three draft spots ahead. Thomas may enter the season with a chip on his shoulder, but make no mistake, striker dominance in the S18 class is his to lose now. Hollywood is a much better team and stronger organization than USP, and they loaded up in this draft with three future all-stars. A few seasons of seasoning in Kapstaad will help the young player grow into the role he was destined to play, and I can’t think of a better player for the bright lights of LA.
5.
Tokyo S.C. - Charlie Chambers - Rich
The first of a whopping six draft picks by Tokyo this season, Charlie Chambers fills a huge organizational need as a central defender. With no CDs on the minors roster, the pressure will be on early for Chambers to prove his worth, but it may take time or some serious roster shuffling for him to crack the majors lineup, with two very young CDs already on the top roster just one and two seasons ahead of him. Will Tokyo be debuting a defensive wall in the near future, or is someone going to find themselves on the move to make room?
6. (from ACR) Hollywood FC - Alex Calderon - Amidships
I said earlier that Hollywood was loading up on talent in this draft, and they sure didn’t waste any time, trading back into the first to take Alex Calderon at the number six spot. With a true goalscorer locked up in Hohenhahn, the team went the opposite direction on this pick, locking up the second central defender in the draft. Calderon sits just one TPE behind Chambers, so it’ll take time to assess which team got the better defender in the draft, but this is proven talent from a proven user, and Calderon should be a solid replacement for the inactive CD from last season’s draft. Hollywood does have three CDs in the majors, and none of them face regression any time soon, so it will be interesting to see what moves get made over the next few seasons to make the most of this pick.
7.
Schwarzwälder FV - Dina Skovgaard - RAmenAmen
Last season’s second place team was the first to grab a fullback, and in doing so they took the second highest earner at the time of the draft and the youngest of the Skovgaard quartet. Dina’s performance was solid but unremarkable in the academy, but helped Stockholm seize a championship, which she’ll hope to replicate on her first professional team. With multiple wing backs on the roster, though, it’s unclear exactly what tactical shape Montreal will use to make the most of their first of five draftees this season.
8.
Reykjavik United - Florian Gaisberg - Zerg
Last season’s champs must have been ecstatic to see a user of Zerg’s quality fall to them at the end of the first round, and especially at a versatile and sought-after position like a CDM. North Shore will have two of those to work with this season, but I expect the rookie to take the lion’s share of opportunities from the inactive he’ll replace, and with Reykjavik legend Sydney Ramirez staring down regression as the oldest player on the majors roster, the pathway is clear for Florian to claim a coveted starting lineup spot on the league’s best team in the very near future.
1.
União São Paulo - Julian Rubio - donutThe first pick off the board is a striker! Donut is an outstanding user and one of the top earners in the draft class, so it’s no surprise to see him go this early to a team in desperate need of both talent and leadership. USP has no strengths of note on the roster, destined to sit at the bottom of the standings for at least another season, but with both of their majors strikers looking inactive, it seems reasonable that Rubio will be a short term stay in the minors before moving up to the big league as a franchise cornerstone piece.
2.
CF Catalunya - Ben Nelson - BenGrabbing a position of need here, Catalunya makes an outstanding pick in Ben Nelson. The minors roster has a bottleneck at the CDM position, with an inactive a regressing vet ahead of Nelson on the depth chart, but I don’t expect that to hold the team back from giving their franchise pick a spot in the starting lineup. The real question is how quickly we’ll see him make the jump up to the majors, as Catalunya has no native CDMs on the roster. Secondary positions or a scheme change may be coming for them in the near future.
3.
CA Buenos Aires - Daryl McManus - cake307Rumor has it that Buenos Aires drafted McManus for the mullet alone, but they’re in luck, because Daryl is a top notch player, and Cake is a top notch user, joining the SSL for the first time after making a huge name for themselves in the SHL. Daryl is a very well rounded player, which could mean a slow start to the rookie campaign, but also promises great things to come as he gains TPE and reaches his potential. Since McManus is the only native CM on either majors or minors roster, it will be interesting to see what the organization does tactically to make use of their newest star.
4.
Hollywood FC - Thomas Hohenhahn - norththegreatestshowmanFor most of their academy season, the S18 class watched in amazement as Rubio and Hohenhahn started the first true rivalry among the class. Rubio won the honors, finishing the season one goal ahead, one spot in the standings and a championship ahead, and now three draft spots ahead. Thomas may enter the season with a chip on his shoulder, but make no mistake, striker dominance in the S18 class is his to lose now. Hollywood is a much better team and stronger organization than USP, and they loaded up in this draft with three future all-stars. A few seasons of seasoning in Kapstaad will help the young player grow into the role he was destined to play, and I can’t think of a better player for the bright lights of LA.
5.
Tokyo S.C. - Charlie Chambers - RichThe first of a whopping six draft picks by Tokyo this season, Charlie Chambers fills a huge organizational need as a central defender. With no CDs on the minors roster, the pressure will be on early for Chambers to prove his worth, but it may take time or some serious roster shuffling for him to crack the majors lineup, with two very young CDs already on the top roster just one and two seasons ahead of him. Will Tokyo be debuting a defensive wall in the near future, or is someone going to find themselves on the move to make room?
6.
(from ACR) Hollywood FC - Alex Calderon - AmidshipsI said earlier that Hollywood was loading up on talent in this draft, and they sure didn’t waste any time, trading back into the first to take Alex Calderon at the number six spot. With a true goalscorer locked up in Hohenhahn, the team went the opposite direction on this pick, locking up the second central defender in the draft. Calderon sits just one TPE behind Chambers, so it’ll take time to assess which team got the better defender in the draft, but this is proven talent from a proven user, and Calderon should be a solid replacement for the inactive CD from last season’s draft. Hollywood does have three CDs in the majors, and none of them face regression any time soon, so it will be interesting to see what moves get made over the next few seasons to make the most of this pick.
7.
Schwarzwälder FV - Dina Skovgaard - RAmenAmenLast season’s second place team was the first to grab a fullback, and in doing so they took the second highest earner at the time of the draft and the youngest of the Skovgaard quartet. Dina’s performance was solid but unremarkable in the academy, but helped Stockholm seize a championship, which she’ll hope to replicate on her first professional team. With multiple wing backs on the roster, though, it’s unclear exactly what tactical shape Montreal will use to make the most of their first of five draftees this season.
8.
Reykjavik United - Florian Gaisberg - ZergLast season’s champs must have been ecstatic to see a user of Zerg’s quality fall to them at the end of the first round, and especially at a versatile and sought-after position like a CDM. North Shore will have two of those to work with this season, but I expect the rookie to take the lion’s share of opportunities from the inactive he’ll replace, and with Reykjavik legend Sydney Ramirez staring down regression as the oldest player on the majors roster, the pathway is clear for Florian to claim a coveted starting lineup spot on the league’s best team in the very near future.
