Names for LA Galaxy fans to watch in the MLS Draft

The MLS SuperDraft is (almost) here! The latest edition of the league's college player draft will take place on Wednesday (Dec. 21) evening. The MLS just announced the eligible player list, so it is full on draft season.

The Galaxy are currently slated to have four picks over the course of the three rounds of the draft: #23 overall, #52 overall (23rd pick of the second round), #77 overall (19th pick of the third round), and #81 overall (23rd pick of the third round). LA acquired the 77th pick from Minnesota in November in the trade that sent Cameron Dunbar to Minnesota.

The biggest positions of need for the Galaxy seem to be center-back and goalkeeper. LA might not be looking for a starter at any position in the draft, but they could use depth at those positions. LA could also decide to just go BPA amongst players that won't require an International Roster Spot

While there's a good chance the Galaxy make some kind of moves (and potentially don't make all four picks), this feels like a good time to look at some potential players who could be players to watch for the Galaxy to potentially pick.

GK Holden Trent (High Point)

Trent was a big reason that High Point made the NCAA tournament (and knocked off UNC while they were there) . While he might not have the stats that some of the other top keepers in the draft have, the 6'2 keeper shows his skill on the field. Across 52 career appearances, he made 145 saves (at a 73.6% clip) and had a 1.00 Goals Against Average. He has been named Big South Goalkeeper of the Year each of the past two seasons. It's always tough to predict exactly where keepers will go in the draft, but Trent has a good chance at going in the first round on Wednesday.

GK Sam Fowler (Washington)

Fowler was a four-year starter at Washington (although he missed just about all of this October), and was one of two keepers invited to the MLS College Showcase. Across his career, Fowler had a 77% save percentage, 0.73 Goals Against Average, made 154 saves, and put up a 48-10-3 record across 63 career appearances. You could definitely make the argument for Fowler to be the first keeper off the board on Wednesday.

D Buster Sjoberg (Syracuse)

Sjoberg is one of the biggest (6'5) and best CBs in the draft coming out of the National Champion Syracuse Orange. Sjoberg is a transfer from Wofford, but he started early and often at CB for Syracuse. On the year he started 17 matches. Sjoberg is from Sweden, and would therefore require an International Roster Spot by whoever he is selected by.

D Chris Rindov (Maryland)

Rindov (6'2, 190lbs) helped lead the Terps to the second round of the NCAA tournament, while playing every minute on the season (1,800 across 20 matches) at CB. Rindov has also seemed to find a bit of an eye for the back of the net the last two seasons as he has picked up four goals and three assists combined over the last two years. Rindov was a first team All-Big Ten selection this season.

D Nicolas Blassou (UCLA)

I decided to include a centerback out of one of the area colleges as one of my players to watch. While Blassou is coming out of UCLA, he is well-travelled in his collegiate career (having previously played at Kentucky and American). He found his footing with the Bruins however, appearing in 14 matches this past season. He's an experienced collegiate player as he played in 74 career matches in college. One thing working against him is that he is an older prospect (he spent 6 years in college).

MF Owen O'Malley (Creighton)

O'Malley is a name to watch if the Galaxy decide to go with more of an attacking option/BPA. Not only was he very productive, but he also will not require an International Roster Spot (which can be very important). He also was a key player in Creighton making a run to the National semifinals this year (where they fell to Sjoberg and the Cuse). O'Malley scored eight goals, while also contributing five assists on the season. He started every match. He is also a Generation Adidas player, which also means he's one of the younger prospects in the class.