For the time being, FC Cincinnati holds the No. 2 pick in Thursday's Major League Soccer SuperDraft and they'll need to make good use of it.
The trend in MLS isn't to build through the draft but considering FC Cincinnati's coming off a second consecutive bottom-of-the-league finish last season with needs at almost every position on the field, the club needs to use its draft assets wisely.
FC Cincinnati's leaky back line of 2019 was mended in 2020. Metrics bearing out the improvement have been discussed at length by The Enquirer, although plenty of defensive pieces were stripped away at the conclusion of the 2020. There's still work to be done across the back line.
More pressing, though, is that FCC was aimless in the attack in 2020. Goal scoring was, by far, the greatest weakness of a 2020 team that underachieved by a very wide margin. Some of the club's defensive needs have been addressed (see: Ronald Matarrita), which might mean it's time to make a concrete move in the attack.
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From the club's group of returning forwards, which includes Franko Kovačević, Jürgen Locadia, Brandon Vazquez, FCC received just three goals (and a league worst-12 goals from the entire roster last year).
Kovačević is entirely unproven in MLS having played just one match last season. Locadia is a wild card if he returns in 2021 and the club isn't backing him publicly. Vazquez is still growing into the role of a go-to goal-scoring option.
FC Cincinnati needs help up front now. There's a lot of talk about adding a center back but is that the greatest area of need?
FCC has depth and young pieces in spots along the back line, and players capable of carrying out center back duties. Can the same be said of its forwards?
With this in mind, here are three draft-eligible names for FC Cincinnati supporters and observers to watch ahead of Thursday's SuperDraft, which begins at 2 p.m.:
• Calvin Harris, forward, Wake Forest
Harris is widely considered the top attacking threat in Thursday's draft. He's leaving Wake Forest after just two season and tallied 10 goals and five assists in 32 career matches for the Demon Deacons. That includes four goals in a pandemic-shortened nine-game Atlanta Coast Conference season last fall.
Harris is a Generation adidas signing, which means his salary wouldn't be charged against an FC Cincinnati's annual salary budget. That's a lot of incentive and a lot of potential for FC Cincinnati to weight.
SBISoccer.com mock draft 2.0 projection: Harris selected at No. 2 (pick currently held by FC Cincinnati).
List of all draft-eligible players
• Kimarni Smith, forward, Clemson
Many leagues across the college soccer landscape opted not to stage fall seasons in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic but the Atlanta Coast Conference, arguably the strongest league in the country, did play. So you can bet there's something to be said for Kimarni Smith scoring the most goals in the country in the autumn (eight) in helping lead Clemson to an ACC title.
SBISoccer.com mock draft 2.0 projection: Smith selected at No. 8 (pick currently held by Portland Timbers).
• Aime Mabika, center back, Kentucky
Mabika is a towering prospect at 6-foot-6. You can't teach height and you can't teach speed, and Mabika's combination of those attributes make him an attractive consideration. He also knows how to organize a back line.
Mabika's an older, more experienced player in the current college pool after completing a pandemic-shortened redshirt senior season this past fall.
As a collegian, Mabika has Conference-USA Player of the Year and C-USA Co-Defensive MVP honors to his name (both were earned in his 2019 season). He also has a nose for goal and scored 10 times for the Wildcats in a respected conference.
SBISoccer.com mock draft 2.0 projection: Mabika selected at No. 10 (pick currently held by Inter Miami CF).
More MLS SuperDraft information
• FC Cincinnati holds the Nos. 2, 29, 54 (via trade for Fatai Alashe) and 56 overall selections in Thursday's draft.
• The first round of the draft will be shown on mlssoccer.com and the MLS app. (Rounds 2 and 3 will be available via an MLSSoccer.com tracker).
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