by Keith Hickey

The 2011 SuperDraft will be taking place in Baltimore this week, and there are plenty of young players hoping their names will be called and they’ll be offered contracts. But there’s a lot of confusion and speculation going around about which teams will draft which players. And anytime there’s confusion, Match Fit Reserve is ready and willing to add to the chaos. And thus, we present the 2011 Match Fit Reserve Mock SuperDraft.

First Pick: Vancouver Whitecaps select Perry Kitchen, Akron
MFR’s Take: This is a solid move for Vancouver. Kitchen is one of the highest rated players in the draft, a national champion, and the type of player you can build a team around for years to come.

Second Pick: Portland Timbers select Stuart Holden, Bolton Wanderers
MFR’s Take: A bit of a gamble for Portland, who also hold the rights to recently departed MLS-ers Robbie Findley and Jonathan Bornstein. But if Holden decides that being paid huge amounts of money as the focal point of a Premiership team pushing for Europe isn’t for him, this could be a big steal by John Spencer.

Third Pick: D.C. United select the Real Estate Section, Baltimore Sun
MFR’s Take: Some teams look to build for the future. And some teams actually look for real estate to build on. D.C. need a new stadium more than they need any one player on the field. I think it’s fair to say however, that this selection is something of a project.

Fourth Pick: Chivas USA selects Omar Salgado, unattached
MFR’s Take: This seems an odd pick to me, as Salgado had his contract terminated by Chivas Guadalajara for opting to represent the United States. I’m not sure how well this is going to go over with the parent club’s mana- what’s that? There you go, he’s already been cut.

Fifth Pick: Philadelphia Union select Chris Seitz, FC Dallas
MFR’s Take: The Union never seem able to make a decision about Seitz, do they? Paid a lot of money to Salt Lake to get him, dropped him when he cost them points, reinstated him for a meaningless game, left him unprotected in the expansion draft, then protected him, then exposeed him in the re-entry draft, and now they’re taking him in the SuperDraft? This one is a head-scratcher.

Sixth Pick: New England Revolution select John Henry, New England Sports Ventures
MFR’s Take: Some will call this something of a sentimental local pick, but it’s a smart, smart choice for the Revs. They’ve stuck by Robert Kraft for a long time, but he’s past his prime as Revolution owner. Henry is younger, possesses great fundamentals, and has some experience in Europe.

Seventh Pick: Houston Dynamo select Chris Wondolowski, San Jose Earthquakes
MFR’s Take: There was an obscure clause in the franchise agreement with Houston that they can have any player they want from San Jose at any time, and they’re exercising that clause to pick up the league’s top scorer in Wondolowski. Could be the player Houston needs to get back to the playoffs.

Eighth Pick: Vancouver Whitecaps (Acquired from Toronto) select Dwayne De Rosario, Toronto FC
MFR’s Take: Surprisingly, much of the interest was generated from the player’s end, who wanted to play for a Canadian team with a chance of making the playoffs.

Ninth Pick: Chicago Fire select Mike Ditka, unattached
MFR’s Take: If Saturday Night Live has taught us anything, it’s that people from Chicago love Mike Ditka. He’s a winner, and thanks to the movie Kicking and Screaming, he has experience coaching soccer.

Tenth Pick: Sporting Kansas City select Predrag Radosavljević, unattached
MRF’s take: Preki is a Kansas City soccer legend, and with their recent re-branding, KC need some heritage to tie the new name to the old traditions. Recently let go by Toronto, Preki will be itching to get involved again.

Eleventh Pick: Seattle Sounders select Konrad Warzycha, Ohio State
MFR’s Take: You hear sometimes of teams taking players just so their rivals can’t have them, and this seems like one of those picks. Sigi Schmid must really have it in for Columbus.

Twelth Pick: Columbus Crew select Terelle Pryor, Ohio State
MFR’s Take: This is obviously a play to put butts on seats, and if 100,000 people will watch Pryor play for the Buckeyes every week, maybe the Pennsylvania-born quarterback can draw 20,000 out to see the Crew.

Thirteenth Pick: New York Red Bulls select the 2000 MLS Cup, unattached
MFR’s Take: Now that the Kansas City Wizards are no more, the Red Bulls have decided to go for the one area where their club is still lacking, the trophy cabinet. Seems like if you can’t buy trophies on the field, buying them off of it is the next best way to go.

Fourteenth Pick: Real Salt Lake select Alex Morgan, UC Berkeley
MFR’s Take: Morgan’s a good, solid project who already has senior national team experience. 28 goals in the last two seasons at Berkeley, and a 2010 Hermann trophy finalist, this is a can’t-miss draft pick.

Fifteenth Pick: San Jose Earthquakes select Schellas Hyndman’s jacket, FC Dallas
MFR’s Take: Two words: Butter leather. Hyndman’s jacket was the talisman of Dallas’s run to the MLS Cup Final last season, but the former SMU coach surprisingly omitted the jacket from the final, which Dallas lost. San Jose picks up a proven winner here.

Sixteenth Pick: Los Angeles Galaxy select Victoria Beckham, unattached
MFR’s Take: The Galaxy pay a lot of money to David Beckham, and by any means necessary, they’ll have a Beckham on the field in 2011. No word on whether or not she’ll take the captaincy from Landon Donovan.

Seventeenth Pick: FC Dallas select the citizens of Dallas, Texas
MFR’s Take: An unorthodox pick, but you can see the reasoning behind it. If they’re all on the payroll, then they have to come to every game. No more sub-10,000 crowds at Pizza Hut Park.

Eighteenth Pick: Colorado Rapids select Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles
MFR’s Take: Colorado have shown they don’t need to be liked as long as they’re winning. Vick, with his image problems in the past but undeniable athletic ability, certainly fits that criteria.