Simply put, the Quakes nailed their first-round pick and executed a clear plan. Top marks to Jesse Fioranelli and crew. However, it probably will make very little difference in San Jose’s league position this year, and it may never.
The MLS draft, despite lots of media predictions to the contrary, continues to remain relevant because it’s a mechanism to acquire young, mostly domestic talent for free, and pay them salaries much lower than imports. If you miss, no big deal. If you hit, you get Jackson Yueill, a USMNT regular, for far less than his market value for 4 years. Siad Haji, who only just turned 20, may well join him as a major steal.
So what was that “clear plan” I referred to? First, draft domestic: The Quakes only have one remaining international slot, and they’re clearly saving it to grab a quality center-back in the market. All three players taken were US citizens. Second, grab quality: without any players available that would immediately walk into the starting lineup, and a San Jose roster that mostly has its bases covered for depth, you pick the best player available. True to form, both of the Quakes first two picks were slotted well higher in Travis Clark’s final mock draft than they went in the real thing. Third, if possible, get a center-back, since there are only two currently on roster, and it’s always dumb to spend much money on the last CB on the depth chart.
The San Jose front office managed all three. Here are my player-by-player thoughts:
Round 1, Pick 12 – Tanner Beason, Defender (Stanford)
Beason isn’t Yueill or Haji. His upside is much lower. His height, listed at 6 feet but suspiciously jumping up to 6’1″ at the age of 21, and his weight, 175, both are a bit less than you’d want from a center-back in MLS. He’s not a superlative athlete, and would probably be a step slow at left-back, as well as not having the technical quality in attack that the other Quakes fullback options have.
But he’s still a truly fantastic pick. The organization wasn’t joking when they said they’d been tracking him for years and the surprise and delight that Fioranelli and crew exhibited in this video when he fell to 12 was genuine. Why so excited? He’s a four-year starter at one of college soccer’s most elite programs, full of leadership, competitiveness, and soccer IQ. He has some quality in his primary left foot, converting 13 of 13 penalties for the Cardinal as their primary taker his last two years.
He also may end up being an unexpectedly ideal center-back in Almeyda’s unorthodox system. While almost all central defenders on earth primarily mark space, and sink off their man to hold the line, Almeyda encourages his charges to step to their man and deny their ability to receive the ball. While 1v1 defending is common for fullbacks, it’s not for center-halves. Yet watch Florian Jungwirth last year, and you’ll see him doing precisely that more often than not. Beason, although a bit undersized, is extremely comfortable defending 1v1 as a former fullback himself, and his quality on the ball would help him build from the back, as Almeyda prefers.
I do have some questions. Were his strong performances at Stanford were perhaps aided by the fact his side almost always had more quality around him than their opponents? Was he shielded by the extraordinarily conservative defensive system that Jerem Gunn employs?
Regardless, he’ll be someone you’re comfortable going to as a 4th CB for the MLS team, and could well immediately be the best option at the position in USL for Reno. For the 12th pick in the draft, that’s good work. Just for comparison’s sake, Paul Marie went in the same slot, and I’d bet anything Beason will contribute more over his time in the organization.
One note: Beason is already signed to a guaranteed contract, so we know the club is comfortable with him taking up a spot on the senior roster. My salaries spreadsheet, including Beason, is here.
Round 2, Pick 1 – Jack Skahan, Right Winger (UNC)
Round 2, Pick 12 – Jon Bell, Left Back (UMBC)
I’ll be honest: I knew nothing about either of these guys before the draft. It actually took quite a bit of digging for me to even confirm what position Bell played. He was listed at UMBC as 5’11”, but MLS and the Quakes both listed him at 6’1″, which is actually pretty sizable for a left back, if true.
The only thing I really know about Jack Skahan is that at least some of the scouts see him as a potential (right-footed) fullback in the future, rather than on the wing, and that he was projected to go middle of the first round rather than top of the second.
As such, I won’t even attempt to give detailed scouting reports on either. What I will note, however, is neither will be on the San Jose roster this year barring a truly unexpected development. With just one open senior roster slot, that as stated above I predict will go to a starting-level center-back, the Quakes would have to make a move (such as buying out Tarbell or sending Bersano to Reno on a season-long loan) to free up the space. They’ll both be in Reno, and both will have access to playing time probably as backups at least to start.
One final thing that caught my attention is that both of these guys played for a US Youth National team at one point, although neither of them were regulars in the system. The fact they spent any time with them, however, indicates a bit of pedigree and comfort in elite circles that you’re not necessarily expecting with a second round pick. Of course, many more U-16s never make it than do, but it makes the lottery ticket of a draft pick feel like it might have a bit more upside.
Well written and informative article. Many thanks 😊