re: MLS SuperDraft Thread

Regarding Houston's draft pick of Joe Holland, from Matt Doyle:

quote:

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Holland, an England-born midfielder who played collegiately at Hofstra, was a late invite to the Combine. If he has one more performance on Thursday like he did on Tuesday, he will be an early draft pick.

The 23-year-old -- he turns 24 in April, and so is a couple of years older than most of the other guys at the Combine -- was simply exquisite in running central midfield for team Tango. He's a very two-footed, classic English central midfielder in that he's neither a pure creator nor a pure No. 6, and he's able to help out on both sides of the ball. But what really impressed was his comfort receive possession under pressure and finding a way to turn out of traffic and put his wide midfielders into good positions without breaking stride.

Holland was under-the-radar good in the first game on Sunday. There was nothing under the radar about what he did on Tuesday, however.

He's an international, which will make it difficult for some teams to spend a pick on him. But for those with slots to burn, Holland's ready-made skillset and on-field maturity are worth the pick.

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There really is not much out there on Joe Holland. Apparently he came into camp as a relatively unknown player and impressed in a couple of training sessions. He seems to be a high risk, high reward type.