Marvell Wynne

In the contest to be the team that Chivas USA dealt the first pick to, the MetroStars came out unexpected winners. The Metros sent the fifth overall pick in the draft (which turned out to be Seton Hall midfielder Sacha Kljestan) as well as defender Jason Hernandez to Chivas USA for the first overall pick in the draft, using it to select the consensus top player in this year's pool, UCLA standout defender Marvell Wynne.

The Metros' second move came after the fifth selection of the day, trading goalkeeper Zach Wells to Houston for their fourth round pick in the draft, 41st overall, the same pick the team had previously dealt to Houston for Jon Conway.

The club then used its second round pick, 17th overall, on highly regarded 16-year-old United States Under-17 forward Josmer Altidore, and closed out their draft day by selecting Duke midfielder Blake Camp with the pick acquired for Wells.

The side effect of the trade for Wynne was the collapse of the Eddie Gaven - Edson Buddle deal, as the Metros were supposed to include the fifth overall pick in the trade.

"We came into the draft drafting for the best player," Alexi Lalas said. "It had nothing to do with needs or positions, that's the philosophy this year and we felt by getting Marvell we were getting the best player, the most attractive player. He also fills a need defensively for us, which is important. He has produced, albeit at a lower level, but we think he can make the transition and make it very quickly. He is a diamond and like all diamonds, the more you polish them, the better they look."

"Marvell will get all the headlines but there's one for the future and that's Altidore," Mo Johnston said. "He's something special. He's 16, he has all the tools, he's strong, he's quick. He's like a kid of 21 years old. He's very bright, we spoke with him in L.A. (at the combine). He wanted to come to the MetroStars, he was pleading for us to pick him. We're very excited in having him."