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Ten Best: Draft picks (Part 2)
September 18, 2007
5) Eddie Gaven: 12th, 2003
Oh Eddie, how have you fallen. But he looked destined for stardom during his time with Metro -- the goalkeeper-turned-game-winner goal in DC his rookie season, then a seven goal/seven assist MLS Best XI campaign in 2004. His eight goals in 2005 -- at the age of 18 -- were deemed not good enough by Mo Johnston, as Gaven was dealt to Columbus for colossal waste of space Edson Buddle. Eddie has had his struggles in Ohio, but we still wonder what could have been...
4) Mike Petke: 8th (College), 1998
Drafted with the selection acquired for aging veteran Brian Bliss, Petke became the one constant in the Metro backline for six seasons. He is still the team's all-time leader in minutes and games played. And of course, we will always remember Mike for the Revenge is Coming t-shirt, which he revealed after a scoring a goal in the game following the Mamadou Diallo - Mike Ammann incident.
3) Jeff Parke: 60th, 2004
As we said, draft position counts. Even without being 2004's Mr. Irrelevant, Parke would have made this list, but being the 60th and last pick propels him to near the top. Surprisingly solid as a rookie, a regression in 2005 saw him follow that up with a excellent 2006 and an even better 2007. Still maturing, hopefully Parke will not share the fate of the majority of this list and will stay with Metro for years to come.
2) Jozy Altidore: 17th, 2006
Of the few things Johnston did right in his short tenure as Metro head coach, top of the list is the drafting Altidore. We might never know if the Mo's alleged rumor-spreading that Jozy would miss the season were true, but whatever the case, Metro lucked out with a player that ten other teams passed on. Altidore did miss the first half of 2006, but burst out on the scene with four goals in just 10 late-season matches, and has been even better in 2007, with eight to his name already. And he's not even 18 yet.
1) Giovanni Savarese: 89th (Inaugural), 1996
Who else? The team's leading scorer from the first goal to a month ago when his 44 was finally passed, Gio still holds a number of Metro records. The fact that he was picked 89th, after such Metro luminaries as Matt Knowles, Ted Gillen, and Eddie Soto, only makes this selection that more impressive. And eight years after the fact, we're still pissed off about Gio's trade to New England. Thanks a lot, Bora.
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