INDIANAPOLIS— As the LA Galaxy prepare to begin their bid for an unprecedented third straight MLS Cup championship, head coach Bruce Arena bolstered his roster with three selections in Thursday’s 2013 MLS SuperDraft.
The Galaxy drafted Boston College forward Charlie Rugg with the 19th overall selection in the first round of the SuperDraft, before selecting Michigan defender Kofi Opare with the 24th overall pick in the second. LA completed their day by selecting Louisville midfielder Greg Cochrane with the 38th and final selection in the second round.
WATCH: Charlie Rugg in action
Rugg joins the Galaxy after a successful four years with the Eagles in which he made 76 appearances for Boston College while scoring 28 and adding 18 assists. In his senior season, the former Massachusetts High School Player of the Year made 13 appearances while scoring five goals and four assists.
“Charlie is an interesting player, he’s had a little bit of an injury this year, he didn’t play in a lot of games with Boston College, but he’s a player with good potential and attacking ability,” Arena told reporters at the MLS SuperDraft. “He’s got good pace and good size.”
WATCH: Kofi Opare in action
In the second round, LA made a pair of picks, first grabbing Opare who is a strong center back who stands an imposing 6-foot-2. The native of Niagara Falls, Ontario was a regular fixture in the Michigan lineup during his four seasons with the Wolverines and helped them reach the College Cup Semifinals as a sophomore in 2010.
Fourteen picks later, LA selected Cochrane, who is a versatile left sided player who can play both left midfield and left back. Cochrane, who played the first two years of his college career at Virginia Tech, made 44 appearances at Louisville scoring six goals and three assists in 2012 after moving up to midfield.
“[Opare] is a pure center back who offers some depth in that position and Cochrane offers us some depth in the left side of midfield,” said Arena. “In the position that we’re in, in the draft, we know that we’re not going to get the more elite players that available but we tried to make some selections to give us some balance on our roster and give them an opportunity to grow.”
WATCH: Greg Cochrane in action
Although Arena admits that the Galaxy were forced into a reactionary position due to their spots late in the draft, he felt that LA’s day was a success as the club turns its focus to the preseason.
“Going into today, we wanted some version of a wide attacker, some help with the center back position and somebody that could play both out wide and in the back and the kid Cochrane can do that. But given where you are in the draft, you’re not going to address all your needs, but hopefully with the re-signing the players that we have recently, we’re returning most of the group that played in the MLS Cup Final, so we’re okay going into the season.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com
