TORONTO – In a retread of the path taken in last week's MLS SuperDraft, Toronto FC went with a midfielder and a defender with their top two picks in the Supplemental Draft on Tuesday to help shore up the roster in 2012.
TFC took New Mexico’s Mike Green (above) with the fourth pick overall, and then added Connecticut’s Nick Blake with the 14th pick. Both players are 22 years old.
They also added former US youth international Mykell Bates (Santa Clara) and midfielders Arthur Ivo (SMU) and Mike Mazzullo (Columbia).
“At least the first couple of picks went the way we imagined they would,” director of team and player operations Earl Cochrane told MLSsoccer.com. “This is all about us making some selections to see if a couple of guys end up sticking in spots that we need some depth in.”
Cochrane said the biggest surprise might have been the fourth-round availability of Mazzullo, a 21-year-old from Yonkers, N.Y., who scored four goals in 66 games over four seasons for the Lions.
“He’s a tough kid from New York, a very good technical player,” Cochrane said. “All of these guys have some abilities that are worth taking a look at, but it’s up to them really to see if they can catch on with the first team.”
Green started 67 games and scored 11 goals during his career with New Mexico. Blake, a right back from Jamaica, started all 25 UConn games in 2011 with a goal and three assists.
Bates, 21, played 65 games in four years for the Broncos. Three of his four goals in 2011 were game-winners.
Ivo, a 22-year-old Brazilian, scored 24 goals in 71 games over four seasons with the Mustangs.
