Good Friday morning Caps fans, hope you all are having a lovely week and that you are gearing up for a festive weekend.

Forget about Christmas — Friday is truly the most wonderful time of the year. Yes, that’s right folks, it is MLS SuperDraft day!

I’m old enough to remember when the SuperDraft was a decently big deal in MLS circles. An in-person event was held and there was a livestream for us sickos who had to watch.

Well, the league is binning the live stream this year, most places have binned their mock drafts (making it increasingly hard to preview) and some teams are binning their participation in the SuperDraft for years to come. Philadelphia traded the next three years’ worth of picks to Colorado for some funny money last week, a sign that the academy-focused team doesn’t think much of the draft.

And for a team like Philly, you get it. They want to devote roster spots, play time and developmental energy to their own guys, who they have spent really money and energy in growing.

But for basically everyone else, overlook the SuperDraft at your own peril. Moise Bombito is the latest example in the long list of success stories and while that list is getting shorter and shorter, it is a valuable roster building tool that the Caps have historically used to good effect.

That being said, there are a few things shaping this year’s draft for Vancouver. For one, I have a hard time seeing them using an international spot on a draftee, an unfortunate limitation at a time when college soccer is getting less U.S.-focused.

And while the Caps don’t have a top, top pick, I think there will be some interesting names available. One of those could be Tate Johnson, a Generation Adidas guy (always a nice roster perk) who plays as a dynamic left back with technical ability but also seems like he could have a profile as a wide center back in a back three. Riley Thomas, Johnson’s teammate at UNC, could be another decent defensive option.

Nick Hernandez out of Portland, has an interesting profile as a creative deeper lying midfielder, though the Caps have a few of those guys lying around already. Still, even though he is undersized, I could see him meshing with the team in a post-Alessandro Schopf world.

Up top Alioune Ka and Alex Harris, both Cornell teammates, and Richie Aman seem to be pretty solid attacking options (both of whom are domestic). Harris is a sophomore so he could even season in MLS NEXT Pro. All of these guys have some versatility and quality 1v1 that could give them a look to replace Johnson or shift to being a wingback (depending on the system of the new manager).

There is one Canadian in the draft pool, the University of New Hampshire’s Ibrahim Conde. If that school sounds familiar, it should — it produced Bombito. Seven goals and three assists in 13 games is a pretty good return, even in a weaker conference. Montreal passed on him as an academy product but they also whiffed on Bombito and we see how that turned out.

If past history has been any indication, the Caps will pick none of these guys (I don’t think I’ve accurately predicted a single pick, besides Ryan Raposo). But I would expect Axel Schuster to take this seriously. Even if they find someone whose ceiling is a Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau type guy, well, you need those guys too in building a roster. If it is more like a Javain Brown or a Tim Parker, even better.

Best of the Rest

The best SuperDraft preview I found was this one from American Soccer Analysis — worth a read ahead of today’s big day.

Vancouver will kick off the season away to Portland, returning home to face defending champion LA Galaxy the next week.

We (finally!) have a better idea of how much General Allocation Money each team has and it looks like the Caps are in a better spot than initially thought.

Vancouver FC’s managing director is on the move to League1 BC.

Saudi Arabia will be the guest in next year’s Gold Cup ahead of their own turn as hosts in 2034.