MLS Mock Draft 2015: Orlando City picks Cyle Larin No. 1

I was fortunate enough to take part in the 2015 SB Nation Mock SuperDraft with all of our sister blogs here on the network. The idea, obviously, was to simulate Thursday's MLS SuperDraft, which will take place in Philadelphia. Representatives from each blog studied their team's needs and the available players in the draft pool and were tasked with choosing players through the first two rounds in the draft.

To keep things simple, we weren't allowed to trade our picks for players, beer allocation money or other picks. We had to make each pick as the current MLS draft order stipulates.

We took top-rated forward Cyle Larin from the University of Connecticut with the first overall selection, which Orlando City SC secured in the Expansion Priority Draft back on Sept. 24. I'm actually not sure of this pick, although most mock drafts have Larin at the top.

I feel there is a good chance Head Coach Adrian Heath and GM Paul McDonough will look to trade down to add more assets and perhaps take someone like Central Florida’s Romario Williams. Or he could trade the pick for a player who can help sooner. However, if the Lions keep the pick, Larin may be too good of an asset to pass up.

Larin, a Canadian U-20 international out of Brampton, Ontario, just completed his sophomore year at UConn, where he scored 23 goals and added six assists in 39 career games. He was named American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year in 2013, and American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2014. He is currently representing his country in Jamaica at the CONCACAF U-20 Championships.

In the second round, Orlando City has two of the first four selections — its own at the top of the round and San Jose's fourth pick in the round due to the Mark Sherrod trade. With the 22nd overall selection I took goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton out of Penn State.

With Donovan Ricketts, Tally Hall and Josh Ford, Orlando City has a handle on its goalkeeping situation for the time being. But the club would like to select a quality young keeper that City can groom for the future and Wolverton would have the chance to learn from two such accomplished MLS starters such as Hall and Ricketts.

At 6-foot-6, Wolverton is an imposing figure in goal. In 19 games this season he made 64 saves with nine shutouts, allowing 17 goals for the Nittany Lions. He was the Big Ten’s Goalkeeper of the Year in 2013 as a junior.

And he’s got a really cool last name.

Three picks later, I opted for Jose Ribas, a left back out of Creighton. Heath’s system calls for outside defenders who can get forward and Ribas has shown the ability do that in his collegiate career. Depth on defense is something every expansion team can use, so it’s important Orlando City can bolster its back line in the early rounds. Ribas ticks all the boxes.

A native of Guayaquil, Ecuador, Ribas played four seasons with the Bluejays, starting 64 of his 81 games played, scoring two goals and adding 21 assists. At 5-foot-9, it's unlikely Ribas would be a viable option at center back, but he could play wing, which provides some added versatility.

Of course, the real MLS clubs are allowed to complete trades and a draft can be unpredictable. It's completely possible and maybe even likely Orlando City comes away with none of the players I picked. We'll fine out Thursday who our Generation Adidas players will be.

Here how the entire SB Nation Mock SuperDraft shook out, as selected by the network's member blogs: