Bloggin' From St. Louis

Pace is picking up midway through the 3rd round in St. Louis

Sounders called a timeout in the third round before picking defender Jared Karkas from Azusa Pacific University (Azusa,Calif.) as the rounds top pick and the draft's 31st overall.

The Sounders FC were the focus of the entire league today as MLS Commissioner Don Garber walked to the podium to present their No. 1 pick in the MLS SuperDraft.

With myriad possibilities in front of them, the Sounders opted for University of Akron forward Steve Zakuani.

“I’m ready. I want to get in there,” Zakuani said in an ESPN television interview after his selection. “I know Coach (Sigi) Schmid is a great coach. I’m going to train hard, catch up to the level of play and hopefully contribute right away.”

While the Sounders got the pick of the litter with the top pick, Zakuani, as it turns out, also landed exactly where he wanted to play.

“I was in shock. Up until the last minute I had no idea where I was going to go,” said 6-foot, 170 pound Generation adidas forward. “I’m excited. Seattle is the team I wanted to go to. When Toronto came in there was a lot of buzz and I think it will be the same for Seattle.”

The London, England, native who played with the Arsenal Youth program until he was 15 led the nation in goals (20) and points (47) as a sophomore last year for Akron. He was a finalist for the Hermann Trophy as the top NCAA soccer player in the country.

“They’ve got some good players there. Obviously the main name I saw was Freddie Ljungberg,” said Zakuani, who was in Arsenal’s Youth program while Ljungberg played for the London club. “I’m just going to go there and play. I’m confident in my abilities and what I can do. Coach has seen some stuff in me that he likes and he’s got some ideas. We’ll see how it works out.”

In addition to Ljungberg, Zakuani is also familiar with head coach Sigi Schmid. While in Akron, Zakuani watched Schmid coach the nearby Columbus Crew in the MLS Cup playoff last season.

The Sounders also have picks 16, 31 and 46.

Sounders FC take defender Evan Brown from Wake Forest University with their second pick (16th overall).

Even though the SuperDraft has reached an intermission, the coaches are staying  focused.

Steve Zakuani is finally done with his media obligations for the day and SoundersFC.com Insider Tony Ventrella had a chance to catch up with Steve, click here to watch now.

The Sounders FC were the focus of the entire league today as MLS Commissioner Don Garber walked to the podium to present their No. 1 pick in the MLS SuperDraft.

With myriad possibilities in front of them, the Sounders opted for University of Akron forward Steve Zakuani.

“I’m ready.  I want to get in there,” Zakuani said in an ESPN television interview after his selection.  “I know Coach Schmid is a great coach.  I’m going to train hard, catch up to the level of play and hopefully contribute right away.”

The London, England, native who played with the Arsenal Youth program until he was 15 led the nation in goals (20) and points (47).  He was a finalist for the Hermann Trophy for the Zips.  He was born in the Republic of Congo, but grew up in London. 

His older brother Gabriel plays for Fulham United in the English Premier League.

Posted by: Matt Gaschk, SoundersFC.com Insider

Seattle Sounders FC choose forward Steve Zakuani from University of Akron as the first overall selection in the 2009 MLS Draft.

Sigi and Brian preparing

The Seattle Sounders FC coaching staff and front office has arrived and is busy preparing for the first pick

Welcome to SoundersFC.com live SuperDraft 2009 blog.  We will be here from start to finish giving you all the breaking news from St. Louis.

Here is a quick overview of how the SuperDraft will work

• Teams are permitted 4 minutes to make a selection in the first and second rounds.  Three minutes in the third and fourth rounds
• Each team is permitted one five minute timeout.  Selections must made immediately following the timeout.  No additional time is give

The Sounders FC have the first pick in each round (1, 16, 31, 46)