2014 MLS Superdraft: LA Galaxy pass on fourth round selection

The LA Galaxy elected to pass with their fourth round selection in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft this afternoon. The club's natural third round pick was traded to the Philadelphia Union for Chandler Hoffman last season. The Galaxy's natural fourth round selection was traded to Houston in 2010 so the Galaxy could select Juan Pablo Angel in the Re-Entry Draft, and the pick LA passed on today was New York's natural pick which was traded for Bill Gaudette.

Thus when it all shakes out the later half of the 2014 MLS SuperDraft resulted in LA getting Chandler Hoffman and half a season of Juan Pablo Angel's ghost. With the first half of the draft resulting in Baggio Husidic, prospect Kyle Venter, and the departure of Hector Jimenez, it's amazing to see how busy LA has been in this draft for years while only getting one college player out of it.

Should LA get starts out of Husidic and Hoffman this season then all these maneuvers were a success. It's clear though that LA has more faith in the foreign market and the academy system than the college draft at the moment. To be fair, it was a generally acknowledged weak draft. However, it's notable that Arena didn't even want to bother taking a flyer on someone and seeing what they can do in camp.

It's a bit of a culling moment, as LA looks to create space after a stagnant season in the wake of Beckham's departure. What gets done with that space is the interesting bit, as Arena brings in some new faces to the fold.