The Colorado Rapids have touted their college scouting prowess over the last few years, and on Tuesday the club tried to find a few gems in the late rounds of the 2016 MLS SuperDraft.
The Rapids selected a goalkeeper and two defenders in the third round and a forward in the final round of the draft.
Chris Froschauer, a keeper from Ohio State University, went to the Rapids with the No. 43 overall pick. He started 23 games for the Buckeyes in 2015 and was named the Big Ten goalkeeper of the year.
The Rapids then picked a pair of defenders at Nos. 56 and 58 overall: Javan Torre from UCLA and Bradley Kamdem from University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
Torre is 6-foot-2, 175 pounds and split his time between center and right back last year with the Bruins. He was an honorable mention for the All-Pac-12 team.
Kamdem, originally from Paris, is a 6-0 defender . The club apparently liked what it saw.
With its final pick, Colorado grabbed forward John Manga, who was college teammates with the Rapids’ top pick in the draft, midfielder Emmanuel Appiah, at the University of Cincinnati.
Manga is a 6-foot-2, 195-pound striker originally from Democratic Republic of Congo. He scored a dozen goals on just 19 shots over his final two seasons with the Bearcats.
The later round picks will enter training camp on Friday looking to earn a contract, but could end up with the Charlotte Independence, the Rapids’ USL affiliate.
Daniel Boniface: 303-954-1104, dboniface@denverpost.com or @danielboniface
