Portland Timbers Acquire Second Round SuperDraft Pick from San Jose for Mike Fucito

Well they said they were going to try to get back into the draft and here we are. On the day of the MLS SuperDraft, the Portland Timbers sent forward Mike Fucito down to the San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for their second round draft pick, #34 overall.

Additionally, while the Timbers acquired Chivas USA's #2 allocation spot in exchange for either the Timbers' second round draft pick or international roster spot, Chivas USA opted for the international roster spot, thus allowing the Timbers to keep this second round pick.

Overall, this move makes sense for the Portland Timbers. While the second round is not usually a great round to choose from, it can certainly bring out some future MLS stars from time to time. Additionally, it frees up Mike Fucito's forward spot. I think we were all in agreement that he simply did not fit in the 2013 squad going forward, what with the glut of young attacking forwards the Timbers already have. Hopefully he'll get some meaningful minutes down in San Jose.

We'll be covering today's SuperDraft live on this site. Stay tuned.

Full press release:

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Portland Timbers have acquired a second-round pick (No. 34 overall) in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft from the San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for forward Mike Fucito, it was announced today. The Earthquakes now have the right of first refusal to Fucito and may negotiate a contract.

Fucito, 26, joined the Timbers via trade from the Montreal Impact on April 20, 2012, and appeared in 12 games (3 starts) for Portland during the 2012 MLS regular season. The four-year MLS veteran has played 36 career regular-season matches for Seattle Sounders FC (2009-11), Montreal (2012) and Portland (2012), recording three goals and two assists.

"Mike is a hard-working player and a first-class professional, and we wish him all the best," said Gavin Wilkinson, Timbers general manager.

The 2013 MLS SuperDraft, presented by adidas, will take place today at 9 a.m. (Pacific) at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind. The first-overall selection will be broadcast live on ESPN SportsCenter, and the entire draft will be streamed live on ESPN3, ESPNFC, PortlandTimbers.com and YouTube.

The second-round pick from San Jose is the Timbers' only pick in the 2013 SuperDraft. As part of a trade with Chivas USA on Dec. 12, 2012, for the No. 2 spot in the MLS allocation order, Portland offered either a second-round draft pick in the 2013 SuperDraft if it acquired one or an international slot for the 2013 season (through Dec. 31, 2013). Chivas USA elected to receive the international slot.

Who do you think the Portland Timbers will pick?