Portland Timbers Take Andrew Thoma, Christian Volesky, and Kharlton Belmar in Second Round

The Portland Timbers had a trio of picks in the second round of the 2015 Major League Soccer Superdraft, bringing in Andy Thoma, Christian Volesky, and Kharlton Belmar.

With pick No. 24, the Timbers selected Andy Thoma, a left back from the University of Washington. A quick, consistent contributor for the Huskies since claiming a starting spot as a freshman, Thoma averaged two assists per season from his fullback spot and only missed a handful of matches in his college career.

Thoma was a well regarded prospect at left back and was projected by a number of mock drafts to be a high first round prospect, so to have him fall to the Timbers in the second was a surprise.

The Timbers used pick No. 32 to bring in Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville forward Christian Volesky. A skilled goalscorer in the Missouri Valley Conference, scoring 23 goals over the course of three years with the school, Volesky is known for his athleticism and had an impressive turnout at the 2015 player combine.

Wrapping up the Timbers' picks on the day was Virginia Commonwealth University forward Kharlton Belmar at No. 34. Belmar is a familiar face for the Timbers' organization, having played the 2014 USL PDL season with the Portland Timbers U-23s. Belmar led the U-23s in scoring and games played, having put away eight goals over the course of 14 games.

All three players seem bound for the fledgling Timbers 2 program under the auspices of recently hired coach Jay Vidovich, although Thoma seems closest being ready to contribute at a first team level.