Question of the Week: Which Republic Players Would You Take to MLS?

With all the talk of MLS in the air and Don Garber's visit looming, the ICS staff took a look ahead to a possible Sacramento entry in to MLS and tackled the of which players we think would be able to make the jump up.

George Shiel (@GeorgeMShiel)

I'd like to see all the current players move up to MLS, but I know that's not realistic. My first choice would be JJ Koval. He has MLS experience and he's a solid midfielder, both things that would be valuable to a new club. 

I also think James Kiffe and Emrah Klimenta deserve a shot at MLS. They've played very well the past few seasons in USL and have featured prominently in Buckle's game plans. 

I think it's still too early to tell with Chris Christian and Derek Foran. However, if they continue to play lock-down defense for the rest of the season, I could also see them making the jump.

Evan Eyster (@IronPonyChef)

Apart from the obvious choice of JJ Koval, I would like to see Dominik Jakubek, one of the most underrated players for Sacramento, make the jump with the team.

Jakubek has put together a 10-5-4 record for the Republic through his career in Sacramento and has brought a veteran presence to the defense, helping to stabilize a defense that was rocked by two big offseason departures.

While making Jakubek an MLS starter may not be in the cards, I would love to see Sacramento pick him up as a backup keeper and let him play a few games as a reward for all he has done for the club. He does deserve it.

Josh Beeman (@josh_beeman)

We're dealing with hypotheticals here so I'm going to throw both contract length and age out the window and talk about this as though the Republic started MLS play tomorrow.

My choice for players to take to MLS would be Emrah Klimenta, JJ Koval, and James Kiffe. Both Klimenta and Kiffe have been great fullbacks for the Republic and I think both have the ability to potentially make the jump and contribute at the MLS level. Koval has shown in his pre-Republic career that he can contribute at the MLS level so I see no reason why the Republic wouldn't bring him with them.

Although I would love to see some of the other guys on the roster make the jump, I cannot justify anyone other than the three listed based on their current level of play. Perhaps some of the younger guys have MLS potential, but they are not ready right now.

Let us know which Republic players you think could make the jump to MLS in the comments below.