RSL and the SuperDraft: Three picks in, three picks out

Navigating MLS can at times be difficult, and with a preponderance of "conditional draft picks" traded for players, it's made even more so.

With a bit of patience and knowledge, it all unfolds into something comprehensible, but reaching that point can be difficult.

As such, let's navigate RSL's draft picks, talk about where they came from, and talk about where the picks we had went.

First round, pick #18: This is our natural order pick from making the MLS Cup Final.

Second round, pick #18 (37): This was our natural order pick, but Montreal Impact received it through the Justin Braun trade in the summer of 2012. How exactly that pick ended up as a second-round one is difficult to say -- Braun played in two games for RSL, starting one. Perhaps there were team conditions in addition to player conditions.

Third round, pick #15 (53): We received this pick from New York Red Bulls -- then as a conditional supplemental draft pick -- in exchange for the rights to Jonny Steele.

Third round, pick #18 (56): This is (was?) our natural pick, but there's some dispute here. MLS lists this one as ours, but a DC United press release from the trade of Brandon McDonald makes it pretty clear it's theirs. [http://www.dcunited.com/news/2013/07/dc-united-trades-defender-brandon-mcdonald-to-real-salt-lake]

Fourth round, pick #13 (70): We received this pick from Seattle in July 2012 in exchange for the rights to Mario Martinez, who we must have had on our discovery list (and henceforth made some sort of move to acquire). In the end, it's really only moving us up five picks, because:

Fourth round, pick #18 (75): This was Real Salt Lake's natural pick, but it goes to Chicago Fire in exchange for Kwame Watson-Siriboe. Of all the picks we've discussed trades about, that's certainly the one that benefited us the most.