PHILADELPHIA — If there’s one thing that can be counted on during the Major League Soccer draft, it’s a high level of unpredictability.

No matter what buzz surrounds certain players, or who even signs a deal with the league in advance of the draft, there’s no way to predict how the chips might fall on draft day.

It didn’t take long for some of the teams to surprise with selections in the 2015 edition of the draft. When all was said and done, eight players were selected in the first two rounds of the draft who hadn’t been involved in the player combine. Generation adidas picks slid a bit, with Conor Donovan coming off the board in the second round.

Even after Cristian Roldan didn’t get selected second overall like some anticipated, the surprising picks started with Matt Polster out of SIUE(m) seventh overall by the Chicago Fire, who leveraged a strong outing at the MLS combine into a top 10 pick.

“It was little out of left field, I didn’t think I was going to go this high,” Polster told reporters after being picked. I thought I put in a really good performance at the combine, five days, three games, I thought I put in three very good performances and after that I felt much better about it. I’m very happy Chicago believed in me this much, now I’ve got to put in the work going forward.”

The scouting of college soccer programs vary significantly between each MLS team, and it appeared that some teams put significant stock in this past week’s player combine, which features three games in five days in Ft. Lauderdale. Chatter on the draft floor centered on a discontent with the level on display there, which likely triggered each respective technical staff’s decision to indulge in specific preferences.

Polster felt like he helped himself a great deal with the way he played there, which also included a change of position for the college defender.

“The thing about it was I played center back in college and when I went to the combine I was lucky enough to play center mid,” he said. “So [I had the chance] to show most of my skills, a lot of my tendencies that helped boost my stock.

“After the combine I thought I was going to go higher. Before because I was from a small school, I didn’t know I was on the radar as much as I am. The combine helped, not to say I couldn’t go higher, it was just small school.”

Summing up the day, Maryland(m) midfielder Dan Metzger wasn’t grabbed until the last pick of the second round, despite being projected as a mid-first round selection by most draft prognosticators.

“Best for last, right?” Metzger said at the podium after local side D.C. United picked him.

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United head coach Ben Olsen greeted him after coming off the stage, and preceded to tell the former Terp that he thought Metzger was a top 10 player in the draft pool.

“This gives me a little motivation going into preseason just to prove everybody wrong,” Metzger told reporters. “Obviously I didn’t expect to go that late but to be honest I’m kind of happy because it gives me that motivation, that edge.”

Unlike Polster, Metzger didn’t enjoy the same success in Florida did, playing in just the first game before an injury sidelined him for the remaining two games.

“A lot of players played well there so that could have had something to do with it,” he said of his time in Florida. “I’m just happy to end up on the East Coast with D.C.”

Other surprises included the selection of NC State(m) defender Clement Simonin with the ninth overall pick by Toronto FC and Amadou Dia 20th overall by Sporting KC. Neither was invited to the combine. Andy Craven and Ramon Martin del Campo, who signed with MLS prior to the draft, were left unselected and must wait until Tuesday’s third and fourth round to learn their fate.

At the start of the day, Polster didn’t have any expectations – like many other players – and would’ve taken anything. Now, with the draft in the rearview mirror, he knows plenty of work is ahead, just as it is for all 42 picks, no matter when and where they were picked.

“Nothing is guaranteed still,” he said. “I still have to go in and [earn] a contract.”