COLUMBUS, Ohio -
The Columbus Crew announced that it has signed midfielders Kevin Burns and Adam Moffat, defender Ryan Junge and goalkeeper Kenny Schoeni to developmental contracts. Per club and league policy, no further terms of the deal were disclosed.
The Crew, in final preparations for its season opener on March 29 vs. Toronto FC, takes on El Salvador's Metapán in its final preseason exhibition this Saturday at 4 p.m. at Crew Stadium.
Burns officially joins the Crew after being its fourth-round selection in the 2007 MLS Supplemental Draft (No. 50 overall) out of the University of Connecticut. He spent the 2007 season with the Rochester Raging Rhinos of the United Soccer Leagues First Division, where he made 17 appearances for the Rhinos and was named the club's Rookie of the Year.
Junge, who was the Crew's first pick in the 2007 MLS Supplemental Draft (No. 15 overall), spent the 2007 season in Black & Gold as a developmental player. He made his MLS and Crew debut in the squad's final regular-season match at D.C. United, when he came on as a substitute and logged 15 minutes of action. He made nine appearances, with eight starts, for the Crew Reserves in 2007.
A native of Scotland, Moffat joined the Crew late in 2007 season after leading the Cleveland City Stars (USL-2) in scoring with eight goals and two assists in 19 appearances, and was named to the United Soccer Leagues Second Division All-League First Team. He also made his MLS and Crew debut in the final regular-season match against D.C. United, when he went the full 90 minutes in the Crew's 3-2 victory. Moffat also scored a goal in the Crew's 2-0 victory over Tecos UAG (Mexico) in an international exhibition and started both reserve division games in which he appeared.
Schoeni, who hails from Cincinnati, spent the majority of the 2007 season serving as the MLS pool goalkeeper providing relief for teams with emergency goalkeeper needs. He spent several stints training with the Crew and also started two games in goal for the Crew Reserve squad, in which he posted a 1-1-0 record. Schoeni was named the 2006 Big West Conference co-Goalkeeper of the Year at the conclusion of his lone season at UC Irvine, where he was a teammate of Crew midfielder Brad Evans. That followed a three-year career at Vanderbilt that was curtailed when the Commodores' program was discontinued.
Founded by American sports pioneer Lamar Hunt, the Columbus Crew is Ohio's Major League Soccer club, anchoring a diverse sports and entertainment enterprise. One of the league's Charter Members and U.S. Open Cup champion in 2002, it will open its 13th season overall and 10th in first-of-its-kind Columbus Crew Stadium on Saturday, March 29, when it plays host to Eastern Conference-rival Toronto FC.
TRANSACTION:
Columbus Crew (MLS) - Signed M Kevin Burns, D Ryan Junge, M Adam Moffat, GK Kenny Schoeni.
