The Columbus Crew today selected four players in the 2008 MLS Supplemental Draft, which was held via teleconference from the league headquarters in New York. A total of 51 players were selected by the league's 14 member clubs in the four-round draft.
All players who were eligible for and not selected in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft, held on Friday, Jan. 18, in Baltimore, as well as additional players nominated by teams, were eligible for selection in the Supplemental Draft. The original order of the four-round MLS Supplemental Draft is determined from the reverse order of finish following the 2007 season.
The Crew selected goalkeeper Billy Chiles (Towson University) with the No. 6 pick, forward/midfielder Cory Elenio (Evansville University) at No. 20, forward Lukasz Tumicz (Rhode Island) at No. 34 and midfielder/defender Zola Short (Virginia University) with its final pick at No. 38.
Chiles, a 23-year-old native of Silver Spring, Md., who recently finished a two-week training camp with the U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team in Bradenton, Fla., was honored as a second-team NSCAA All-American, first-team All-Colonial Athletic Association selection and first-team NSCAA All-South Atlantic Region selection after a senior year in which he registered a school record nine shutouts and posted 1.00 GAA, while stopping 83.3% of the shots he faced. He finished his career at Towson with a 19-7-5 record, with 15 shutouts and a 0.77 GAA, the best in school history. Chiles came to Towson after transferring from Rutgers University prior to the 2006 season.
Elenio, a 21-year-old native of Ann Arbor, Mich., finished his career at Evansville with 18 goals and 19 assists in four years. He was named to the NSCAA All-Midwest Region team and the All-Missouri Valley Conference first team in 2006 and 2007, and was selected to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman team in 2004. In 2007, he also became the 31st player in Evansville history to record 40 career points (55).
Tumicz, a 22-year-old native of Bisztynek, Poland, finished his career at Rhode Island having made 74 appearances and he is tied for ninth all-time in goals (31) and fifth all-time in assists (24). His 86 career points places him in a tie for eighth all-time in Rhode Island history. After a 2007 senior season in which he led the Atlantic 10 Conference in total points (27) and goals (12), he was named to the NSCAA All-Mid Atlantic Region first team, as well as the Atlantic 10 All-Conference first team. He was also selected to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference second team in 2006 and the Atlantic 10 All-Championship team in 2005.
Short, a 21-year-old native of Arlington, Va., finished his career at Virginia with 66 career appearances. In 2005, he played the second-most minutes (1,654) of any field player and helped anchor a Cavaliers defense that recorded an Atlantic Coast Conference-leading 10 shutouts.
The Columbus Crew is Ohio's Major League Soccer club, anchoring a diverse sports and entertainment enterprise. One of the league's Charter Members, it will open its 13th season overall and tenth in first-of-its-kind Columbus Crew Stadium on Saturday, March 29, when it plays host to Eastern Conference-rival Toronto FC.
