Major League Soccer held its 2007 Expansion Draft for the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday, with the team selecting 10 players that will assist them in putting together a roster for their first season of play beginning in April 2008. Among their selections was Toronto FC midfielder/defender Chris Pozniak.
Pozniak, 26, was signed to a contract November 22, 2006 and appeared in 22 games for Toronto - 16 of those as a starter. He finished his inaugural season in Major League Soccer with 3 assists, logging 1498 minutes.
"We're disappointed to lose a utility player like Pozniak," said Head Coach Mo Johnston. "The chances are high you're going to lose a player in the Expansion Draft, and unfortunately we've lost Poz, we're sorry to see him go."
A stand out in the Toronto community, Pozniak was awarded the team's 2007 Humanitarian of the Year award for his efforts working with a number of different organizations.
The Toronto native returned home to play after spending many years in Europe with FK Haugesund (Norwegian First Division), and Orebro (Swedish Premier Division). Prior to that Pozniak began his professional career with the United Soccer League's Toronto Lynx in 1999. He's competed at numerous levels for the Canadian National Team, having been a part of the U-23, U-20, and senior team, having most recently been named to the squad that competed at the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup this past summer.
The Earthquakes selected one player each from 10 of the 13 MLS teams. The Colorado Rapids, Kansas City Wizards and Real Salt Lake were the three teams that did not have a player selected in the draft. Each of the 13 teams was allowed to protect 11 players, leaving all others unprotected and available for selection by the Earthquakes.
Below is the complete list of players selected in the 2007 MLS Expansion Draft.
1. Ryan Cochrane (Houston Dynamo)
2. Clarence Goodson (FC Dallas)
3. Ned Grabavoy (Columbus Crew)
4. James Riley (New England Revolution)
5. Joseph Vide (New York Red Bulls)
6. Ivan Guerrero (Chicago Fire)
7. Brian Carroll (D.C. United)
8. Jason Hernandez (Chivas USA)
9. Gavin Glinton (LA Galaxy)
10. Chris Pozniak (Toronto FC)
The San Jose Earthquakes, Major League Soccer's 14th team, will begin play in the Western Conference in the 2008 season at Buck Shaw Stadium on the campus of Santa Clara University.
