COLUMBUS, Ohio - The 2008 MLS SuperDraft takes place Friday (Jan. 18) at the Baltimore Convention Center (400 Level Ballroom) in Baltimore, Maryland. The Crew currently owns three picks in the event, which begins at 2 p.m. ET and will be carried live by ESPN2 and MLSnet.com. The draft order is listed below.
As an expansion team, the San Jose Earthquakes currently hold the first overall selection in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft. The SuperDraft consists of four rounds with 14 selections in each round. Currently, Western Conference teams FC Dallas and the Los Angeles Galaxy hold the most selections in the draft with seven (7) each, while Chivas USA owns just one (1). The Chicago Fire leads the Eastern Conference with six (6) selections.
The Crew owns a first round pick - the No. 6 selection overall - followed by a pick in the second round (No. 20 overall) and one in he fourth (No. 48). Columbus' first selection in last year's SuperDraft was UC Irvine midfielder Brad Evans at No. 15 overall. Toronto FC had the first pick in 2007 and used it to select University of Maryland midfielder Maurice Edu, who became the first-ever No. 1 pick to capture Rookie of the Year Honors.
The first hour of the SuperDraft will be televised live on ESPN2, while the remainder will be streamed live on www.MLSnet.com, the League's official Web site.
For the sixth consecutive year, the MLS SuperDraft will be held in conjunction with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) convention. Thousands of youth soccer coaches from across the country will be in Baltimore on Friday and many will watch from the draft floor as their brightest pupils make the leap from amateur to professional.
The MLS SuperDraft draft features the finest collegiate and youth soccer prospects in the United States. The majority of draft prospects are graduating college seniors from NCAA schools. Others come from Generation adidas, a joint program between MLS and adidas that is dedicated to developing exceptional domestic talent in a professional environment. Each year, a handful of top domestic underclassmen and youth national team soccer players are signed to the league and placed in the SuperDraft through this program.
The MLS SuperDraft is open to the public at no charge, and fans are invited to attend, however seating is limited and fans are encouraged to arrive early. Fans must pick up a ticket at the fan check-in table outside the ballroom.
Credential requests should be sent directly to MLS Communications. Submit requests to Stephen Rodriguez at stephen.rodriguez@mlsnet.com and Justine Kraus at justine.kraus@mlsnet.com.
The MLS SuperDraft selection order is determined as follows: The first selection is awarded to Major League Soccer's expansion team, San Jose Earthquakes. The next four selections are from teams that did not qualify for the 2007 MLS Cup Playoffs beginning with the team with fewest 2007 regular season points (3 points per win, one point per tie). The remaining eight positions are ranked by fewest regular season points among the teams that were eliminated in the same round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
The 2008 MLS SuperDraft order follows (as of January 15, 2008):
1st ROUND:
1. San Jose Earthquakes
2. FC Dallas (From Toronto FC)
3. Real Salt Lake
4. Los Angeles Galaxy
5. Colorado Rapids
6. Columbus Crew
7. Chicago Fire (From New York Red Bulls)
8. FC Dallas
9. Toronto FC (From Chivas USA)
10. Toronto FC (From D.C. United)
11. Kansas City Wizards
12. Chicago Fire
13. New England Revolution
14. Real Salt Lake (From Toronto FC)
2nd ROUND:
15. San Jose Earthquakes
16. New York Red Bulls (From Toronto FC)
17. Real Salt Lake
18. New England Revolution (From Los Angeles)
19. FC Dallas (From Colorado Rapids)
20. Columbus Crew
21. Los Angeles Galaxy (From New York Red Bulls)
22. FC Dallas
23. Kansas City Wizards (From Chivas USA)
24. D.C. United
25. Kansas City Wizards (From Los Angeles Galaxy, Kansas City Wizards)
26. Chicago Fire
27. New England Revolution
28. Los Angeles Galaxy (From Houston Dynamo)
3rd ROUND:
29. Los Angeles Galaxy (From San Jose Earthquakes)
30. Toronto FC
31. FC Dallas (From Real Salt Lake)
32. New York Red Bulls (From Los Angeles Galaxy)
33. D.C. United (From Colorado Rapids)
34. Los Angeles Galaxy (From Columbus Crew)
35. Toronto FC (From Colorado Rapids, New York Red Bulls)
36. Colorado Rapids (from Dallas)
37. Real Salt Lake (from Chivas USA)
38. Chicago Fire (from D.C. United)
39. Kansas City Wizards
40. Chicago Fire
41. New England Revolution
42. Houston Dynamo
4th ROUND:
43. Chivas USA (From San Jose Earthquakes)
44. New York Red Bulls (From Toronto FC)
45. FC Dallas (From Real Salt Lake)
46. Los Angeles Galaxy
47. Colorado Rapids
48. Columbus Crew
49. Colorado Rapids (From New York Red Bulls)
50. FC Dallas
51. Los Angeles Galaxy (From New York Red Bulls, Real Salt Lake, Chivas USA)
52. D.C. United
53. Kansas City Wizards
54. Chicago Fire
55. New England Revolution
56. Houston Dynamo
CREW PRESEASON TRAINING CAMP OPENS ON JAN. 27
Crew preseason training camp will officially kick off with player physicals on Jan. 27 in Columbus, as the club continues preparations for its 13th Major League Soccer season. Complete details will be released in the near future.
HESMER, ROGERS CONTINUE TRAINING AT NATIONAL TEAM CAMPS
Crew goalkeeper Will Hesmer and midfielder Robbie Rogers continued their respective national-team camps on opposite coasts this week. Hesmer, who was called in by Head Coach Bob Bradley for his first Senior National Team training camp, began workouts on Jan. 3 at U.S. Soccer's National Training Center at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The group is preparing for the USA's first match of 2008, a friendly against Sweden this Saturday (Jan. 19) at The Home Depot Center. Hesmer will be available for selection to the 18-man roster for the match, which will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET. Fans can also follow the game live via ussoccer.com's MatchTracker.
Rogers, who joined Head Coach Peter Nowak's U-23 group for the second time this winter, is currently in the second week of a two-week training camp at IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla. The camp, which runs from Jan. 6-20, is part of the team's preparation for the final round of the 2008 CONCACAF Men's Under-23 Championship to be held from March 11-23 in Los Angeles, Tampa and Nashville. The U.S. will play its three games of the group stage in Tampa against Cuba on March 11, Panama on March 13 and Honduras on March 15. The eight-team tournament will send its two finalists to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES AS STAGE TAKES SHAPE AT CREW STADIUM
The new permanent stage being constructed in Crew Stadium's north end is taking shape. Work began on Sept. 10 and the project is scheduled to be completed on April 15. The stage will measure 60 feet deep by 120 feet wide. Click here to view a fact sheet detailing more features of the stage and here to view a photo gallery chronicling the project's progress so far.
CREW TO HOLD OPEN TRYOUTS AT PREMIER SOCCER ACADEMIES CAMPUS IN LORAIN JAN. 25-26
The Crew will host a tryout for the 2008 season at Brad Friedel's Premier Soccer Academies campus in Lorain, Ohio, on Friday, Jan. 25, and Saturday, Jan. 26. The tryouts will be open to all players regardless of age, with the lone exception being that college players with any eligibility remaining are not allowed to participate due to NCAA rules and regulations. Participants need to arrive at PSA by 8 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 25, for registration and orientation. Players should plan on being there through 5 p.m. on the 25th. Training will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday the 26th and conclude at 4 p.m. Players should plan on attending both days in order to have the coaching staff properly evaluate their skills. It is recommended that players bring both types of cleats (indoor and molded). There will be a fee of $100 that must be paid two weeks prior to the tryout. Individuals are responsible for their own food, accommodations and transportation. Potential prospects can visit www.TheCrew.com to register for either of the two tryout locations and for more details.
