In preparation for the 2004 MLS Expansion Draft, all current MLS teams today officially unveiled their lists of unprotected players which will be available for selection by the League's 2005 expansion teams - Club Deportivo Chivas USA and Real Salt Lake. The 2004 MLS Expansion Draft will be held on Friday, November 19 at 4:00 p.m. ET and will be televised live on ESPNEWS and streamed live on MLSnet.com. Fans can also follow the draft on the League's official website via the Expansion '05 Draft Tracker.
CD Chivas USA won a coin toss that was held prior to MLS Cup 2004 this past Sunday, November 14, and opted to have the first selection in the 2004 Expansion Draft. As a result, Real Salt Lake will have the first selection in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft scheduled for January 14, 2005.
Five of the 68 players left unprotected have played in all nine years of MLS, including Columbus Crew midfielder Brian Maisonnueve - one of only three players who have been with the same team for all nine seasons (Jason Kreis, FC Dallas and Cobi Jones, Los Angeles Galaxy). San Jose Earthquakes defender Jeff Agoos, who has won five MLS Cup Championships is joined by two-time MLS Most Valuable Player, Preki, of the MLS Cup 2004 runner-up Kansas City Wizards, as well as Wizards' goalkeeper Tony Meola, the 2000 League and Cup MVP. Rounding out the nine-year veterans is New England Revolution midfielder Brian Kamler.
Each team has left at least one goalkeeper unprotected, with a total of twelve available for selection. Joining Meola is the Eastern Conference starter in the 2004 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game Henry Ring, of the Chicago Fire, as well as U.S. National Team regular Jonny Walker of the MetroStars.
The MLS Cup 2004 Champion D.C. United left team captain Ryan Nelsen and veteran midfielder Earnie Stewart unprotected. The Colorado Rapids made available Antonio de la Torre, the only current Mexican-born player in MLS. FC Dallas risks losing out on veteran midfield general Oscar Pareja, while the Los Angeles Galaxy exposed the talented right midfielder Arturo Torres.
Both teams will gather in their respective war rooms on Friday, Nov. 19 for the 10 rounds of the MLS Expansion Draft which will be conducted via a teleconference call including all 12 MLS teams and the League office. CD Chivas USA will set up its war room at the ESPNZone in Anaheim, Calif., while the host location for Real Salt Lake will be the SkyBox Sports Grille at The Gateway in Salt Lake City. The official announcements of selections will be made by MLS Commissioner Don Garber live from the ESPNZone in New York City.
UNPROTECTED PLAYERS:
Current Team -- Name -- Pos. -- Years in MLS -- Status
Fire -- Alexandre Boucicaut -- FW -- 1 -- TI
Fire -- Scott Buete -- MF -- 1
Fire -- D.J. Countess -- GK -- 3
Fire -- Orlando Perez -- MF -- 5
Fire -- Henry Ring -- GK -- 3
Fire -- Dipsy Selolwane -- FW -- 3 -- SI
Fire -- Evan Whitfield -- DF -- 5
Fire -- Andy Williams -- MF -- 7
Rapids -- Antonio de la Torre -- DF -- 1
Rapids -- Darryl Powell -- MF -- 2 -- SI
Rapids -- Joey DiGiamarino -- DF -- 5
Rapids -- Jeff Stewart -- DF -- 2
Rapids -- Seth Trembly -- MF -- 5
Rapids -- Scott Vallow -- GK -- 3
Crew -- Nelson Akwari -- DF -- 3
Crew -- Eric Denton -- M/D -- 5
Crew -- Stephen Herdsman -- DF -- 4
Crew -- Matt Jordan -- GK -- 6
Crew -- Manny Lagos -- MF -- 6
Crew -- Brian Maisonneuve -- MF -- 9
Crew -- Erick Scott -- FW -- 1 -- TI
Crew -- David Testo -- FW -- 1
Crew -- Dante Washington -- FW -- 8
Dallas -- Matt Behncke -- DF -- 3
Dallas -- Scott Garlick -- GK -- 8
Dallas -- Ty Maurin -- MF -- 1
Dallas -- Toni Nhleko -- FW -- 2 -- SI
Dallas -- Oscar Pareja -- MF -- 7
Dallas -- Philip Salyer -- DF -- 2
Wizards -- Francisco Gomez -- DF -- 6
Wizards -- Tony Meola -- GK -- 9
Wizards -- Preki -- FW -- 9
Wizards -- Igor Simutenkov -- M/F -- 3 -- SI
Wizards -- Matt Taylor -- FW -- 1
Wizards -- Alex Zotinca -- DF -- 2
United -- Kevin Ara -- DF -- 1
United -- Ezra Hendrickson -- DF -- 8
United -- Tim Lawson -- DF -- 1
United -- Thiago Martins -- FW -- 2
United -- Ryan Nelsen -- DF -- 4 -- SI
United -- Troy Perkins -- GK -- 1
United -- Eliseo Quintanilla -- FW -- 3 -- TI
United -- Earnie Stewart -- MF -- 2
Galaxy -- Paul Broome -- DF -- 6
Galaxy -- Dan Popik -- GK -- 2
Galaxy -- Marcelo Saragosa -- MF -- 1 -- TI
Galaxy -- Arturo Torres -- FW -- 2
MetroStars -- Pablo Brenes -- MF -- 1 -- TI
MetroStars -- Sergio Galvan Rey -- FW -- 1 -- SI
MetroStars -- Tim Regan -- DF -- 2
MetroStars -- Joselito Vaca -- MF -- 4 -- TI
MetroStars -- Jonny Walker -- GK -- 2
MetroStars -- Zach Wells -- GK -- 1
MetroStars -- Craig Ziadie -- DF -- 4
Revolution -- Adin Brown -- GK -- 5
Revolution -- Joey Franchino -- M/D -- 7
Revolution -- Brian Kamler -- M/D -- 9
Revolution -- Steve Howey -- DF -- 1 -- SI
Revolution -- Carlos Llamosa -- DF -- 8
Revolution -- Joe-Max Moore -- FW -- 6
Revolution -- Rusty Pierce -- DF -- 5
Earthquakes -- Jeff Agoos -- DF -- 9
Earthquakes -- Chris Brown -- F/M -- 6
Earthquakes -- Jon Conway -- GK -- 5
Earthquakes -- Ronnie Ekelund -- MF -- 4 -- SI
Earthquakes -- Wes Hart -- DF -- 5
Earthquakes -- Chris Roner -- MF -- 3
Earthquakes -- Jamil Walker -- FW -- 2
SI = Senior International; TI = Transitional International
Current teams can only lose a maximum of three players in the Expansion Draft. Also, once a player has been claimed from a current team's non-protected roster, that same team may move a player from its non-protected roster to its protected roster. The rights to unprotected players who are not selected by Real Salt Lake or CD Chivas USA in the Expansion Draft will be retained by their original clubs.
This will mark the second Expansion Draft in League history and the first since November 6, 1997 when Danny Peña and David Vaudreuil were selected first by the Chicago Fire and Miami Fusion respectively in what was then a 12-round draft.
