SALT LAKE CITY, UT - Chicago Fire midfielder and Jamaican playmaker Andy Williams was the first of 10 players selected Friday by Real Salt Lake General Manager Steve Pastorino and Head Coach John Ellinger during Friday's 2005 MLS Expansion Draft broadcast live on ESPNews from the SkyBox Sports Grille in Salt Lake City.
Williams, one of only two players in MLS history to have scored goals for five different teams, found the back of the net Wednesday night in Jamaica's 1-1 tie with the United States, just hours after Real Salt Lake introduced the League's all-time leading scorer, Jason Kreis, as the team's first-ever player. Williams will be joined in Utah for RSL's inaugural season by Chicago Fire teammate D.J. Countess, a goalkeeper who was selected by Real Salt Lake with the fourth overall pick.
In addition to the Fire duo of Williams and Countess, Real Salt Lake also selected teammates from the Columbus Crew (defender Nelson Akwari - 10th overall - and forward Erick Scott - 20th overall) and New England Revolution (midfielder Brian Kamler - 8th overall - and defender Rusty Pierce - 16th overall). Countess and Akwari were teammates on RSL Head Coach John Ellinger's United States Under-17 team, and connections abound as RSL's 6th overall pick, MetroStars midfielder Pablo Brenes, represented the 2004 Costa Rican Olympic Team with RSL teammate Erick Scott, helping drive the "Ticos" to the quarterfinal stage.
| REAL SALT LAKE 2005 MLS EXPANSION DRAFT SELECTIONS | |||
| Rd. | Pos. | Name | Skinny |
| (1) | MF | Andy Williams | Jamaican international was second-leading scorer for Chicago, registering 17 points on four goals and nine assists |
| (2) | GK | D.J. Countess | Young 'keeper limited to two appearances for Chicago after being picked up from Dallas in the offseason |
| (3) | MF | Pablo Brenes | Promising left-sided def/mid, played in 14 games for the MetroStars and shone with Costa Rica in the Olympics |
| (4) | MF | Brian Kamler | An MLS original who played in 22 games this season for the Revs, on the left of midfield or defense |
| (5) | DF | Nelson Akwari | A Project-40 graduate in 2004, he saw regular starts and helped solidify the Crew's defense in 19 games this season |
| (6) | FW | Chris Brown | Brown recorded a goal and two assists in limited duty for San Jose after in an early-season trade with the Revolution |
| (7) | DF | Matt Behncke | Princeton product was in and out of the starting lineup at fullback and center back, scoring one goal in 17 games |
| (8) | DF | Rusty Pierce | Rugged center back who returned from serious thigh injury early in the campaign to help shore up Revolution defense |
| (9) | MF | Kevin Ara | Graduate of Harvard University who saw action in six contests during his rookie campaign in MLS, including one start |
| (10) | FW | Erick Scott | Costa Rican international saw only six appearances in his first MLS season, away often on international duty |
Other Real Salt Lake players selected on Friday include: former San Jose forward Chris Brown (12th overall), former Dallas defender Matt Behncke (14th overall) and former D.C. United midfielder Kevin Ara (18th overall). By position, RSL drafted one goalkeeper, three defenders, four midfielders and two forwards during the 2005 MLS Expansion Draft.
The MLS trade window opens again on 9:00 a.m. ET on Monday, November 22 and does not close until the trade deadline on September 15, 2005, in line with the closing of the second international transfer window.
Click here for complete results of the 2005 Expansion Draft.
