USL News Release

 

Friday, January 27, 2006

 

TAMPA, FL – An additional 29 Premier Development League players were selected in Thursday’s Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft held via conference call, joining the 34 selected in the SuperDraft the week prior.

Some big names from the PDL finally saw their names go on the board in the league’s second four-round, 48-selection draft.

Chicago Fire Premier forward and MAC-Hermann award finalist Jeff Rowland went second overall in the Supplemental Draft to Real Salt Lake. Rowland is coming off a division championship in the PDL in 2005 after spending two seasons with the Indiana Invaders, where he finished the 2004 season as an All-Conference selection for finishing fifth in the league in points (43) and sixth in goals (18). Rowland was one of five Fire Premier players selected Thursday, joining Brad Napper (FC Dallas, 18th), Dasan Robinson (Chicago Fire 22nd), Sean Babcock (Dallas, 30th) and Daniel Wasson (Colorado Rapids, 38th). The Fire Premier saw 10 players selected in the SuperDraft.

Goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum was the third overall selection, going to the Columbus Crew. He helped guide the Des Moines Menace to the PDL Championship in 2005, earning the Championship Most Valuable Player honor in the scoreless final that was decided in seven rounds of penalties. On the season, Gruenebaum ranked third in goals against average (0.97), shutouts (5) and minutes (1,394) and second in wins (11). He was one of four Menace players to be taken in the draft, joining Cory Farabi (Kansas City Wizards, 28th), Chris Hamburger (Kansas City, 40th) and Matt Wieland (New England Revolution, 47th).

"The local guys endeared themselves to the coaching staff during their time with the Des Moines Menace," said Kansas City Head Coach Bob Gansler, who selected two from the Menace based on performances in their Fourth Round US Open Cup match after the Menace had knocked off the USL First Division’s Charleston Battery and Atlanta Silverbacks. "Both Farabi and Hamburger played against us in the Open Cup and I thought they did a very good job and we kept that in mind."

DC United took 2005 PDL Co-Goal Scoring Champion Andy Metcalf of the Cape Cod Crusaders with the 19th overall selection. After a year with the Nashville Metros in 2004 Metcalf exploded on the PDL scene last season with 18 goals and four assists in 15 games, finishing third in points while helping lead the Crusaders to a division championship.  He was joined by Cape Cod teammates Christopher Joyce (Dallas, 6th) and Ezra Prendergast (Chicago, 34th) in the draft.

In all, the 29 players taken in the MLS Supplemental Draft account for 53 years of PDL experience and 17 division championships in addition to the foursome from the current PDL champion Menace.