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30 PDL players taken in MLS 2005 SuperDraft
Eight Chicago Fire Reserves selected, three in First Round
USL News Release
BALTIMORE, MD - At the Major League Soccer 2005 SuperDraft in Baltimore, Maryland, 30 players with Premier Development League experience, including eight players from the unbeaten 2004 Chicago Fire Reserves were selected.
The Fire Reserves have become a leader in player development in the PDL by doubling last year's four draft picks with eight in 2005, including three in the First Round. The first three PDL players selected in the First Round all hailed from the Fire Reserves with six PDL players in total going in the First Round.
The Fire Reserves' Brad Guzan, the 2004 PDL Goalkeeper of the Year, was the first PDL player taken in the draft, going as the second pick to expansion Chivas USA out of Los Angeles. Two selections later, Fire Reserves midfielder Danny O'Rourke was taken as the fourth overall pick by the San Jose Earthquakes. FC Dallas jumped into the mix with the sixth pick by taking defender Drew Moor, who helped lead Guzan to a league-low seven goals allowed in the 18-game season.
Former Texas Spur Hunter Freeman (7th, Colorado Rapids), Bradenton Academic Michael Parkhurst (9th, New England Revolution) and Indiana Invader Jack Stewart (10th, Chicago Fire) were also taken in the First Round.
Other Fire Reserve selections were Chris Rolfe (29th, Chicago), CJ Klaas (32nd, San Jose), Thabiso Khumalo (36th, Chicago), Luke Kreamalmeyer (37th, Real Salt Lake) and Julian Nash (40th, DC United), who led the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup in scoring in 2004 with four goals and two assists.
PDL 2004 semifinalist Carolina Dynamo saw four players taken in the draft with Marcus Storey and James Riley going back-to-back as the 20th and 21st selections to the Columbus Crew and Revolution, respectively, in the Second Round. Amir Lowery and Tim Merritt were drafted 45th and 48th by Colorado and DC in the Fourth Round.
Storey finished tied for eighth in the PDL goal scoring (15) in 2004 with forward Cameron Knox, who was one of three former Michigan Bucks taken in the draft. He was joined by John Minigawa-Webster (47th, Kansas City Wizards) and Khumalo, who played three seasons with the Bucks before joining the Fire Reserves last year.
Twenty of the players drafted played more than one season in the PDL with the 30 draftees averaging just over two seasons worth of experience.
2005 MLS SuperDraft - PDL version (PDF file) >>
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