2003 SuperDraft Selection Order (subject to change via trade) Round One 1. D.C. United 2. MetroStars 3. Kansas City Wizards 4. Dallas Burn (from CHI) 5. MetroStars (from DAL) 6. San Jose Earthquakes 7. Columbus Crew 8. Los Angeles Galaxy (from COL) 9. New England Revolution 10. Los Angeles Galaxy Round Two 11. D.C. United 12. Dallas Burn (from MET) 13. Kansas City Wizards (from DC, KC) 14. D.C. United (from CHI) 15. Dallas Burn 16. San Jose Earthquakes 17. Columbus Crew 18. Chicago (from COL) 19. New England Revolution 20. Los Angeles Galaxy Round Three 21. Dallas Burn (from DC) 22. New England Revolution (from MET) 23. San Jose Earthquakes (from KC) 24. Chicago Fire 25. Chicago Fire (from DAL) 26. Chicago Fire (from DAL, SJ) 27. Columbus Crew 28. Colorado Rapids 29. New England Revolution 30. D.C. United (from LA) Round Four 31. D.C. United 32. MetroStars 33. Kansas City Wizards 34. Dallas Burn (from CHI) 35. Dallas Burn 36. San Jose Earthquakes 37. Columbus Crew 38. Colorado Rapids 39. San Jose Earthquakes (from NE) 40. Los Angeles Galaxy Round Five 41. D.C. United 42. MetroStars 43. Kansas City Wizards 44. Chicago Fire 45. Dallas Burn 46. San Jose Earthquakes 47. Columbus Crew 48. Colorado Rapids 49. New England Revolution 50. Los Angeles Galaxy Round Six 51. D.C. United 52. Dallas (from MET) 53. Kansas City Wizards 54. Chicago Fire 55. Dallas Burn 56. San Jose Earthquakes 57. New England Revolution (from CLB) 58. Colorado Rapids 59. D.C. United (from NE) 60. Los Angeles Galaxy |
NEW YORK (October 30, 2002) - Major League Soccer announced today that the League's annual SuperDraft will be held on January 17, 2003 at the Kansas City Convention Center beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET. For the first time ever, the event will take place in conjunction with the annual NSCAA Convention, scheduled from January 15-19. Hosted in part by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, the MLS SuperDraft will offer an exciting new dimension to the NSCAA's 56th annual convention, one of the country's most important soccer gatherings.
D.C. United, which finished the 2002 campaign with a League-low 32 points, will have the No. 1 overall selection while the hometown Kansas City Wizards look forward to five picks, including the third overall. Last year, the 2002 SuperDraft featured a group of impact players beginning with Budweiser Scoring Champion Taylor Twellman (No. 2 - New England Revolution) and Rookie of the Year Kyle Martino (No. 8 - Columbus Crew). Both players were called up to the U.S. National Team camp on Tuesday ahead of the November 17 exhibition against El Salvador in Washington, D.C. as U.S. Head Coach Bruce Arena begins building his 2006 World Cup Team.
Others who went on to leave their mark in MLS from the Class of 2002
include: midfielder Kelly Gray (No. 5 - Chicago Fire), defender Daouda Kante (No. 11 - D.C. United later acquired by Eastern Conference Champion New England), defender Jeff Stewart (No. 19 - Colorado Rapids), goalkeeper Jon Busch (No. 23 - Columbus Crew), midfielder Gavin Glinton (No. 25 - L.A. Galaxy), forward Alejandro Moreno (No. 27 - L.A. Galaxy), defender Chris Leitch (No. 47 - Columbus Crew) and midfielder Jeff Moore (No. 66 - MetroStars).
The SuperDraft will be featured live on Major League Soccer's official website, www.MLSnet.com, with real-time selection-by-selection results and a live audio web-cast featuring insight and analysis from Dwight Burgess, the long-time voice of the Columbus Crew.
Many of the potential draftees will be in attendance, as America's top collegiate prospects converge on Kansas City to accept their designation as NSCAA/adidas All-Americas at the NSCAA All-America Luncheon on Saturday, January 18. Details regarding an elite player combine will be finalized in the coming weeks. The combine will be held in the days leading up to the SuperDraft.
Aside from the 1996 Inaugural Draft, which was held in New York City, the annual event had been hosted in Florida for each of the past six years. The January 17 date will also mark the earliest ever the SuperDraft will be held. The only other draft to be held in January was the College and Supplemental Draft in 1998 (Jan. 31 - Feb. 1). Beginning in 2000 the annual selection process of collegiate, Nike Project-40 and professional players was combined and renamed the SuperDraft.
For the first time ever, the 2003 SuperDraft proceedings will also be open to the public. Those attending the event will be able to witness in person the announcement of each pick by Commissioner Don Garber, the emotions and speeches of the draftees and the last minute wheeling-and-dealing between teams looking to improve their draft position.
The 2003 SuperDraft will take place on the third day of the five-day NSCAA Convention. Each January, the NSCAA hosts what is now known as "The World's Largest Annual Gathering of Soccer Coaches." Approximately 4,000 coaches and 6,500 attendees from every level of the game in the United States and abroad gather for four days of instruction, recognition and fellowship. In addition to top-flight educational experiences conducted by top national and international coaching names, the Convention also features the largest soccer-only trade show in the U.S. The Convention also is the culmination of the NSCAA/adidas Awards Program, which distributes more than 10,000 awards each year to players, coaches and teams who have distinguished themselves in the sport.
The joint effort between MLS and the NSCAA to stage the SuperDraft is another in a series of collaborative initiatives that aim to continue to promote the sport of soccer in America. In 2001, MLS worked with the NSCAA to set up the MLS/NSCAA Collegiate Credential, which supplied NSCAA-registered collegiate coaches with free admission to MLS matches. Over 1,000 members across the country signed up in the program's first year. MLS coaches present for the SuperDraft will also play a part in the meetings and instructional sessions during the NSCAA Convention.
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