36 PDL players selected in MLS Draft
Champion Cape Cod Crusaders see three selected in 2004 SuperDraft
Friday, January 16, 2004
CHARLOTTE, NC - Thirty-six former Premier Development League players were selected in the 2004 Major League Soccer SuperDraft Friday at the NSCAA Convention in Charlotte, NC. The 36 players totaled over half of the 60-player class, which included three players from the 2003 PDL Champion Cape Cod Crusaders.
The two-time PDL champions saw Joseph Ngwenya, the league leader in goals, selected third overall in the draft by the Los Angeles Galaxy out of Coastal Carolina. Teammates Luke Vercollone and Ian Pilarski, who played the last two years with Cape Cod, went in the Fifth Round. Vercollone was chosen by the Columbus Crew with the 42nd overall pick and Pilarski went to the Chicago Fire with the 49th.
Orange County Blue Star, a developmental reserve team for the Galaxy, saw the most players drafted at five with all going in the first three rounds and, ironically, none to Los Angeles. Three-year Blue Star forward Matt Taylor was the fourth overall selection out of UCLA by the Kansas City Wizards. In the Second Round, three-year defender Leonard Griffin was selected 11th overall by the Chicago Fire and midfielder Adolfo Gregorio went to the Colorado Rapids 15th overall. In the Third Round, two-year goalkeeper Zack Wells went to the MetroStars 21st overall and midfielder Ty Maurin went 29th overall to the Dallas Burn.
Three other PDL clubs saw a few players selected with four moving on from the league runners-up Chicago Fire Reserves and three each from the Michigan Bucks and Brooklyn Knights.
Two of the four Fire Reserves were picked by the Chicago Fire. The 2002 PDL Goalkeeper of the Year Matt Pickens went 19th overall in the Second Round and teammate Denny Clanton, the 2002 PDL Defender of the Year, was the 48th overall selection in the Fourth Round. Two-year midfielder Ned Grabavoy went the highest of the four in the draft at 14th overall to the Galaxy in the Second Round. Three-year PDL midfielder Tighe Dombrowski, who also played for the regular season undefeated (15-0-3) Des Moines Menace in 2002, was the 50th overall selection in the Fifth Round by the San Jose Earthquakes. His brother Chad was drafted 44th overall by Chicago in last year's MLS SuperDraft, but eventually ended up playing for the A-League's regular season champion Milwaukee Wave United.
Perennial Central Conference power Michigan Bucks saw longtime players move on. Two-year defender Kevin Taylor was the first to hear his name called, going 25th overall to the Rapids in the Third Round. Four-year defender Jason Perry was selected 43rd overall by Los Angeles in the Fifth Round with fellow four-year teammate Justin Detter going to Kansas City four spots later.
The Brooklyn Knights saw MAC-Hermann Award Trophy winner Chris Wingert go to the Columbus Crew with the 12th overall selection in the Second Round. Gary Sullivan went to Colorado 45th overall in the Fifth Round with teammate Chris Aloisi going 57th overall to the Galaxy.
Of the 26 PDL players chosen in the draft, 21 played two or more seasons with eight having played at least three years.
MLS 2004 SuperDraft Results (Word file)
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