Sounders pick 10 in MLS expansion draft
Thursday, November 27, 2008 10:38 AM PST
By The Associated Press
Printable version
E-mail this articleSEATTLE — The neophyte Seattle Sounders just grew from four players to 14.
General manager Adrian Hanauer and technical director Chris Henderson emphasized defense with a mix of youth and experience in Wednesday’s MLS expansion draft.
One new Sounder is Northwest native Nate Jaqua, from Eugene, Ore. He played for the Houston Dynamo and the U.S. national team.
Three other draft picks have international experience at the senior level: Kahno (KAHN-no) Smith, a midfielder from New England, has over 20 caps for Bermuda. Jarrod Smith, a forward from Toronto FC, has represented New Zealand. Peter Vagenas (Vye-YAY-nuss), a midfielder from the Los Angeles Galaxy, earned U.S. caps in 2000.
Also drafted were midfielders Brad Evans (from Columbus), Stephen King (Chicago) and Nathan Sturgis (Salt Lake), plus defenders Jeff Parke (New York), James Riley (San Jose) and Tyson Wahl (Kansas City).
Evans, Sturgis, Vagenas and Wahl have played for U.S. youth international teams. Sturgis was named to the 2008 Olympic team.
“We feel like we got a great mix of players,” Hanauer said. “We got an experienced veteran who has been there in the trenches and played lots of MLS games in Peter Vagenas. We got mid-tier experienced guys in Parke, Jaqua and Khano Smith. We’re very excited about the young players we were able to select.”
The Sounders already had four players signed for their inaugural season in 2009, when they will become the MLS’ 15th team: Goalkeeper Kasey Keller, forward Sebastien Le Toux, midfielder Freddie Ljungberg and midfielder Sanna Nyassi.
“We weighted the draft a little more defensively, rather than the attack,” said Hanauer. “We feel very good about our expansion draft players as they complement our existing four players. Together, they comprise a very solid core.”
Seattle’s picks Wednesday average 24.9 years of age, with 3.8 seasons of MLS experience.
The Sounders could claim only one player from each existing team. Four teams did not lose a player.
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