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RE: [nas] FW: MLS - Three Players Selected In 2002 Waiver Draft
Title: FW: MLS - Three Players Selected In 2002 Waiver Draft
Does
this imply that the Crew are ready to send Dante to United?
NEW YORK (Wednesday, November 6, 2002) - Three players were
selected in the
2002 Major League Soccer Waiver Draft conducted on
Wednesday at 12:00 p.m.
ET via conference call from League headquarters
in New York. The San Jose
Earthquakes were the first team to make a move
when they picked up defender
Craig Waibel with the sixth pick. The
Columbus Crew followed at No. 7 and
added 2001 Hermann Trophy winner
Luchi Gonzalez. The last team to make a
selection in the Waiver Draft was
the Colorado Rapids, who bolstered their
defensive depth with the
addition of Billy Sleeth. A total of 26 players
were waived by their
clubs and were eligible for selection in Wednesday's
draft.
The
Earthquakes are Waibel's third MLS club after he spent the 2000
season
with the Colorado Rapids and the last two seasons with the Los
Angeles
Galaxy. The 27-year-old native of Spokane, Washington made 12
appearances
for the eventual MLS Cup champions in 2002. He adds to the
depth of an
Earthquakes back line that was hit by the absences of veteran
central
defenders Jeff Agoos and Troy Dayak in 2002 due to injuries and
Agoos'
participation in the U.S. 2002 World Cup effort. A versatile and
solid
defender (6-1, 195 pounds), Waibel joins a defensive unit that also
features
Pepsi Best XI selection Wade Barrett and 24-year-old Eddie
Robinson, who was
recently called up to the U.S. National Team for the
exhibition against El
Salvador in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 17.
The
Crew added to its already impressive group of attackers with
the
selection of the 22-year-old Gonzalez. The sixth overall selection in
the
2002 SuperDraft by the Earthquakes, Gonzalez saw just 47 minutes of
spot
duty during his rookie year over the course of eight appearances.
The former
Southern Methodist University striker was selected as the best
collegiate
player during his 2001 senior season, earning the prestigious
Hermann Trophy
and NSCAA/adidas Division I Player of the Year award after
scoring 21 goals
in 21 games. The speedy and technical Gonzalez, a former
member of the U.S.
youth national team system, joins a Crew front line
that includes: Brian
McBride, Jeff Cunningham, Edson Buddle and Dante
Washington.
Sleeth, the No. 10 overall selection in the 2002
SuperDraft, was immediately
thrust into the action with the Chicago Fire
during his 2002 rookie season.
With injuries and national team call-ups
decimating the Fire, the
23-year-old made 13 appearances, including seven
starts. The former
University of Washington defender started out as a
right back for the Fire
and gradually made the transition to right
midfield. On the college level
Sleeth was a teammate of Waibel, who also
attended the University of
Washington.
The results of the 2002
Waiver Draft follow:
1. D.C. United -
pass
2. MetroStars - pass
3. Kansas City Wizards
- pass
4. Chicago Fire - pass
5. Dallas Burn -
pass
6. San Jose Earthquakes - Craig Waibel
7.
Columbus Crew - Luchi Gonzalez
8. Colorado
Rapids - Billy Sleeth
9. New England Revolution -
pass
10. Los Angeles Galaxy -
pass
The Waiver Draft selection order was based on the original order
of the 2003
SuperDraft, which takes into consideration each team's record
during the
2002 season and how far each club advanced in the 2002 MLS Cup
Playoffs. All
six rounds of the 2003 SuperDraft will be held in Kansas
City, Missouri on
January 17 in conjunction with the National Soccer
Coaches Association of
America (NSCAA) Convention. Heading into the
SuperDraft, clubs must be
roster compliant by Friday, January 3,
2003.