Chicago Fire Select Six in 2008 MLS Supplemental Draft

January 24, 2008 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (Jan. 24, 2008) - The Chicago Fire selected six players in the 2008 Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft held today at 2:00p.m. CT, via teleconference from the MLS league offices in New York City, N.Y. The 14 Major League Soccer teams continued to add depth to their rosters by selecting a combined 51 players out of a possible 180 on the day. Chicago Fire players and staff will report to TOYOTA PARK on Feb. 4, before traveling to Bradenton, Fla. for the first leg of preseason.

In the first round, the Chicago Fire technical staff used its natural selection to draft midfielder Kai Kasiquran of Messiah College with the 12th overall pick. Chicago took forward Adrian Bumbut of Liberty University as the club's second selection in the draft (35th overall) in the second round, and midfielder Zach Pope of Duke University as its third pick (39th overall) in the third round.

Former Chicago Fire Premier (2006, 2007) and University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee defender Steve Bode was the first of three fourth round picks the Fire had on day, being selected 45th overall. The final two fourth round selections were midfielder Timothy Conway of Nyack College (46th overall) and goalkeeper Melford James Jr. of the University of Montevallo (52nd overall).

All players who were eligible for, and not selected in, the 2008 MLS SuperDraft held last Friday, Jan. 18, and any additional players nominated by MLS teams were eligible for selection in the 2008 Supplemental Draft. The original order of the four-round MLS Supplemental Draft is determined by the reverse order of league standings following the 2007 season. The complete order of today's picks can be found by clicking on the following link: www.mlsnet.com.

Bios for the Fire's 2008 Supplemental Draft selections follow:

Kai Kasiguran - 12th Overall (First Round)

Position: Midfielder

Born: September 8, 1985 (22)

Height: 5-11 Weight: 160

College: Messiah College

Hometown: Oakwood Village, Ohio

Citizenship: USA

Misc: A four-year starter for Messiah College, Kasiguran was the NSCAA Division III National Player of the Year (2007) and four-time NSCAA All-American (2007, 2006, 2005, 2004) ... Kasiguran was a three-time Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year (2007, 2006, 2005) ... Led Messiah to three-straight MCAA Division III National Championship victories (2006, 2005, 2004).

Adrian Bumbut - 23rd Overall (Second Round)

Position: Forward

Born: August 17, 1984

Height: 5-8 Weight: 145

College: Liberty University

Hometown: Zalau, Romania

Citizenship: Romania

Misc: Led the Liberty Flames to a 2007 Big South Championship ... Named to National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division I All-South Atlantic Region teams ... Named a first-team All-Big South honoree ... Tied for second in the conference and led Liberty in goals and points, with 12 and 29, respectively ... Tied for the conference lead with five game-winning goals ... Closed his Flames career with 32 goals, ranking fourth in program history.

Zach Pope - 39th Overall (Third Round)

Position: Midfielder

Born: March 20, 1986

Height: 5-7 Weight: 140

College: Duke University

Hometown: Round Rock, Texas

Citizenship: USA

Misc: All-ACC Academic team selection (2006)

Steve Bode - 45th Overall (Fourth Round)

Position: Defender

Born: Oct. 4, 1984

Height: 6-2 Weight: 185

College: University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisc.

Citizenship: USA

Misc: UWM Panthers team captain for three years (2007, 2006, 2005) ... three year member of the Horizon Academic All-League Team ... First Team NCSAA All-North/Central Region Scholar ... First Team All-Horizon League as a senior ... Chicago Fire Juniors (PDL) product (2006, 2007)

Timothy Conway - 46th Overall (Fourth Round)

Position: Midfielder

Born: June 5, 1986

Height: 6-0 Weight: N/A

College: Nyack College

Hometown::Billerica, MA

Citizenship: USA

Misc: Named to the first team all-confernce for the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference for the third consecutive year ... led Nyack with 7 goals and 4 assists in his senior season ... voted Newcomer of the Year for the CACC in 2004 as a freshman ... finished his career with 36 goals and 11 assists in 82 games.

Melford James Jr. - 52nd Overall (Fourth Round)

Position: Goalkeeper

Born: February 21, 1984

Height: 6-1 Weight: N/A

College: University of Montevallo

Hometown: Brampton, Ontario Citizenship: Canada

Misc: Named 2006 First Team NSCAA/adidas All-South Region and 2006 First Team All-Gulf South Conference ... Played for in 2004 and 2005, appearing in five matches and started in two matches.

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Major League Soccer Stories from January 24, 2008

• Chicago Fire Select Six in 2008 MLS Supplemental Draft - Chicago Fire FC
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• Mexican Ollympic Team to Play Australia at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland - San Jose Earthquakes
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