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L.A. Galaxy select five players at 2006 MLS Superdraft

January 20, 2006 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
LA Galaxy News Release


Philadelphia, PA - The Los Angeles Galaxy selected five players in 2006 MLS SuperDraft, held in conjunction with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention. The Galaxy drafted defender Nathan Sturgis of Clemson University with the 12th overall selection, forward Marc Burch of Maryland with the 24th overall selection, defender Kyle Veris of Ohio State and goalkeeper Chris Dunsheath with the 25th and 36th picks of the third round, and with the 48th and final pick selected forward Aaron King of North Carolina State. The club will report for the beginning of pre-season training in Los Angeles on Monday, January 23 in preparation for the 2006 MLS campaign.

"We are very satisfied that we were able to address as many needs as possible with our five draft selections and improved our club," said Galaxy President and General Manager Doug Hamilton. "We targeted a number of players with the athletic abilities that will allow them to cover a lot of ground at The Home Depot Center. In addition to League play, we are also going to be competing in a number of different competitions this season and believe this group will be capable of handling all of those demands."

With their first selection (12th overall), the Galaxy chose former Clemson University and U.S. Under-20 national team defender Nathan Sturgis. The 18-year-old Generation adidas player was a third-team NSCAA All-American in 2005 and also earned Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors the same season.

"We are very pleased with all of our selections," said L.A. Galaxy Head Coach Steve Sampson. "We were very surprised to find Nathan Sturgis available so late in the first round and are confident of his defensive abilities after watching him play at the combine and with the U-20 National Team. We were also able to acquire two quality forwards in Kyle Veris and Aaron King, defender Kyle Veris and the rights to goalkeeper Chris Dunsheath."

With the 24th overall selection in the second round, Los Angeles chose forward Marc Burch from Cincinnati, Ohio. Burch scored game-winning goal in the NCAA College Cup final for the 2005 National Champion Maryland Terrapins. A three-time All Missouri Valley Conference selection (2002-04), Burch attended the University of Evansville before transferring to Maryland for his senior season.

The Galaxy's two third round picks included Kyle Veris with the 25th overall selection and goalkeeper Chris Dunsheath with the 36th overall pick. A 6-3 defender from Ohio State University, Veris was a First All-Big Ten (2004-05) and a First Team All-Great Lakes Region (2005) selection. As a member of the Bradley Braves in 2005, Dunsheath posted a 0.81 Goals-Against-Average (GAA), and was a NSCAA First Team All-American (2005) and a First Team All-Missouri Valley Conference. Dunsheath is not expected to join the club until he completes his degree in 2007.

With their final pick in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft, the Galaxy chose forward Aaron King from North Carolina State University. At N.C. State, King scored 44 career goals and earned 15 assists, while being voted a First-Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (2003-05) and a NSCAA First Team All-American (2004).

LOS ANGELES GALAXY 2006 MLS SUPERDRAFT SELECTIONS

Rd. # Selection Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown DOB College/Last Club

1 12 Nathan Sturgis D/M 5'10" 150 07-06-87 St. Augustine, Fla. Clemson University

2 24 Marc Burch F 6'2" 190 05-07-84 Cincinnati, OH University of Maryland

3 25 Kyle Veris D 6'3" 170 03-15-83 Strongsville, OH Ohio State

3 36 Chris Dunsheath GK 6'3" 196 08-16-83 Rockford, IL Bradley

4 48 Aaron King F 6'0" 175 01-31-82 Denver, CO North Carolina State

NOTES TO MEDIA: Full bios of the players drafted by the Galaxy are available on www.lagalaxy.com .

Los Angeles Galaxy tickets are now on sale for the 2006 season at The Home Depot Center, who open their eleventh season in MLS with a match against the New England Revolution at 8 pm (PT) on Saturday, April 1, 2006. For more information or to purchase your 2006 Los Angeles Galaxy season tickets, please call toll-free 1-877-3GALAXY.


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