Blast selects four players in MISL Amateur Draft
Published on March 8, 2006 under Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Baltimore Blast News Release
Baltimore, MD - The Baltimore Blast selected four college players in today's MISL Amateur Draft. The Blast chose UMBC's Matt Watson in the Territorial Round of the Draft and had the third selection in four of the draft's five rounds. The team selected one defender, one midfielder, one forward and one goalkeeper.
Watson, who is originally from Redditch, England, was named the 2004 and 2005 America East Conference Midfielder of the Year. The 6-0, 170-pound midfielder was a First-Team NSCAA/Adidas All-South Atlantic Region selection last season after recording three goals and leading the Retrievers with seven assists.
"The Amateur Draft has been very important to the success of our franchise," said Blast General Manager Kevin Healey. "I have high hopes for this year's draft selections."
Baltimore chose Teba McKnight from George Mason University in the first round. McKnight, a 5-11, 170-pound native of Trinidad and Tobago, played one season at the University of Mobile before transferring to GMU. He was named Second-Team All-CAA and Second-Team All-Virginia last season after leading the Patriots with 20 points (seven goals, six assists). In the second round, Baltimore chose Graham Munro, a defender from Binghamton University. Munro, the three-time America East Defender of the Year, recorded 10 points last season. He was also a Third-Team All-America last season and a a three-time All-New York Region Selection and a four-time All-Conference selection.
The Blast selected Andrew Frankel from Fairfield University in the fourth round of the draft. Frankel, a goalkeeper from Rhode Island, was a three-year starter for the Stags and recorded 16 shutouts in his career.
The five-round Major Indoor Soccer League Amateur Draft was held this afternoon via conference call. The draft consisted of one territorial round and four standard rounds of selections. Draft order, based on each team's win percentage from their last completed regular season, was as follows: 2006-07 expansion Detroit franchise, California Cougars, Baltimore Blast, Chicago Storm, St. Louis Steamers, Philadelphia KiXX, and Milwaukee Wave. The Blast did not have a selection in the third round, due to a previous trade with the St. Louis Steamers.
The Blast (15-8 on the season) ranks second in the MISL with just seven games remaining in the regular season. The team needs one win to clinch a spot in the 2006 MISL playoffs. Single-game tickets for the three remaining Baltimore Blast 2005-06 regular-season home games are on sale now by calling 410-73-BLAST, at the 1st Mariner Arena Box Office and at all TicketMaster outlets including TicketMaster phonecharge at 410-547-SEAT. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com.
Baltimore Blast 2005 MISL Amateur Draft Picks:
Round Player Position College
Territorial Matt Watson Midfielder UMBC
1st Teba McKnight Forward George Mason University
2nd Graham Munro Defender Binghamton University
3rd traded to St. Louis for Daouda Kante (1/21/05)
4th Andrew Frankel Goalkeeper Fairfield University
Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from March 8, 2006
- Cougars Select Five of California's College Soccer Standouts in 2006 MISL College Draft - California Cougars
- MISL weekly - MISL 2
- Steamers Select Five in 2006 MISL College Draft - St. Louis Steamers
- Wave selects six in 2006 MISL College Draft - Milwaukee Wave
- Blast selects four players in MISL Amateur Draft - Baltimore Blast
- KiXX Select Five in 2006 MISL College Draft - Philadelphia KiXX
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
