Chicago Storm selects 16 in expansion draft

June 23, 2004 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2) News Release


(Westport, Conn., June 23, 2004) – The Major Indoor Soccer League conducted its Chicago Expansion Draft on Wednesday afternoon. The Chicago Storm made 16 selections, acquiring the rights to players representing eight of the League's nine pre-existing teams. The Storm, which will begin play in the fall with the opening of the 2004-05 MISL season, was announced as the MISL' s 10th team on June 3.

Cleveland Force forward Hector Marinaro and Milwaukee Wave goalkeeper Dan Green headline Chicago's list of selections. Baltimore Blast defender Ibrahim Kante was the first player chosen. Seven midfielders, six defenders, two forwards, and one goalkeeper were selected by the Storm.

"We did a good job of selecting young players, with a couple of older players," said Chicago head coach and general manager Frank Klopas. "This is the first step. But this is just a start. There are many more players to look at. I'm excited about this group and we'll just go from there."

Marinaro, professional indoor soccer's all-time leading scorer, is a six-time League Most Valuable Player, a 16-time All-Star, and a 19-year veteran of indoor soccer. A member of the Cleveland franchise since the 1989-90 season, the 39-year-old Marinaro has scored 1,223 goals (2,787 total points), playing forward for much of his career, though he's split time as a defender in recent seasons.

Green, a goalkeeper who began his professional indoor career in 1996, emerged as the Milwaukee Wave's starter last season. The 32-year-old native of Waukesha, Wisc., led all MISL goalkeepers with his 18-3 record and 4.02 goals against average. Kante, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound, 22-year-old defender from Mali, Africa, played in five games last season for the MISL Champion Baltimore Blast.

Seven midfielders, six defenders, two forwards, and one goalkeeper were selected. Franchises in Philadelphia, Milwaukee and Kansas City each lost three players. Dallas and Baltimore each lost two. St. Louis, San Diego, and Cleveland each lost one player. Monterrey did not have any players selected. On June 10, MISL franchises submitted Designation Lists specifying the 11 players (maximum of one goalkeeper) that each club wished to "protect" in Wednesday's Draft. Undesignated players, and players not chosen in the 2004 MISL Amateur Draft, were eligible for selection by Chicago. Current MISL teams could lose a maximum of three players during the Expansion Draft. Once a player was selected from an existing team, that team was permitted to return one unprotected player to its protected Designation List. The Storm was allowed 16 selections.

2004 Chicago Storm Expansion Draft Wednesday, June 23, 2004

Selection 1 MISL Team Name Pos. Previous Team Chicago Storm Ibrahim Kante D Baltimore Blast

Selection 2 MISL Team Name Pos. Previous Team Chicago Storm Sandre Naumoski M Kansas City Comets

Selection 3 MISL Team Name Pos. Previous Team Chicago Storm Andy Guastaferro M Philadelphia KiXX

Selection 4 MISL Team Name Pos. Previous Team Chicago Storm Mark Rowland F Dallas Sidekicks

Selection 5 MISL Team Name Pos. Previous Team Chicago Storm Jose Alvarado D Dallas Sidekicks

Selection 6 MISL Team Name Pos. Previous Team Chicago Storm Fernando Errecalde M St. Louis Steamers

Selection 7 MISL Team Name Pos. Previous Team Chicago Storm Kevin Sakuda D San Diego Sockers

Selection 8 MISL Team Name Pos. Previous Team Chicago Storm Dan Green GK Milwaukee Wave

Selection 9 MISL Team Name Pos. Previous Team Chicago Storm Dewan Bader D Baltimore Blast

Selection 10 MISL Team Name Pos. Previous Team Chicago Storm Phil Presser D Kansas City Comets

Selection 11 MISL Team Name Pos. Previous Team Chicago Storm Matthew Stewart M Milwaukee Wave

Selection 12 MISL Team Name Pos. Previous Team Chicago Storm Craig Scheer M Kansas City Comets

Selection 13 MISL Team Name Pos. Previous Team Chicago Storm Mauricio Vincello D Philadelphia KiXX

Selection 14 MISL Team Name Pos. Previous Team Chicago Storm Hugo Alcaraz-Cuellar M Philadelphia KiXX

Selection 15 MISL Team Name Pos. Previous Team Chicago Storm Ryan Futagaki M Milwaukee Wave

Selection 16 MISL Team Name Pos. Previous Team Chicago Storm Hector Marinaro F Cleveland Force

The Major Indoor Soccer League is a single-entity organization featuring a coast-to-coast presence with nine teams located across the United States and a tenth team in Monterrey, Mexico. On February 27, the League announced an expansion team in Stockton, CA, set to begin play in 2005-06. On May 4, the League announced plans for an expansion team in Newark, NJ, that will begin play in 2007-08. The MISL is the single major league of indoor soccer. The League played a 162-regular season game schedule that concluded on April 5. The 2003-04 MISL Championship Series concluded on May 1, when the Baltimore Blast won its second consecutive MISL Championship. For more information on the MISL, visit the League's website at www.MISL.net.



Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from June 23, 2004


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