Crunch Selects Three Players

August 16, 2002 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Cleveland Force News Release


CLEVELAND, OHIO- The Cleveland Crunch selected three players in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) Dispersal Draft from a pool of players from the St. Louis Steamers roster. Crunch President & General Manager Paul Garofolo and Head Coach Mike Pilger announced the team's three selections this afternoon.

With their first selection and the second overall pick, the Crunch selected midfielder Jeff DiMaria. Last season for the Steamers, DiMaria appeared in 19 games and recorded eight goals and seven assists for a total of 15 points. DiMaria also had 39 shots and eight blocks on the season.

With its second pick and 10th selection overall, Cleveland selected defender D.J. Newsom. Newsom appeared in 23 games and recorded one goal and three assists for a total of four points. Newsom was third on the team in blocks with 25. He also had 21 shots on the season.

The final selection in the draft for the Crunch was forward Brandon Gibbs. Last season, Gibbs appeared in just six games and recorded one assist for one point and had just one shot.

"We are very excited about getting three of the players that we targeted going into this draft," stated Head Coach Mike Pilger. "DiMaria was the guy that we wanted. He is a great player and he can play many positions from midfield to defense. DiMaria will fit in well with our current roster. Newsome helps us defensively while Gibbs is a young talented player that we look forward to seeing develop with our franchise," added Pilger.

DiMaria, Newsom and Gibbs will all report to the Crunch D.R.A.F.T. Camp on August 26th.



Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from August 16, 2002


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