Ignition selects seven in MISL Dispersal Draft
September 25, 2006 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Detroit Ignition News Release
(Southfield, Mich., September 25, 2006) - The Detroit Ignition select seven players during the 2006 Major Indoor Soccer League Dispersal Draft, team president Greg Bibb announced Monday. MISL Commissioner Steve Ryan announced the St. Louis Steamers would be designated as inactive for the 2006-07 season on September 22. The league will continue to work with community leaders and potential investor/operators to return the Major Indoor Soccer League to St. Louis for the 2007-08 campaign. From the Steamers, the Ignition acquired the rights to Jamar Beasley, Mike Apple, Mauricio Salles, Jeff DiMaria, Miodrag Djerisilo, Justin Sadler, and Justin McMillian.
With the club entering their first season of play, the Ignition was awarded the first overall selection in the 2006 MISL Dispersal Draft and used this pick to tab midfielder Jamar Beasley. The first-year side traded the fourth overall selection, acquired in the Jim Larkin/Danny Waltman trade on September 7, to the California Cougars in exchange for veteran defender and Bill Sedgewick and the eighth pick in the draft. Detroit then traded the playing rights of Joel Bailey and Carlos Garcia, two players selected in the 2006 MISL Expansion Draft held in June, to the Baltimore Blast in exchange for the sixth overall selection. With the sixth and eighth overall selections, the Ignition acquired the rights to forward Mike Apple and USL First Division standout Mauricio Salles. With the first selections in the third round (13th overall) and fourth (19th) rounds, the Ignition selected midfielder Jeff DiMaria and forward Miodrag Djerisilo. With the club's final two selections, the Ignition turned midfielder, and 2006 MISL College draftee, Justin Sadler and defender Justin McMillian.
"I am very excited about our selections in the dispersal draft," stated Ignition head coach Mark Pulisic. "I feel each and every selection we made could potentially contribute to the success of the club immediately. We were fortunate to be able to select a guy like Jamar Beasley, a player I feel was one of the most electrifying in the league last year. I am looking forward to seeing him come in and make a positive contribution to our club."
Jamar Beasley (1st Selection Overall) Height: 5'10" Position: F
Weight: 160 lbs Hometown: Fort Wayne, Indiana
A member of the 2005-06 All-MISL Second Team, Beasley finished the season ranked fourth in the league in goals with 33 and sixth in points with 45. Beasley began his professional career in 1998, when, at the time, he became the youngest player to ever sign with Major League Soccer. This fall Beasley will be entering his fourth MISL season where he has appeared in 91 career games tallying 128 career points. He was awarded the 2003-04 Major Indoor Soccer League's Rookie of the Year award.
GP G A PTS BLK
05-06 30 33 12 45 4
Career 91 86 42 128 26
Mike Apple (6th Selection Overall) Height: 6'1" Position: F
Weight: 190 lbs Hometown: Akron, Ohio
A veteran indoor and outdoor player, Mike Apple scored 17 goals and 24 points in 28 games with the St. Louis Steamers during the 2005-06 season. Apple was a standout at the University of Akron, where he was named Mid-American Conference Player of the Year in 1998 and received All-America recognition. Apple's first professional indoor experience came in 1999 with the Cleveland Crunch of the National Professional Soccer League.
GP G A PTS BLK
05-06 28 17 7 24 2
Career 77 51 21 72 12
Mauricio Salles (8th Selection Overall) Height: 6'3" Position: F
Weight: 185 lbs Hometown: Salvador de Bahia
A successful outdoor player, Mauricio Salles has scored 72 points in 77 USL Division 1 games played dating back to 2004. Salles spent the 2006 season with the Montreal Impact where he scored 19 points in 26 games. The Brazilian native finished the season as the Impact's leading scorer.
GP G A PTS BLK
Career* 77 34 4 72 NA
*Has spent professional career in USL Division 1
Jeff DiMaria (13th Selection Overall) Height: 5'8" Position: M
Weight: 160 lbs Hometown: St. Charles, Missouri
A longtime veteran of professional soccer, midfielder Jeff DiMaria continued to show prowess around the net with 14 goals in 30 games last season. Before entering professional soccer, DiMaria was recognized as an NSCAA first-team All-American at Saint Louis University in 1999.
GP G A PTS BLK
05-06 30 14 10 24 14
Career 104 47 31 78 70
Miodrag Djerisilo (19th Selection Overall) Height: 5'9" Position: M
Weight: 155 lbs Hometown: Belgrade, Serbia
Out of the league since 2005, the MISL veteran has scored 102 points in 103 games played dating back to debut season with the Kansas City Comets in 2002-03. Before coming to the United States, the midfielder played for the Italian club Pescara of Serie B and a number of Serbian clubs.
GP G A PTS BLK
Career* 103 43 47 102 47
*Part of career played under multi-point scoring system
Justin Sadler (25th Selection Overall) Height: 5'9" Position: M
Weight: 150 lbs Hometown: Harrisburg, PA
A third-round selection in the 2006 MISL College Draft, Sadler spent the 2006 outdoor season with the Harrisburg City Islanders of the USL Second Division. Sadler finished his collegiate career at the University of Akron where he finished third on the team with six assists and appeared in all 23 games.
GP G A PTS BLK
06* 15 1 1 3 NA
*Spent 2006 in USL Second Division
Justin McMillian (31st Selection Overall) Height: 5'10" Position: D
Weight: 165 lbs Hometown: Granite City, Illinois
A two-year veteran of the MISL, McMillian has 18 blocks in 31 career games played. McMillian attended Southern Illinois University where he was a first-team All-American, and Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year. He had four points in 12 games with the Steamers last season.
GP G A PTS BLK
05-06 12 1 3 4 4
Career 31 2 4 6 18
Bill Sedgewick (Acquired with 8th Overall Selection for 4th Overall Pick) Height: 5'11" Position: D
Weight: 180 lbs Hometown: Wheatridge, Colorado
Veteran MISL defender Bill Sedgewick spent last season with the California Cougars tallying 33 blocks in 30 games last season. Sedgewick broke into the MISL with the Edmonton Drillers during the 1997-98 campaign.
GP G A PTS BLK
05-06 30 5 1 6 33
The Detroit Ignition will kick-off the team's inaugural MISL season at Compuware Sports Arena on Saturday, November 4. Information regarding Ignition season, group, and individual tickets can be obtained by calling the club at 1-888-436-GOAL (4625), or by visiting the team's official Internet property, www.detroitignition.com.
The Detroit Ignition is a subsidiary of the Hantz Group. The Hantz Group is a full-service financial holding company with 24 locations in Michigan and Ohio serving over 18,000 clients with over $1.3 billion in assets under management. With over 500 employees the full service company provides financial planning, tax planning, investment products, and mortgages through its affiliates.
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