KiXX Select Five in 2006 MISL College Draft
Published on March 8, 2006 under Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Philadelphia KiXX News Release
Philadelphia, PA, March 8, 2005 - The Philadelphia KiXX announced today the selection of five players, including the club's first selection Glenside, PA native Anthony Donatelli, in the 2006 Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) College Draft. The team also acquired the rights to Omar Jarun, Dominic Oduro, Lucas Scudeler, and Richboro, PA native Ben Castor.
All six active teams, as well as the expansion Detroit franchise, participated in the draft, with order of selection based on each team's won-lost percentage from their last completed regular season. The draft consisted of one Territorial Round and four standard Numerical Rounds. In the Territorial Round, teams selected a player who was either born or attended college in the team's home state. Detroit, who is scheduled to debut in 2006-07, selected first in each round, while the California Cougars, who made their debut this season, selected second. The Baltimore Blast, Chicago Storm, St. Louis Steamers, Philadelphia KiXX, and the Milwaukee Wave rounded out the draft order.
The complete round-by-round breakdown of the KiXX selections is as follows:
Round Player Position College/University
Territorial Anthony Donatelli M Temple University
One Omar Jarun F University of Dayton
Two Dominic Oduro M Virginia Commonwealth University
Three Lucas Scudeler M Florida International University
Four Ben Castor D Marist College
Philadelphia kicked-off the draft selecting Donatelli with the sixth pick (sixth overall) of the Territorial Round. The selection marked the second consecutive year that the KiXX picked up a Temple product in the territorial round; the club led off their 2005 draft with goalkeeper Pat Hannigan. Donatelli, a Glenside native, capped a stellar collegiate career by leading the Philadelphia Soccer Seven in scoring for the second consecutive season and earning the 2005 League Player of the Year award. He was also named first team All-Atlantic 10 Conference for the second straight year and was named first team All-Mid-Atlantic Region. The midfielder finished his senior year with six goals and five assists for 17 points and leaves as the institutions single season (nine, 2004) and career (21) assist leader. Donatelli was also selected by the expansion Houston 1836 with the eighth pick of the third round in Major League Soccer's (MLS) supplement draft.
Jarun, the club's first round selection (13th overall), led the University of Dayton in scoring and was second in the Atlantic-10 in goals with 10 and third in both assists (seven) and points (27). After transferring to Dayton from the University of Memphis, the 6'5" forward totaled 19 goals in two seasons as a Flyer. A native of Peachtree City, GA, Jarun was a two-time All-Atlantic 10 pick and earned a spot on the All-Championship team at the Atlantic 10 tournament. On January 26, he was selected by the Atlanta Silverbacks with the sixth overall pick of the United Sates Soccer (USL) First Division Draft.
The KiXX continued their selections by acquiring the rights to Oduro, a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, with the team's second round (21st overall) selection. A native of Accra, Ghana, he was the 2004 Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year and a Third Team All-American. Oduro led the team and the conference with 16 goals and 33 points his senior season. The 6'0" forward was selected in the second round (22nd overall) by FC Dallas in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft on January 20, 2006.
The club then selected Scudeler with the draft's 28th overall pick in the third round. Scudeler a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-South Region Third Team for the second time his career (sophomore season of 2003) after recording a team-high seven assists and one goal en route to First Team All-Conference USA recognition. He was also named the team's Most Valuable Player at their annual banquet on January 15.
Philadelphia rounded out their selections with Castor (35th overall), a native of Richboro, PA. Castor, who earned MAAC Defensive Player of the Year for each of the past two years, was an integral part in the back-to-back titles for Marist's Red Foxes. In addition to his play on the backline, he registered seven points on two goals and three assists and was named the MAAC All-Tournament Team. For his performance in his senior season, Castor was named BigAppleSoccer.com's first team on January 11, 2006.
Meanwhile, the KiXX are preparing for a battle versus former player/coach Omid Namazi and the first-placed St. Louis Steamers on Saturday, March 11. The contest is scheduled to kick-off at 2:05 pm ET. The KiXX then return to the City of Brotherly Love to entertain St. Louis on Saturday, March 18. Game-time at the Wachovia Spectrum is slated for 7:05 pm ET with the action televised live on CN8, The Comcast Network. There will also be a live auction of the team's game-worn jerseys following the conclusion of the contest with proceeds benefiting Children's Miracle Network at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Mini-plans, Family 4-PaXX, birthday packages, group discounts and single-game tickets are on sale now by calling the club's ticket office at 1-888-888-KiXX (5499). Single-game tickets are also available at all TicketMaster outlets, as well as online at www.ticketmaster.com. For additional information, please contact the KiXX Office or visit the team's website, www.kixxonline.com.
The Philadelphia KiXX are a member of the Major Indoor Soccer League, a single-entity organization that features a coast-to-coast presence across the United States. The club will enter its ninth season of play in 2004-05 at the Wachovia Spectrum located in Philadelphia, PA.
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.
