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MISL Amateur Draft on Tap for February 27

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


(Westport, Conn., February 23, 2004) – The Major Indoor Soccer League will conduct its annual Amateur Draft on Friday, February 27, at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel, the official host hotel of the 2004 MISL All-Star Weekend. The Draft will take place from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. on Concourse D in the Renaissance, and is open to media and the public.

All nine MISL teams will participate in the draft, with order of selection based on each team's won-lost percentage from their last completed regular season. The draft will consist of one Territorial Round and four Numerical Rounds. In the Territorial Round, teams must select a player who was either born or attended college in the team's home state. The hometown St. Louis Steamers, who did not play in 2002-03, will have the first pick. The 2004 MISL Amateur Draft order appears below:

1. St. Louis Steamers

2. Monterrey Fury

3. Dallas Sidekicks

4. San Diego Sockers

5. Kansas City Comets

6. Baltimore Blast

7. Cleveland Force

8. Philadelphia KiXX

9. Milwaukee Wave

Recent MISL drafts have produced a wealth of young talent, including Baltimore's Giuliano Celenza (Territorial Round, 2001, UMBC), Billy Nelson (First Round, 2001, UMBC), and P.J. Wakefield (First Round, 2002, UMBC); Kansas City's Anthony Maher (First Round selection by Cleveland, 2002, Mercyhurst College), Brian Soell (First Round, 2002, University of Missouri), and Sandre Naumoski (Second Round, 2002, Southern Nazarene); Cleveland's Fred DeGand (Territorial Round, 2001, Bowling Green) and Joel Bailey (First Round, 2002, Wheeling Jesuit); and San Diego's Jacob Ward (Territorial Round, 2002, Azusa-Pacific).

Defender Sean Bowers of the Sockers and forward Joel Shanker and defender Pat Morris of the Philadelphia KiXX, who will all participate in the 2004 All-Star Game on Sunday, February 29, at the Family Arena in St. Charles, are former Amateur Draft selections, as are highly regarded veterans Nick Stavrou (Dallas' second-round pick, 1991), David Doyle (Kansas City's first-round pick, 1986), and Michael King (Cleveland's second-round pick, 1986).

Five current MISL coaches started their careers as draft picks. Keith Tozer was the original MISL's first-ever draft pick when he was selected by the Cincinnati Kids out of Oneonta State University in 1978; Steamers player/coach Daryl Doran was the Steamers' first-round pick, seventh overall, out of St. Louis University in 1982; Baltimore Blast coach Tim Wittman was selected by the Blast in the third round of the 1980 draft out of Calvert Hall High School in Baltimore; Andy Schmetzer (Nathan Hill High School in Washington) of the Cleveland Force was Cleveland's first-round pick in the 1986 draft; and Philadelphia KiXX player/coach Don D'Ambra was drafted out of St. Joseph's University in the second round by the Milwaukee Wave in 1993.

Among the multitude of successful draft picks from the original MISL, the AISA, and the NPSL are Kevin Koetters, Rusty Troy, Kris Peat, Jimmy Banks, Troy Snyder, Franklin McIntosh, Dale Ervine, Ed Gettemeier, and Joe Papaleo. Desmond Armstrong, Dan Donigan, and Jamie Swanner, all of whom will participate in the MISL Legends Game on February 29, are former first-round picks.

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