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MLS Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake Selects Four In 2010 MLS SuperDraft

January 14, 2010 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Real Salt Lake News Release


PHILADELPHIA (Thursday, January 14, 2010) - Defending MLS Cup Champion Real Salt Lake today added four young college players to its roster via the 2010 MLS SuperDraft, while making headlines with its trade of one-time "RSL Original" and veteran MLS midfielder/forward Clint Mathis to the Los Angeles Galaxy late in the first round.

RSL's 2010 MLS SuperDraft picks were as follows:

# PLAYER POS. HT WT DOB HOMETOWN CLUB/COLLEGE

15 Collen Warner MF 5-10 170 06/24/1988 Denver, CO Portland

32 Justin Davis DF 6-0 170 05/06/1988 Litchfield Park, AZ New Mexico

39 Chris Schuler DF 6-4 185 09/06/1987 Aurora, IL Creighton

64 Kris Banghart DF 6-1 190 03/01/1988 Ft. Collins, CO Denver

"With the Combine and the Draft we saw quite a few players that we thought could help us and could play some significant minutes for us," said Real Salt Lake Head Coach Jason Kreis. "We've got a lot more meaningful games this year, so we're going to need a deeper squad with a greater number of players that can contribute. We feel we've addressed some of those needs in this draft, and we'll continue to try and make this team deeper and stronger going forward."

RSL, slated to pick last in each of the first, second and fourth rounds entering Thursday's event, moved up one pick at the end of the opening round, packaging its #16 overall pick and Mathis for the Galaxy, the team it vanquished just six weeks ago in Seattle at MLS Cup 2009, in exchange for the #15 pick, with which RSL selected University of Portland MF Collen Warner, a Denver native who scored 20 goals and added 20 assists during his four-year Pilot career. RSL also obtained Los Angeles' 2011 third-round pick as part of the Mathis deal.

"We came in with a list of about 12 players that we thought could make a difference for us and help us," said Real Salt Lake GM Garth Lagerwey. "We knew we were going to try and move Mathis during the Draft, so we wanted to find a two-way midfielder, and we feel like we were really successful in doing that with Collen Warner."

"A lot of teams were interested in me and I'm thrilled to be going to Real Salt Lake," said Warner. "I'm just excited to follow in the line of the great UP soccer players who are currently playing in the MLS. Real Salt Lake has a lot of good players on the squad and I'm looking forward to playing there."

At the tail end of the second round, #32 overall, RSL selected the University of New Mexico's Justin Davis, a versatile player whose speed and left-sided nature has served the Lobos well both on the back line and at forward.

"I want to say thanks to Real Salt Lake for having confidence in me and drafting me," Davis said. "I also want to thank my coaches and teammates at UNM for a great four years. I'm very much looking forward to playing at the professional level."

Seven picks later, RSL acquired the Galaxy's #39 pick in exchange for the Utah side's natural 2011 third-rounder, which resulted in a swapping of next year's third-rounders between the two team. With that pick, RSL selected University of Creighton DF Chris Schuler, a towering, 6' 4" centerback, born in St. Louis and raised in suburban Chicago, where he played youth club soccer for the Chicago Magic - the same club that produced current RSL midfielders Will Johnson and Ned Grabavoy, as well as RSL General Manager Garth Lagerwey.

With the team's fourth and final pick, #64 overall, RSL made one of Collen Warner's youth soccer opponents, Kris Banghart, the 2010 MLS SuperDraft's last player taken, as the University of Denver defender and Fort Collins, Colo., native squared off against Denver native Warner during their youth days.

REAL SALT LAKE 2010 SUPERDRAFT SELECTION PLAYER BIOS

Collen Warner - 15th Overall Selection (First Round)

Position: Midfielder

Height: 5-10

Weight: 170

Born: June 24, 1988 in Denver, Colo.

Hometown: Denver, Colo.

College: Portland

Citizenship: USA

UNIVERSITY OF PORTLAND CAREER: Concluded his UP career with 20 goals, 20 assists, 60 points and six game-winners in 79 games as a combination midfielder/forward...

2009: Completed his UP career by helping guide the Pilots to the Third Round of the NCAA postseason... During Portland's run through the 2009 playoffs, Warner scored both goals during a 2-1 overtime win at New Mexico and assisted on the game-winner in a 2-1 win at North Carolina State... Also went three-for-three on penalty kicks last fall... Led Portland last year with nine goals (three game-winners), seven assists, 60 shots and 25 shots on goal... Led the West Coast Conference in points (25), was tied for first in game-winners, tied for second in goals and he ranked third in assists... Named to his third consecutive All-WCC First Team...

2008: Named to the All-WCC First Team for the second consecutive year... Led the Pilots and the West Coast Conference with eight assists... Finished second on the team with five goals, 18 points and 43 shots... Ranked fourth in the WCC in points and was sixth in goals...

2007: Named to the All-WCC First Team and to Top Drawer Soccer's All-Season Third Team... Finished second on the team with four assists and tied for third with 10 points... Also scored three goals and a game-winner... Started all 20 games he appeared in...

2006: Named to the All-West Coast Conference Freshman Team and named All-WCC Honorable Mention... Named to the Top Drawer Soccer All-Rookie Second Team... Finished third on the team with three goals... Also recorded an assist, one game-winner, 19 shots and eight shots on goal...

OLYMPIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM: Member of the Colorado ODP state team from 2001-04... Part of the Region IV team pool from 2002-04 and a region team member in 2004... Scored two goals with the Region IV team at the 2004 Disney Showcase...

DENVER EAST HS: Four-year letterwinner for coach Beth Hinz... Team MVP and an All-Conference selection in 2005... Team won the Denver Prep League in 2002 and 2004 and reached the Colorado State semifinals during freshman season...

CLUB TEAM: Played for the Colorado Rush club team for five years and trained with English Premier League players and coaches at the Liverpool Youth Academy in 2002... Trained with Italy's prestigious Serie "A" Club Youth Academy Atalanta in 2005...

PERSONAL: Born on June 24, 1988 in Denver, Colo.... Parents are Marcia Scott-Warner and Darrick Warner... Major is Environmental Science.

Justin Davis - 32nd Overall Selection (Second Round)

Position: Defender

Height: 6-0

Weight: 170

Born: May 6, 1988 in Avondale, Ariz.

Hometown: Litchfield Park, Ariz.

College: New Mexico

Citizenship: USA

UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO CAREER: Not only a dangerous striker who was lethal from distance, but a versatile player that is comfortable anywhere on the field... Completed his four-year career last fall and was a two-time All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation first-team selection... Selected to the All-Far West Region squad twice in his Lobo career, and earned two Academic All-MPSF nods... Finished his UNM career ranked ninth all-time in points with 58, tied for eighth in goals with 20 and tied for seventh in assists with 18... The Litchfield Park, Ariz., native was fourth all-time in shots with 184...

2008 - SENIOR SEASON Davis led the Lobos in scoring with seven goals and six assists for 20 points on the year, earning All-Far West Region first-team honors... The Lobos posted a 12-7-1 mark in 2009, advancing to their seventh NCAA Tournament in the last nine years... New Mexico earned at at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and hosted Portland - and fellow RSL draftee Collen Warner - in a first round game, which the Lobos lost 2-1 in OT...

2008 - JUNIOR SEASON Played in 17 games while starting 16 of them... Lobos' leading scorer with seven goals and six assists for 20 points... Also led the MPSF in scoring while earning First Team All-MPSF accolades... Earned Second Team All-Far West Region honors... Scored five game-winners against second ranked Akron, San Jose State, Sacramento State, at Stanford and Sacramento State in double overtime... Logged 1,310 minutes...

2007 - SOPHOMORE SEASON Played in all 19 games, with 14 starts... Second on the team in scoring with five goals and three assists... Had game-winning goals at San Francisco and Air Force and against Sacramento State... Earned Academic All-MPSF honors...

2006 - FRESHMAN SEASON Played in all 21 games on the year (10 starts)... Scored a goal and three assists... Had the game-winner in overtime against UNLV...

HIGH SCHOOL Four-year letterman at Westview High School in Avondale, Ariz.... Three-time All-State and All-Region selection and two-time regional player of the year...

CLUB Played club soccer for the Sereno Golden Eagles... Won the 2005 and 2006 Arizona Club State Championships...

OLYMPIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM Was a member of the Arizona '88 ODP squad...

PERSONAL Born May 6, 1988, Justin is the son of Dan and Jackie Davis... He has one older brother, Jeff... Majoring in Business at New Mexico.

Chris Schuler - 39th Overall Selection (Third Round)

Position: Defender

Height: 6-4

Weight: 195

Born: September 6, 1987 in St. Louis, Mo.

Hometown: Aurora, Ill.

College: Creighton

Citizenship: USA

CREIGHTON CAREER:

2009 (Senior) Co-captain was named Second-Team All-Region in 2009, his third All-Region honor as a Bluejay... One of the most dominant defenders in school history, Schuler was a first-team honoree in 2008 and also earned second-team notice in 2007... The 2008 MVC Defensive Player of the Year helped the Bluejays lead the MVC with a 0.76 goals against average in 2009, ranking among NCAA leaders in both GAA and shutout percentage (eight clean sheets in 16 matches)... Center back became the ninth player in school history to be named First-Team All-MVC three times - the first since MLS product David Wagenfuhr (2001-03)... CU posted 37 shutouts over the last four years with Schuler anchoring the defense...

2008 (Junior) - Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year, NSCAA Second-Team All-America and NSCAA All-Midwest Region First-Team... All-MVC First-Team, MVC All-Tournament Team and College Soccer News Second-Team All-America honoree... Twice honored on the Soccer America National Team of the Week (Sept. 23, Oct. 7) and named MVC Defensive Player of the Week twice (Sept. 22, Oct. 6)... Led the team with 1,852 minutes played, playing every minute of every match with the exception of a 12-minute break against UMKC (Sept. 13)... Captain and anchor for record-setting defense which led the NCAA in shutout percentage (.650) and ranked second in goals against average (0.48)... Helped team set school record with 13 shutouts... Scored his only goal of the season against No. 22 Connecticut (Nov. 29) in the NCAA Tournament, the equalizer in the 79th minute of the overtime win...

2007 (Sophomore) - Tabbed First-Team All-MVC and Second-Team NSCAA All-Midwest Region... One of six Bluejays to start all 20 matches, while his 1,864 minutes played ranked second among field players... Played all but one minute in CU's final 19 matches, playing every minute of CU's final 15 contests... Leader on a CU defense which posted seven shutouts and led the MVC with a 0.79 goals against average...

2006 (Freshman) - Honored on the Soccer America Freshman All-America Second-Team and MVC All-Freshman Team... Named to the MVC All-Tournament Team after scoring the game-winning goal of the championship match... Each of his three goals were game-winners, two in overtime, ranking second on the team in game-winning goals... First collegiate goal came in the 99th minute against Georgetown (Sept. 1) to give CU a 3-2 win in his home debut...

2005 (Freshman/Indiana) - Redshirted in his only season at Indiana after appearing in the Hoosiers' first exhibition match against UCLA... Tabbed a Top 100 Freshmen to Watch by College Soccer News...

PREP CAREER: Named a 2005 PARADE All-American for Waubonsie Valley HS... Ranked as the top defender and seventh-best player in the nation by StudentSportsSoccer.com... 2004 NSCAA/adidas Youth Boys Region II All-American and earned NSCAA/adidas All-Region V honors as a senior... First-Team All-State defender in Illinois as named by the Chicago Tribune... Two-time All-Conference and All-Area First-Team honoree... Played high school soccer for 1978 Hermann Trophy winner Angelo DiBernardo... Played club soccer for the Chicago Magic, leading the team to State Cup Championships from 2001-04 and three regional championships... Served as four-year captain for the Magic... Member of the Illinois and Region II Olympic Development Program... Participated in two events with the national team in summer 2005... Tabbed the MVP at the US Youth Soccer National Championships in July 2006...

PERSONAL: The son of Chris and Christina Schuler, Chris was born Sept. 6, 1987, in St. Louis, Mo.... Has one younger sister, Christen (21), who plays soccer at Northern Illinois University.... Management Information Systems major.

Kris Banghart - 64th Overall Selection (Fourth Round)

Position: Defender

Height: 6-1

Weight: 190

Born: March 1, 1988 in Loveland, Colo.

Hometown: Ft. Collins, Colo.

College: Denver

Citizenship: USA

2009: Denver co-captain... Named to Duke Nike Classic All-Tournament Team... Earned All-MPSF First-Team honors... Selected to MPSF All-Tournament Team... Started in 16 games...

2008: Earned All-MPSF Second-Team honors... Started in all 19 games for the Pioneers... Tallied two shots at New Mexico and UC Davis...

2007: Started all 18 games for DU... All-MPSF Second-Team member... Tallied one shot...

2006: Started all 19 games for North Carolina Wesleyan during his freshman season... Recorded three points on a goal and an assist...

High School: Helped lead Fort Collins High School to the Colorado State Title...

Personal: Born March 1, 1988 in Loveland, Colo.... Son of Steve and Tommie Banghart... Has one sister, Katie... Enjoys snowboarding, mountain biking, Frisbee golf and camping.

REAL SALT LAKE 2010 PRESEASON ROSTER (as of Jan. 14, 2010)

ALPHABETICAL ROSTER

# Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthdate Hometown College Status

12 Jean Alexandre MF 5-11 185 08/24/1986 Delray Beach, FL Lynn

-- Kris Banghart DF 6-1 190 03/01/1988 Ft. Collins, CO Denver

5 Kyle Beckerman MF 5-11 165 04/23/1982 Crofton, MD --

2 Tony Beltran DF 5-8 150 10/11/1987 Claremont, CA UCLA

6 Nat Borchers DF 6-2 175 04/13/1981 Pueblo, CO Denver

19 Pablo Campos FW 6-3 200 11/29/1983 Sao Paulo, Brazil Fresno Pacific University

23 Raphael Cox MF 5-6 140 07/07/1986 Tacoma, WA Washington Dev.

-- Justin Davis DF 6-0 170 05/06/1988 Litchfield Park, AZ New Mexico

21 Rachid El Khalifi M/F 5-10 156 06/16/1979 Rotterdam, The Netherlands -- Int'l

16 Fabian Espíndola FW 5-9 160 05/04/1985 Buenos Aires, Argentina -- Int'l

10 Robbie Findley FW 5-9 165 08/04/1985 Phoenix, AZ Oregon State

22 Nelson González M/F 5-6 156 09/22/1988 Buenos Aires, Argentina -- Int'l

20 Ned Grabavoy MF 5-7 150 07/01/1983 New Lenox, IL Indiana

33 David Horst DF 6-4 200 10/25/1985 Pine Grove, PA Old Dominion

8 Will Johnson MF 5-10 155 01/21/1987 Woodridge, IL --

11 Javier Morales MF 5-9 165 01/10/1980 Buenos Aires, Arg. -- Int'l

7 Alex Nimo MF 5-5 135 03/21/1990 Portland, OR --

25 Tino Nuñez FW 5-8 185 08/22/1984 Long Beach, CA UC Santa Barbara

4 Jamison Olave DF 6-3 210 04/21/1981 Medellin, Colombia -- Int'l

24 Kyle Reynish GK 6-3 190 11/03/1983 Valencia, CA UC Santa Barbara

18 Nick Rimando GK 5-9 185 06/17/1979 Montclair, CA UCLA

3 Robbie Russell DF 6-1 200 07/16/1979 Amherst, MA Duke

-- Chris Schuler DF 6-4 185 09/06/1987 Aurora, IL Creighton

-- Abe Thompson FW 6-0 170 01/12/1982 Fairfax Station, VA Maryland

-- Collen Warner MF 5-10 170 06/24/1988 Denver, CO Portland

77 Andy Williams MF 5-8 170 09/23/1977 Herriman, UT Rhode Island

17 Chris Wingert DF 5-11 170 06/16/1982 Babylon, NY St. John's

REAL SALT LAKE NUMERICAL ROSTER AND PRONUNCIATION GUIDE

# Player Pos. Pronunciation Place of Birth Last Club

2 Tony Beltran DF Whittier, CA UCLA

3 Robbie Russell DF Accra, Ghana Viborg FF (Denmark)

4 Jamison Olave DF HA-meh-son oh-LAH-vay Medellin, Colombia Deportivo Cali (Colombia)

5 Kyle Beckerman MF Crofton, MD Colorado Rapids (MLS)

6 Nat Borchers DF Tucson, AZ Odd Grenland (Norway)

7 Alex Nimo MF NEE - moh Monrovia, Liberia Portland Timbers (USL-1/loan)

8 Will Johnson MF Toronto, Canada De Graafschap (Dutch Eredivisie)

10 Robbie Findley FW Phoenix, AZ Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS)

11 Javier Morales MF Buenos Aires, Arg. Vecindario (Spain 2nd Div.)

12 Jean Alexandre MF GENE Verrettes, Haiti Lynn University

16 Fabian Espíndola FW Buenos Aires, Arg. Anzoategui (Venezuela)

17 Chris Wingert DF Babylon, NY Colorado Rapids (MLS)

18 Nick Rimando GK ra-MAHN-do Montclair, CA New York Red Bulls (MLS)

19 Pablo Campos FW Sao Paulo, Brazil San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)

20 Ned Grabavoy MF Joliet, IL San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)

21 Rachid El Khalifi M/F rah-SHEED ell ka-LEE-fee Rotterdam, The Netherlands Cambuur-Leeuwarden (Dutch Eerste Divisie)

22 Nelson González M/F Buenos Aires, Argentina Quilmes (Argentine Nacional B)

23 Raphael Cox MF Tacoma, WA University of Washington

24 Kyle Reynish GK RAY - nish Valencia, CA UC Santa Barbara

25 Tino Nuñez FW NOON - yez Long Beach, CA UC Santa Barbara

33 David Horst DF Pine Grove, PA Old Dominion University

77 Andy Williams MF Toronto, Canada Chicago Fire (MLS)

-- Kris Banghart DF Loveland, CO University of Denver

-- Justin Davis DF Avondale, AZ University of New Mexico

-- Abe Thompson FW Tucson, AZ Houston Dynamo (MLS)

-- Chris Schuler DF St. Louis, MO Creighton University

-- Collen Warner MF Denver, CO University of Portland

General Manager: Garth Lagerwey (Elmhurst, IL)

Head Coach: Jason Kreis (Omaha, NE)

Assistant Coach: Jeff Cassar (Livonia, MI)

Assistant Coach: Robin Fraser (Kingston, Jamaica)

Assistant Coach: Brian "BJ" Johnson (Livermore, CA)

Strength & Conditioning Coach: Dan Barlow (College Park, MD)

Head Athletic Trainer: Jacob Joachim (Portland, OR)

Assistant Athletic Trainer: Tyson Pace (Clearfield, UT)

Team Administrator: Elliot Fall (Salt Lake City, UT)

Equipment Manager: Kevin Harter (Dallas, TX)

Press Officers: Trey Fitz-Gerald (Albuquerque, NM) / John Koluder (Chicago, IL)

Make 2010 Your Best Season Ever by Becoming an RSL "Fan for Life!"

Less than one hundred days remain - 85, to be exact - until Real Salt Lake opens the home portion of its 2010 schedule on April 10 against Seattle Sounders FC, so time is running out to make sure you've got the best seats at Rio Tinto Stadium by getting your 2010 RSL Season Tickets! By becoming an RSL "Fan for Life" in 2010, season ticket holders will have at least a 20% discount over day-of-game pricing in all general seating areas, with packages starting as low as $275 and payment plans available to help you stretch your dollars leading up to Real Salt Lake's sixth Major League Soccer campaign.

The 2010 Season Ticket Package includes the opportunity to watch Real Salt Lake defend its MLS Cup crown in 15 MLS regular season contests and will also contain five ticket voucher credits for designated exhibition and cup competitions - including the team's first-ever appearance in an international club tournament, the 2010/11 CONCACAF Champions League. In addition to the chance to see some of the best soccer in the hemisphere in one of the country's premier soccer venues, the RSL 2010 Season Ticket Package also includes the following benefits:

- Discounted rates on on-site parking at Rio Tinto Stadium

- 25% off all items at the RSL Team Store

- An invitation to the annual "Meet the Team Day" event

- The annual Season Ticket Holder gift (TBD)

- Pre-sale access for all non-RSL events at Rio Tinto Stadium

- Season Ticket Holder rate on additional RSL tickets

- Personal Account Manager Concierge Service and STH Hotline access

- Special Season Ticket e-Newsletter, featuring exclusive team-focused content

Fans looking to purchase new RSL Season Ticket packages can call 801-727-2700 to lock in their seats for the 2010 season, while those '09 season ticket purchasers that have yet to renew their packages can still try to reclaim last year's seats by calling the RSL Season Ticket Holder Hotline at 801-727-2702. To see the full range of RSL 2010 Season Ticket package options and benefits, click here or visit www.RealSaltLake.com.

RSL Team Store Offering Martin Luther King Day Weekend Special

While most people will enjoy a three-day weekend in conjunction with the Martin Luther King Day holiday on Monday, the Real Salt Lake Team Store at Rio Tinto Stadium will be staying busy, as it invites fans to come into the store for a three-day sale on Friday, Saturday & Monday, when all RSL authentic team gear and merchandise in stock will be available for 50% off!

This will be one of the last sales in the RSL Team Store up until the team's home opener on April 10 against Seattle, so fans are encouraged to flock to the Stadium to get their first pick at newly-arrived Authentic Locker Room gear, including short-sleeve and long-sleeve jerseys, training jerseys and pants, and, for those sentimental fans, the 2009 official adidas Teamgeist match balls, which will be making way for the soon-to-arrive 2010 Jabulani edition. In addition, the RSL Team Store will be looking to move out its stock of full-zip jackets, half-zip pullovers training tops, youth-sized home jerseys, beanies and MLS Cup Championship T-shirts and hats.

While the year has changed, the store's hours of operation will remain the same - Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. - and you can dial up the RSL Team Store Hotline at 801-727-2888 during those hours to find out if your favorite piece of RSL gear or merchandise is currently in stock. Please note that no additional discounts will be applied and all purchases during the sale are final.

Stay Up-to-Date on All Things RSL via Facebook, Twitter & TXTwire Messaging

If you thought social media was all the rage in 2009, just wait to see what Real Salt Lake has in store for its followers on the Facebook, Twitter, and TXTwire text messaging platforms in 2010! With nearly enough Facebook followers to fill up Rio Tinto Stadium (over 17,000 and counting), many fans of the Utah side have already found out that there's no better way to stay up-to-date and share their views on all the latest news involving the Claret-and-Cobalt than by signing up to follow the club via these social media outlets. To sign up for any of these convenient and fun ways to follow your Real Salt Lake, simply click on the links below:

Official Real Salt Lake Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/realsaltlake

Click here for the Official Real Salt Lake Facebook page

Real Salt Lake TXTwire sign-up page: http://www.riotintostadium.com/mobile_alerts.php

www.RealSaltLake.com / www.RioTintoStadium.com / www.RSLtotheCore.com

Check out the Real Salt Lake Statistics



Major League Soccer Stories from January 14, 2010


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