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MLS New England Revolution

Revolution Adds Six Players at 2007 MLS SuperDraft

January 12, 2007 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
New England Revolution News Release


Indianapolis, Ind. - The New England Revolution selected midfielder Wells Thompson out of Wake Forest with the fifth overall selection and Generation adidas midfielder/defender Amaechi Igwe out of Santa Clara with the 12th overall selection in the first round of the 2007 MLS SuperDraft, conducted today at the Indianapolis Convention Center.

In the second round, the Revs chose midfielder Ryan Solle out of Wake Forest with the 23rd overall choice. The Revolution then added UC-Santa Barbara midfielder Bryan Bryne with the 38th overall selection in the third round. In the fourth round, the Revs acquired the 48th overall selection from Real Salt Lake and selected forward Adam Cristman from Virginia and rounded out the club's 2007 draft class with Duke defender Kyle Helton with the 51st overall pick.

Prior to the start of the draft, the Revolution acquired the fifth overall selection in 2007 from the Los Angeles Galaxy - as well as a conditional second-round pick from the Galaxy in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft - in exchange for a partial allocation. In the fourth round, the Revolution acquired Real Salt Lake's 2007 fourth-round selection (48th overall, which RSL previously acquired from FC Dallas for Salt Lake's natural fourth-round selection in 2008), in exchange forward Kyle Brown.

Thompson and Solle were teammates with current Revolution defenders Michael Parkhurst and James Riley for two years (2003-04) at Wake Forest, while Bryne was a teammate of current Revolution defender Tony Lochhead at UCSB.

"We're very happy, very pleased," Revolution head coach Steve Nicol said at the conclusion of the draft. "We've picked guys we like and we think a lot of them. The one thing that sticks in my head about the players we've drafted today is that when the players already have, the experienced guys, report to start the season, they're going to be looking over their shoulders."

Thompson, 23, led Wake Forest in goals with seven - including five game-winning strikes - in 2006 and scored 16 goals in his four-year career with the Demon Deacons. He also had 10 assists as he helped Wake Forest advance to the 2006 NCAA College Cup. He earned ACC All-Tournament honors as a senior and was also an ACC All-Freshman selection in 2003.

Igwe, 19, is a current member of the U.S. Under-20 National Team and a member of the Generation adidas program having signed with MLS after one season at Santa Clara. In just one campaign with the Broncos, Igwe earned All-West Coast Conference honorable mention honors and All-Freshman Team honors, scoring five goals and adding three assists while starting 20 of the 23 games in which he played. Igwe played with the Under-20 Team in both 2005 and 2006 after starting for the U.S. Under-17 squad at left back in 2005. He attended the IMG Soccer Academy in Florida, joining U.S. Soccer's Residency Program in September of 2004.

Solle, 21, was a two-time NSCAA All-South Regional selection at Wake Forest. Solle holds the Wake Forest single season assist record with 13, which he set as a junior in 2005, and left the Wake Forest program ranked second in career assists with 27. Solle earned NSCAA first-team All-South Region and first-team All-ACC honors in 2006.

Bryne, 24, was a two-time All-Big West selection playing in the midfield for the Broncos. The Kilkenny, Ireland native scored 11 goals and added 19 assists in his four-year career in Santa Barbara and also earned NSCAA All-Far West honors as a junior. The outside midfielder was the co-captain of the UCSB team that won the 2006 NCAA Championship, and also a member of the Gaucho teams that twice advanced to the NCAA College Cup in the last three years.

Cristman, 22, was a two-time second-team All-ACC selection for the Cavaliers, also garnering NSCAA All-South Atlantic Region honors in his junior and senior seasons. Cristman scored 34 goals and added 15 assists in his four-year Virginia career, leading UVa to the semifinals of the 2006 NCAA College Cup. As a senior, Cristman scored 10 goals and added five assists. Cristmas is a former member of the U.S. Under-17 and Under-18 National Teams.

Helton, 20, was a second-team All-ACC selection as a senior defender at Duke. A former member of the U.S. Under-17 National Team who played more than 60 matches with the youth national teams in 2002 and 2003, Helton helped back the Blue Devils' defense that posted an 0.82 goals against average in 2006. Helton recorded four assists as a senior, pushing his career total to 14. He also scored two goals in 63 career appearances for Duke.

The Revolution kicks off the 2007 season on April 7 against the Chicago Fire in Bridgeview, Ill., before hosting league newcomer Toronto FC - featuring former Revs midfielder José Cancela and former D.C. United forward Alecko Eskandarian - on Saturday, April 14 in the second game of a special doubleheader with the U.S. Women's National Team at Gillette Stadium. Season ticket packages - which include tickets to the Women's National Team match, as well tickets to games at Gillette Stadium as part of the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup - are on sale now. Call 1-877-GET-REVS for more information.

2007 New England Revolution MLS SuperDraft Selections

Wells Thompson - Fifth overall (First Round)

Position: Midfielder

D.O.B.: Nov. 25, 1983

Birthplace: Winston-Salem, N.C. Hometown: Winston-Salem, N.C. Height: 5-10

Weight: 155 lbs.

College: Wake Forest

Amaechi Igwe - 12th Overall (First Round)

Pronunciation: ah-MECH-ee IG-way

Position: Midfield/Defender

D.O.B.: May 20, 1987

Birthplace: San Francisco, Calif.

Hometown: Belmont, Calif.

Height: 6-0

Weight: 165 lbs.

College: Santa Clara

Ryan Solle - 23rd overall (Second Round)

Pronunciation: SAHL-lee

Position: Midfield

D.O.B.: Sept. 11, 1985

Birthplace: Sanford, N.C.

Hometown: Broadway, N.C.

Height: 5-8

Weight: 160 lbs.

College: Wake Forest

Bryan Bryne - 38th overall (Third Round)

Position: Midfield

D.O.B.: Aug. 26, 1982

Birthplace: Kilkenny, Ireland

Hometown: Castledermot, Ireland

Height: 5-8

Weight: 150 lbs.

College: Univ. of California at Santa Barbara

Adam Cristman - 48th overall (Fourth Round)

Position: Forward

D.O.B.: Jan. 8, 1985

Birthplace: Washington, D.C.

Hometown: Glen Allen, Va.

Height: 6-0

Weight: 180

College: Virginia

Kyle Helton - 51st overall (Fourth Round)

Position: Defender

D.O.B.: May 20, 1986

Birthplace: Birmingham, Ala.

Hometown: Alpharetta, Ga.

Height: 5-8

Weight: 160

College: Duke

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