David Fellerath ·
14 Jan 2010, 8:51 AM ·
1 Comment
John Cunliffe, 2007 MLS Combine MVP, in a 2009 game against the Vancouver Whitecaps (Photo by Rich Bostwick)
No, the RailHawks aren’t picking players in today’s MLS SuperDraft, to be held in Philadelphia at 2 p.m. However, recent history shows that the RailHawks and other D2 teams can expect to see some of these highly touted first- and second-rounders in the next couple of years.
Thanks to a blog I encountered on the Internets, I now know that three players who performed so well in recent MLS combines that they were named MVP of the thing are now Carolina RailHawks. That’s right. Here’s the list of recent combine MVPs:
- 2005: Luke Kreamalmeyer (drafted by RSL, joined RailHawks in 2009)
- 2006: Brian Plotkin (drafted by Chicago Fire, joined RailHawks in 2009)
- 2007: John Cunliffe (drafted by Chivas USA, joined RailHawks in 2009)
- 2008: Eric Brunner (drafted by Red Bull New York, joined Miami FC, now with Columbus Crew)
- 2009: Stefan Frei (drafted by Toronto FC, made 26 appearances in 2009)
- 2010: ?
Obviously, being named MVP of a brief meat market scouting combine is no sure ticket to D1 stardom. (Indeed, in a post on Tuesday about the combine, Ives Galarcep made a passing reference to Kreamalmeyer’s award.) But the three future RailHawks all proved to be solid performers in D2 and could perhaps feature again in the MLS. And no doubt there will be a number of draftees today who will find their niche in D2 rather than the MLS.
In scanning the recent first and second rounds of the MLS draft, I see that a number of picks ended up with the RailHawks: Cunliffe (2007, No. 7 overall); Nate Norman (2007, No. 21); Plotkin (2006, No. 20—three behind Jozy Altidore!); Jack Stewart (2005, No. 10); Josh Gardner (2004; No. 13—five behind Clint Dempsey!); David Stokes (2003; No. 5); Chris Carrieri (2001; No. 1).
Let’s look at another sampling of future prospects: the history of Generation Adidas (and its forerunner, the Nike-sponsored Project 40): There are definitely some future stars there (Tim Howard! DaMarcus Beasley!), but there are others, of course, who went on to relative anonymity, including two who more or less ended their careers with the RailHawks: the aforementioned Stokes and Carrieri.*
What all of this shows is that forecasting which college stars will become top-flight first division pro players is a highly inexact guessing game science. Who knows how Danny Mwanga of Oregon State, who is projected as the No. 1 overall pick, will pan out for the expansion Philadelphia Union? Or Teal Bunbury, winner of the 2009 MAC Hermann Trophy, awarded to the best college player in the country?
Here’s another interesting local angle to today’s draft: Seven of the top nine projected selections featured in the 2009 NCAA College Cup that was held in Cary, NC, last month.
- Tony Tchani (Virginia)
- Ike Opara (Wake Forest)**
- Teal Bunbury (Akron)
- Corben Bone (Wake Forest)
- Zach Loyd (North Carolina)
- Blair Gavin (Akron)
- Zack Schilawski (Wake Forest)**
The draft today promises to be fun. And of course, it will be interesting to look back on it a year or two from now to see how today’s stars of tomorrow ultimately fared.
UPDATE NO. 1 (Jan. 15, 2010; 10:46 a.m.): The Richmond Kickers of USL’s second division announced Thursday that Carrieri, who played for them in a part-time capacity last year, will play full-time this season.
UPDATE NO. 2 (Jan. 15, 2010; 10:48 a.m.): Opara, a 6-foot-2 defender who went to Jordan High School in Durham and then Wake Forest University, was selected third overall in the MLS SuperDraft by the San Jose Earthquakes. Schilawski, a forward and native of Cary who had an illustrious career with CASL, Cary High School, the Cary RailHawks U23 PDL team and Wake Forest, was taken by the New England Revolution with the ninth overall pick.
Carolina RailHawks, NASL, Soccer, UNC-Chapel Hill Blair Gavin, Brian Plotkin, Corben Bone, DaMarcus Beasley, Danny Mwanga, Generation Adidas, Ike Opara, John Cunliffe, Luke Kreamalmeyer, MAC Hermann Trophy, MLS combine, MLS draft 2010, NCAA College Cup, Teal Bunbury, Tim Howard, Tony Tchani, Zach Loyd, Zack Schilawski
David Fellerath ·
13 Dec 2009, 12:40 PM ·
1 Comment
Jordan Graye, after missing his penalty kick against Akron. (Photo by Rob Rowe)
WAKEMED SOCCER PARK/CARY–Temperatures dropped below freezing Friday night at WakeMed Soccer Park right around the time Brian Ownby scored a golden goal to lift the Virginia Cavaliers over Wake Forest in the semifinal of the 2009 College Cup. Three hours later, it was even colder as a diehard contingent endured 110 minutes of scoreless play between the undefeated and No. 1-ranked University of Akron and the fifth-ranked UNC Tar Heels before the Zips (23-0-1) won on penalty kicks when UNC defender Jordan Graye shanked his effort over the goal.
The night’s real drama came in the sudden-death overtime of the first game between the Demon Deacons and the Cavaliers (18-3-3). The winner came in the third minute of overtime as Ownby, a sophomore from Glen Allen, Va., took a long pass from Jonathan Villanueva. Ownby, whose playing time has been limited by a hernia, beat Wake’s Anthony Arena and Ike Opara, chipped the ball past Wake Forest’s keeper Akira Fitzgerald and tore off his jersey on his way to embrace his teammates on the sideline.
At the center of the field, Wake Forest’s senior striker Zack Schilawski stood still, stunned. Wake had equalized in the game’s 70th minute on an unassisted foray by All-American midfielder Corben Bone, and the Deacons seemed to have the momentum going into overtime. Now the game was over, and Schilawski stood still for a long time, moving only when opposing players came over to console him.
It was a tough end for the Cary native’s amateur career. An All-American at Cary High, he was also a member of the Cary Clarets, the team of college amateurs that plays in the USL’s Player Development League (PDL).
As it happens, I witnessed one highlight of Schilawski’s amateur career that’s not on his online Wake Forest bio. It occurred on the same field in the summer of 2008, when his PDL team, then known as the Cary RailHawks, defeated a visiting side from the English Coca-Cola Championship, a team called Burnley FC. After Burnley struck first with a goal by midfielder Wade Elliott, Schilawski leveled after exploiting an error by Graham Alexander, then as now his team’s defensive mainstay. The RailHawks clinched the game in the 76th minute on a goal by N.C. State’s Tyler Lassiter, off an assist from Wake Forest’s midfielder Bone. Continue reading »
ACC, Carolina RailHawks, Duke, N.C. State, Soccer, UNC-Chapel Hill, Uncategorized Add new tag, Akira Fitzgerald, Akron Zips, Brian Ownby, Burnley, Cary Clarets, Cary RailHawks, Corben Bone, Jonathan Villanueva, Jordan Graye, NASL, NCAA championship, PDL, Teal Bunbury, University of Virginia, USL-1, Wake Forest, Zack Schilawski
David Fellerath ·
11 Dec 2009, 10:40 AM ·
Comment
Lots of soccer on our plate today! Let’s take it one at a time.
- The UNC Tar Heels (16-2-3) are three of the ACC teams in the NCAA soccer College Cup, which kicks off tonight at 5 p.m., when Virginia plays Wake Forest.
Then, at 7:30 p.m., the Tar Heels play the undefeated University of Akron Zips. If the UNC men are going to complete the double after the women secured the national championship last weekend, they will have to get past the nation’s only undefeated team. The Zips’ attack is led by super-sophomore striker Teal Bunbury, who has 17 goals this season, Darlington Nagbe (10 goals) and Anthony Ampaipitakwong (8 goals).
Can Akron complete their 23-0-0 dream season by wresting the championship trophy from the dominant ACC? We shall see, but here’s a little bad news for UNC: Akron’s defense has not yielded a goal in its three tournament games.
- Not coincidentally, area teenage soccer prospects from around the nation are playing this weekend at the Capital Area Soccer League’s “CASL visitRaleigh.com National Soccer Series Boys Showcase.” Approximately 7,000 players from 335 teams across the country will be competing for the attention of hundreds of college coaches. Here’s the coverage in the N&O, which is too polite to call the event a meat market!
- And finally (for now): The Damned United opens in area theaters tonight. It’s a great movie, check it out. Here’s the review we published in the Independent this week.
ACC, Soccer, UNC-Chapel Hill Akron Zips, Anthony Ampaipitakwong, CASL showcase, Damned United, Darlington Nagbe, NCAA College Cup, Teal Bunbury
