November 26, 2009 THE FIRST TEN A look at Union’s expansion selections
By Charlie Cuttone
Executive Editor
Philadelphia Union’s first Major League Soccer team began to take shape with the selection of ten players in the expansion draft. These are the players manager Peter Nowak will shape the team around:
Goalkeeper: Brad Knighton (New England)
Knighton, 24, signed with the Revolution in 2007 following a preseason tryout. After 10 appearances in the former MLS Reserve Division in 2007 and 2008, Knighton made his MLS debut in 2009, earning a 1-1 draw at New York on March 28 at Giants Stadium. Knighton went on to make six starts in the regular season, going 1-2-3 with a 2.33 goals against average, while he also appeared in the Revolution’s U.S. Open Cup loss to the Harrisburg City Islanders. The Richmond, Va., native earned his first career MLS win on April 4, making nine saves in a 2-1 win over FC Dallas.
Defender: Dave Myrie (Chicago Fire)
The Costa Rican native, who was signed by the Fire on September 15, did not see any action during the MLS season. Myrie joined the Fire after playing for Deportiva Alajuelense of Costa Rica last season. Before joining Alajuelense, Myrie played for Puntarenas for one season after spending two seasons in Spain with Cadiz of the Spanish third division. The Costa Rican international competed for his country in the 2007 Under-20 World Cup and at the 2005 Under-17 World Cup.
Defender: Shavar Thomas (Chivas USA)
Thomas is a seven year MLS veteran who made 59 appearances (58 starts) for Chivas since joining the team in 2007. The Hannah Town, Jamaica native, has made 148 career appearances in Major League Soccer since joining the Dallas Burn as the 10th overall SuperDraft pick out of the University of Connecticut in 2003. Thomas spent the 2003 season with Dallas before joining the Kansas City Wizards, where he played from 2004-2006. In 2007, the Jamaican International joined Chivas USA, playing 59 matches with the Red-and-White from 2007-2009. Thomas has also made 27 appearances with the Jamaican National Team.
Defender: Jordan Harvey (Colorado Rapids)
Harvey was originally selected with Colorado's first pick, ninth overall, in the 2006 MLS Supplemental Draft. In five seasons with the Rapids, he appeared in 45 games with 42 starts for 3,793 minutes and recorded four assists. Harvey is coming off a career season in 2009 where he was the only Rapids player to appear in all 30 games, while also registering a career-high three assists. His 2,613 minutes played last season were 8th most in MLS.
Midfielder: Shea Salinas (San Jose Earthquakes)
Salinas was originally selected in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft by the Earthquakes and played in 46 matches for San Jose the past two seasons. He scored two goals and notched five assists with the Quakes.
Midfielder: Stefani Miglioranzi (Los Angeles Galaxy)
The former St. John's standout began his MLS career with the Galaxy in 2006, signing with the club late in the season and appearing in three games before being traded to Columbus prior to the start of the 2007 season. The 32-year-old spent two seasons with the Crew, playing 37 games for the Crew, tallying three goals and three assists while helping lead the club to their first-ever MLS Cup championship in 2008. He returned to the Galaxy in January, when the club acquired him from the Crew in exchange for a fourth round pick in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. An NCAA champion at St. John’s, Miglioranzi tied a career-high with 23 games played while starting a career-best 20 games for the Galaxy this season. He was used primarily in the center of midfield this season, playing in front of an LA defense that allowed just 31 goals this season, exactly half the number of goals that they had allowed in 2008. Miglioranzi finished tied for second on the team with four yellow cards this season and was fourth on the team with 33 fouls committed.
Midfielder: Andrew Jacobsen (D.C. United)
Jacobson signed in February with D.C. United, the team that originally drafted him in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft, after spending the 2008 season with FC Lorient of France’s Ligue 1. Jacobson played in 17 League games (eights starts), amassing 845 minutes in the midfield. In all competitions, Jacobson appeared in 28 games (17 starts) and scored a goal. His lone goal of the season came in a 2-1 win over the Harrisburg City Islanders in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals.
Midfielder: Nick Zimmerman (New York Red Bulls)
Zimmerman, 22, did not play very much for the Red Bulls this past season, but showed some promise and potential in the times he performed. He started seven games over 11 appearances and 757 minutes. Zimmernan, one of a dozen players not protected by the Bulls, did not register a point.
Forward: Alejandro Moreno (Columbus Crew)
The 30-year-old Moreno was originally acquired by the Crew from the Houston Dynamo on May 9, 2007, in exchange for Joseph Ngwenya. Moreno made 74 appearances, 69 of them starts, in his three seasons with the Black & Gold, totaling 20 goals and 12 assists in that time. He was the Crew’s Budweiser Golden Boot winner during its 2008 MLS Cup championship season, leading the club with nine goals. The Venezuelan international heads to Philadelphia with 200 career regular-season games, 43 goals and 28 assists under his belt.
Forward: Sebastien Le Toux (Seattle Sounders)
Le Toux, 25 from Rennes, France, was the first player signed by Sounders FC on May 8, 2008. In his first season in MLS, Le Toux appeared in 28 regular season games, starting 15 with one goal and three assists. He appeared in each of Seattle’s two playoff games. Le Toux was a key figure in the Sounders FC 2009 U.S. Open Cup run, starting five of six tournament games and scoring three goals plus seven assists. He had the game-winning assist versus D.C. United in the Cup Final at RFK Stadium. Prior to joining Sounders FC, Le Toux spent the 2007 and 2008 seasons with the USL First Division Seattle Sounders, scoring 24 goals in 54 league matches. He was the top scorer in U.S. Open Cup play both years. In 2007, Le Toux was named the USL-1 Most Valuable Player and helped lead Seattle to the league title.
