The Chicago Fire, fresh off a stunningly successful 2005 SuperDraft which saw the club find two starters (striker Chris Rolfe and defender Gonzalo Segares) and a host of invaluable role players, had another busy SuperDraft, this time selecting five new players Friday in Philadelphia to augment a team that just narrowly missed out on a spot in MLS Cup 2005.
"We did well with all five of our picks," said Fire head coach Dave Sarachan. "This wasn't a year where we had a real urgency to fill any specific positions. We did our homework. We knew there was a good pool of players available and we were impressed with many of them at the combine, Jeff Curtin and Jordan Russolillo among them. Overall we're very pleased with our selections and we look forward to working with all of them. They will fit in well with our team. We always look to get players to help us improve."
With a pick near the end of the first round and at the beginning of the second, Chicago, which moves into its new home at Bridgeview in 2006, could look to add two impact players.
For their first pick, the Fire took Pac-10 Player of the Year and Soccer Times All-American Calen Carr. The Cal-Berkeley forward led the Pac-10 in goals scored (13) and points (30) en route to leading the Golden Bears to the Elite Eight before losing to New Mexico.
"It's an honor to be drafted by the Fire," said Carr, a Berkeley native. "It's a great team with a lot of rich tradition. I'm just pleased to be a part of it and to have this fantastic opportunity. I wasn't sure where I would end up, but I'm especially pleased that I get to go to Chicago. It's a great city and the coaching staff is fantastic, so I can't wait to get out there and go to work."
When it came time for its second pick, though, Chicago stayed all in the family, this time selecting Georgetown defender Jeff Curtin. Curtin, the younger but not little brother of current Fire defender Jim Curtin, is 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds and in 2005 was named to his fourth All Big-East team. In 2004, Curtin was named defensive player of the year for the Hoyas.
"Jeff is very consistent, very steady and comfortable with the ball," said Sarachan. "He has size and strength to be a good defender in our league."
Having traded away midfielder Will John in the offseason, the Fire used their third pick to grab MLS Player Combine M.V.P., Indiana midfielder Brian Plotkin. The awards and honors are plentiful for Plotkin who was a first team NSCAA/adidas All-American as a senior, and was named the 2005 Big Ten Player of the Year. He topped the conference in points with 26 (eight goals and 10 assists). He ranks among the IU all-time top 25 in three categories; tied for ninth in assists with 34, eighth in career shots with 262 and 23rd in career points with 76.
In rounds three and four, the Fire picked up two defenders: Russolillo from Southern Connecticut and Jeremy Ashe of Marshall. Russolillo was named the 2005 Northeast-10 Conference men's soccer Defensive Player of the Year and a second-team NSCAA/adidas NCAA Division II All-American.
"Jordan caught our eye at the combine," said the Fire head coach. "He could be a sleeper in this draft. We were looking for a defender to get ourselves stronger in the back."
Ashe, meanwhile, anchored a Thundering Herd defense which went 6-2-1 over its final nine matches and held opponents scoreless for over 479 minutes.
"Jeremy is a player we did our homework on," Sarachan said. "He's a defender, but is actually a converted forward. There are a lot of things we liked about him."
Danny Polinsky is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
