NY RED BULLS LATEST NEWS - Page 5 - TalkSoccer

**Frank Cunha** · 18-01-2004, 12:59 AM

Metros pick Bradley's son, FDU midfielder David

Saturday, January 17, 2004

BY COLIN STEPHENSON
Star-Ledger Staff

Long after 14-year-old Freddy Adu was officially selected by D.C. United with the first pick in the 2004 Major League Soccer SuperDraft, the MetroStars took several young players to help strengthen their future.

The most familiar name among the six chosen in the six-round draft was Michael Bradley, the 16-year-old son of Metros' coach Bob Bradley, taken with the sixth pick of the fourth round, 46th overall.

"It was an unbelievable thrill," Bradley said of being drafted by the MetroStars. "For me, I have no expectations of coming in and starting or anything like that. Entering the draft was all about making the decision that was going to help me become a better soccer player."

Bradley had been with the U.S. Under-17 residency program in Bradenton, Fla., the program that produced Eddie Gaven last year and Adu this year. Bob Bradley admitted it was "strange" to draft his own son, but he is looking forward to coaching him full-time.

Among the players the MetroStars drafted was Johnny David, the Northeast Conference Player of the Year out of Fairleigh Dickinson.

"It's very exciting to be selected by the MetroStars," said David, a midfielder. "A lot of players dream of playing for big teams, and I'm looking forward to have that chance with one of the biggest, right here in New Jersey."

The other players the MetroStars selected were: Seth Stammler, a defender from the University of Maryland; goalkeeper Zack Wells, from UCLA; forward Olivier Occean, a Canadian U-23 player who played at Division 2 Southern Connecticut State; and defender Jeff Parke of Drexel, the final pick.

The Metros began the day without a pick in the first or second rounds but traded next year's second-rounder to Chicago for the No. 18 selection this year to take Stammler.

Rutgers midfielder Josh Gros was taken with the fourth pick of the fourth round, by D.C. United, while Seton Hall midfielders Luke Vercollone and Ryan McGowan were taken by Columbus (with the second pick of the fifth round), and by Chicago (with the first pick of the sixth round), respectively.

Gros scored 15 goals as a senior to earn Big East Offensive Player of the Year honors.

"We have had a number of players go on to be successful in the MLS and I think Josh will do the same," Rutgers coach Bob Reasso said. "I am excited that he gets to stay close to home in the Northeast with D.C. United. It is a perfect fit."

Vercollone, a First Team All-Big East selection, led Seton Hall in scoring in 2003 with five goals and 11 assists. McGowan, a four-year starter, was a Second Team All-Big East pick.

The MetroStars also announced second-year midfielder Ricardo Clark underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia and will be out for eight weeks.

**Frank Cunha** · 20-01-2004, 09:38 PM

Steve Reese
Who is STEVE REESE and what is he doing playing for F.C. Politehnica AEK Timisoara in Romania?

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/31/s...&partner=GOOGLE

**Frank Cunha** · 20-01-2004, 09:39 PM

Playing in Romania Fulfills a Dream, of Sorts
By JACK BELL

ho is STEVE REESE and what is he doing playing for F.C. Politehnica AEK Timisoara in Romania?

``Sometimes I ask myself the same question,'' Reese, a 22-year-old goalkeeper, said by telephone from his hotel room near the Serbian border. ``Since I was 14, I've always wanted to play soccer in Europe. So here I am.''

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Where he is is a 10-hour time difference and a world away from his home in Salem, Ore., where he played for the minor league Cascade Surge and for a season at Western Baptist College of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. To say that Reese has operated under the radar is a soaring understatement - practically no one in soccer circles has heard of him, save the Internet fanatics who track every American playing overseas.

Poli-AEK is in danger of being relegated in Romania, which would make Reese a free agent. His contract with the club does not pay a flat salary. Instead players in Romania, the former ``Socialist paradise,'' are paid capitalist-style, purely on performance - they get $400 a point, an away victory is worth an additional $1,200. Reese expects to earn about $30,000 this season, which includes housing expenses.

``I had a Romanian coach, and he hooked me up with some tryouts,'' said Reese, who now speaks fluent Romanian after having played for third division FC Aerostar in the eastern city of Bacau. ``I'm starting from the bottom and working my way up. I'm always looking west. I feel that once I've played in the first division here I can at least get a trial in any country in Europe.''

Signed after a winter training camp, Reese, who is 6 feet 2 inches, is the backup keeper to ADRIAN BOGDAN, a national team player for Moldova.

``The thing for me is being able to learn from a national-team keeper,'' Reese said. ``The other thing is the atmosphere. We get 40-50,000 people for our games. Everyone knows us in town. I told my parents that I would rather make less money in Europe than in M.L.S. because of the atmosphere.''

Major League Soccer
M.L.S. will announce a four-year deal with Fox Sports International today to televise a minimum of 25 regular-season games and a minimum of eight playoff games on the Fox Sports World and Fox Sports Espanol cable networks. The first broadcast will be D.C. United at Kansas City on April 12 at 8 p.m. The agreement also includes a weekly highlights show. The games will also be broadcast on Fox affiliates in the Middle East, the Caribbean and Central and South America. M.L.S. games are already broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2, but only at 4 p.m. on Saturdays. ... The league's eighth season begins with one game this weekend when the defending champion Los Angeles Galaxy visits the Columbus Crew. ... The MetroStars acquired midfielder JOEY DiGIAMARINO yesterday by lottery. ... The MetroStars will play an exhibition match against the Rochester Raging Rhinos of the A-League on Sunday at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. ... The MetroStars' hope of building a training complex in Pequannock, N.J., has met with local opposition in the Northern New Jersey community. ... Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League will play D.C. United in an exhibition at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium on May 14. @ch:New York Power @bt:The Power will open its third season Saturday in Atlanta without its two Australian players - defender CHERYL SALISBURY and midfielder JOANNE PETERS - who have returned home for national team duty and will miss the first two games of the Women's United Soccer Association season.

The club, which gave up a league-high 62 goals and finished last in the eight-team league last season, completed its unbeaten preseason (3-0-1) on Sunday with a 1-1 draw against Philadelphia in a game played in Oakland, N.J. The Power gave up only three goals in four preseason games, but Coach TOM SERMANNI, a native of Scotland and a past coach of the Australian women's national team, has not yet decided who will be the starting goalkeeper. The competition is between the New Jersey native SASKIA WEBBER and the newcomer CARLY SMOLAK, who was acquired in a trade with San Diego. They split the game in goal on Sunday. The Power traded the Chinese international GAO HONG to Washington in the off-season.

``It's an open competition in goal,'' Sermanni said. ``Saskia needed to get into better shape and become more focused than last year. If she wants to be the starting keeper, I need to be assured that she will not cough up those crosses. As for Smolak, I just like the way she goes about doing her job. She is not cocky or arrogant, she just has that confidence about herself.''

Webber, 31, is clearly being pushed by Smolak, 23, and she knows it.

``I've never felt secure and there's no reason to start now,'' Webber said. ``Last year was the hardest I've ever had. Things just didn't work out.''

**Frank Cunha** · 21-01-2004, 09:05 PM

"I'm not retiring. I'm only 32 years old. I want to play maybe two more years. The MetroStars, they don't want me back, they're going in a different direction. [Coach] Bob [Bradley] and I had a discussion after the last practice last year. I'm free. If I should go to another [MLS] team, there wouldn't be an exchange of players. It would be totally free."
-- Defender Joseph Addo (Newark Star-Ledger)

"Being around the team last year made me realize how special it is to be a professional. When the opportunity came about to turn pro I felt it was the right time and I knew this would be a great place."
-- Michael Bradley, 16, who signed a Project-40 contract and was drafted by his father, MetroStars coach Bob Bradley. (New Jersey Herald News)

"He's got good, clean feet and a very good mind for the game. I don't read anything into the coach's son situation because at the end of the day he's a talented young player."
-- Metros general manager Nick Sakiewicz. (New Jersey Herald News)

**Frank Cunha** · 21-01-2004, 10:31 PM

http://www.nj.com/metrostars/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/107466676568680.xml

**Frank Cunha** · 29-01-2004, 10:31 PM

"I told [Coach] Bob [Bradley] that it's important for me, this being the last year of my contract, I need to be playing. If I'm not in the plans, then maybe I get shopped around. After talking with him, I'm here right now."
-- MetroStars midfielder Mark Lisi, who led the team and was second in MLS with 11 assists last season (New York Daily News)

**Frank Cunha** · 05-02-2004, 11:07 PM

Soccer News
MetroStars acquire MF Joselito Vaca from Dallas

The Associated Press
2/5/04 4:29 PM

SECAUCUS, N.J. (AP) -- The MetroStars acquired Bolivian midfielder Joselito Vaca from the Dallas Burn on Thursday for future considerations.

"Joselito's a talented, young attacking player," MetroStars coach Bob Bradley said. "He has had experience in the league and internationally, which is very valuable and we are excited to bring him to the MetroStars."

Vaca had five goals and 17 assists in 73 games for the Burn over the last three MLS seasons. He was the fifth pick overall in the 2001 SuperDraft. The 21-year-old was an MLS All-Star in 2002, and he assisted on a goal by Marco Etcheverry, another player on Bolivia's national team.

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**Lemmy** · 05-02-2004, 11:14 PM

I heard a couple of good things about him. Hope he does a good job with the Metrostars.

**Frank Cunha** · 05-02-2004, 11:22 PM

not what I expect when he came in the League, I think his been a big disappointment

revolutionfan · 06-02-2004, 11:54 AM

His second season was great, his third was nothing special. Maybe he can return to form with the Metrostars knowing he'll be fighting Guevara for a spot.

**Frank Cunha** · 06-02-2004, 01:31 PM

according to a NJ newspaper he only makes $51,000 dollars his up for a contract at the end of 04 season

**Frank Cunha** · 20-02-2004, 01:39 AM

Magee Undergoes Successful Hernia Procedure 19/02/04

MetroStars forward Mike Magee underwent a successful procedure yesterday to repair a left inguinal hernia injury. Dr. Richard Cattey performed the procedure at Columbia Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The MetroStars 19-year-old starlet will be out six-eight weeks.

The MetroStars sent Magee to see the specialist after the player complained of discomfort during preseason training last week in Bradenton, Florida.

The 2003 first-round SuperDraft selection appeared in a team-high 29 games (19 starts) for the MetroStars in his rookie campaign. He scored seven goals and two assists for 16 points, which ranked him second on the team in scoring for the 2003 season.

**Frank Cunha** · 23-02-2004, 05:09 AM

I don't expect much this season we just went from bad to worse

we need to sign three to 4 quality players

**Frank Cunha** · 24-02-2004, 01:20 PM

Seth Stammler, the team second round pick out of Maryland, had surgery to repair torn tendons in his left ankle and will be sidelined up to four months.

BethlehemFC · 24-02-2004, 04:02 PM

Man the injuries are piling up!
:shock: