Impact First, Whitecaps Second, Toronto FC Fourth In SuperDraft Spots

The Impact holds the first overall pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft
KANSAS CITY, Mo – The Montreal Impact will have the first overall selection of the 2012 MLS SuperDraft, Thursday at noon (Eastern Time), at the Kansas City Convention Center, in Missouri. The draft will be broadcast live on RDS and TSN2, and will be rebroadcast on RDS2 at 8:30pm.

“I think there is great anticipation right now for the first overall pick,” said Impact head coach Jesse Marsch. “It is a historic moment for our club. I can confirm that we have made a decision. We feel great about this player and we know that he will be a good professional player. We are excited about what he is going to bring to our team.”

“During our decision process, we took in consideration several elements, including the history of the player, the position he plays as well as his personality,” added Marsch. “As a professional player, we also need to consider what he will be like in the short and long term. We want to make sure that this asset will help our club for 10 years to come.”

The team also holds the first selection of the second round, which is the 20th overall pick. A four-round Supplemental Draft will then be held on Tuesday, January 17, via conference call. The Impact also holds the first pick of each round.

During the last week, the club’s technical staff attended the MLS Player Combine in Fort Lauderdale, in preparation for the draft.

“The time down in Florida was very useful for us. We got to see the whole group available for the draft. I think that, by tomorrow afternoon, we will have two very good additions to our roster,” concluded Marsch.

The Impact will begin its training camp this Monday at the Marie-Victorin Sports Complex, in Montreal. The team will then travel to Mexico, on January 18, for a 12-day camp in Guadalajara.

The club will kick off its first ever season in the North American first division on Saturday, March 10, against Canadian rivals Vancouver Whitecaps FC, at 6pm EST, at BC Place, in Vancouver. The team will then host its season opener at home the following Saturday, at Olympic Stadium, on March 17, against the Chicago Fire, at 2pm.

Season ticket holders for 2012 are available in five categories, at a cost of $250, $350, $550, $850 and $1,250. It is possible to purchase tickets via the website at impactmontreal.com or by calling 514-328-3668.

SuperDraft: TFC Seeks Potential
TORONTO – The trick in the MLS SuperDraft (Thursday Noon ET on TSN 2) is to see beyond what a player already is to what he can be.

“Maybe this is what is fantastic about the MLS coaches,” Toronto FC director of player development Paul Mariner said in a telephone interview on Monday. “They can see things in players that some people don’t see and it’s not necessarily the first-round draft picks.

“Sometimes the lower draft picks do extremely well and people say, ‘Where did that kid come from?’ That’s coaches having an eye for a player with some growth in them.”

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WHITECAPS FC HOLD THE SECOND AND 21ST OVERALL SELECTIONS IN THURSDAY’S MLS SUPERDRAFT
VANCOUVER, BC – In preparation for their second season in Major League Soccer, Vancouver Whitecaps FC have two picks in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft, presented by adidas. This year’s SuperDraft will take place on Thursday, January 12, at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The two-round, 38-pick SuperDraft will begin at 9 a.m. PT, with the first round being shown live on TSN2, RDS2, and ESPN2. The entire SuperDraft will be streamed live online at MLSsoccer.com and whitecapsfc.com. Whitecaps FC fans can also stay up-to-date with Thursday’s SuperDraft on our Twitter and Facebook pages.

Whitecaps FC hold the second overall pick in this year’s SuperDraft, with Canadian rivals and MLS expansion club Montreal Impact holding the top pick. The Blue and White also hold their Natural Second-Round Selection, which is the 21st overall pick in the SuperDraft.

Clubs will be given four minutes to make their selections and each club are permitted a five-minute timeout at any point in the SuperDraft to extend their allotted selection window. There will also be a five-minute break between rounds.

WHITECAPS FC PICKS
#2 overall – Natural First-Round Selection (second pick in first-round)
#21 overall – Natural First-Round Selection (second pick in second-round)

In addition to their two SuperDraft selections, Whitecaps FC also have their four selections in the four-round, 76-pick MLS Supplemental Draft, which will be held on Tuesday, January 17, via conference call. Vancouver’s four natural selections (#2, #21, #40, and #59) are the second pick in each of the four Supplemental Draft rounds.

In 2011, Whitecaps FC made four selections in the SuperDraft and three in the Supplemental Draft. This included two first-round Generation adidas SuperDraft selections in striker Omar Salgado (first overall) and midfielder Michael Nanchoff (eighth overall), as well as the first overall pick in the 2011 Supplemental Draft – New Zealand international centre back Michael Boxall.