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COUGARS EXPAND TO FORTY MAN ROSTER VIA MISL SUPPLEMENTAL DRAFT
Thursday Jul 12, 2007
The California Cougars announced the results of the 2007-2008 MISL Supplemental draft today. The draft was held to help the MISL member clubs supplement their rosters after the expansion draft which took place on Monday July 9, in which each member club lost five players to each of the three expansion teams joining the MISL for the 2007-2008 season, which are the New Jersey Ironmen, the Orlando Sharks, and MISL Monterrey.
The Cougars selected Kupono Low, of Fremont California with their first pick. Low is currently playing for the Carolina RailHawks in the United Soccer League’s First Division, where he leads the team in goals with four through fifteen games. However, it is Low’s defensive ability that prompted head coach Bernie Lilavois to draft the young defender.
Cougars Head Coach Bernie Lilavois said, “We have been watching Low play for the last year, and he is having an impressive season for Carolina. He is a perfect fit for the Cougars, as we are placing an emphasis on defense and he is a solid defender, and is a local guy, originally from the Bay Area. I am happy he was still available with our first pick (fourth overall) and I look forward to seeing him in training camp to compete for a spot on our final twenty man roster.”
Low said, “It means a lot to be drafted by the California Cougars. I am happy to get a chance to compete for a spot on their roster, and I think I will be an addition that can help the team do well in the standings next season. Though I have been playing outdoors, I really like the pace of the indoor game, and I am confident I can make the transition successfully and do well fairly quickly.”
The Cougars also selected two local players with MLS experience. Eric Denton of Manteca, who played most recently with the New York Red Bulls and Adolfo Gregorio who played with Real Salt Lake. Coach Lilavois said, “We have known about them for a long time, and being local players who have played at the highest professional level in the United States, we felt it was an obvious choice to select them and invite them to compete for a spot on our club. It will be interesting to see how they make the transition to the MISL style of play.”
In addition, the Cougars selected eight other players from the USL’s premier division including California Victory players GK Eric Reed; M Chuck Kim, M Yuri Morales, and F Joshua Hansen. Also selected were M Ansu Toure and F Leo Gibson who are teammates of Cougar Forward Brian Farber during his stint with the Minnesota Thunder. Rounding out the picks from the USL are D Marco Velez from the Puerto Rico Islanders, and F Chris Carrieri of the Carolina RailHawks.
With their remaining picks, the Cougars selected several players from the Premier Arena Soccer League’s Pacific division. These include M Nathan Ford of the Tacoma Stars, D Josh Copeland of the Chico Bigfoot, and M Majer Alterado of the Sonoma Sol. Coach Lilavois said, “We have seen a lot of good local players in the PASL Pacific Division through our involvement with the Stockton Pumas, and wanted to reward some of their top performers with an opportunity to compete for a spot on the Cougars opening day roster.”
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