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Hall, Maxwell Selected In First Round of MLS Draft

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By NICHOLAS MURRAY | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 15, 2009

Tampa native Jeremy Hall and University of Tampa standout Ryan Maxwell were selected in the first round of the MLS draft in St. Louis on Thursday afternoon.

Hall, who played club soccer for Hillsborough County United before entering the U.S. under-17 program and moving on to the University of Maryland, was selected with the No.11 pick by the New York Red Bulls.

Hall, who was named to the 2009 Generation adidas class last week, could vie for a starting position with New York in his rookie season. The Red Bulls traded left-sided midfielder Dave van den Burgh to FC Dallas earlier in the week, opening up that position in their starting 11.

"I knew anything could happen from watching previous drafts," Hall said. "I just stayed patient and was waiting. I looked over and saw [Red Bulls manager] Juan Carlos [Osorio] just point at me, and I got that tingly feeling inside. I was just so excited."

Hall will be joined in New York by former Wharton High standout Nick Zimmerman. Zimmerman, who played his college soccer at James Madison, was selected by the Red Bulls in the third round with the 44th pick overall.

UT's Maxwell saw his stock rise during this week's combine, and was selected by the New England Revolution with the 15th and final pick of the first round. A member of the Jamaican under-20 team, Maxwell scored 16 goals and added 13 assists in his three seasons with Tampa.

"My reaction was screaming, because I couldn't believe I had been drafted in the first round," Maxwell said. "It's a dream come true to get drafted by any of those places, and for it to be the New England Revolution, which is one of the more recognized teams, is amazing."

Brian Shriver, who played for Clearwater High before attending North Carolina, was taken by FC Dallas in the second round with the 27th pick overall. Shriver scored 14 goals as the Tar Heels reached the NCAA championship game, and he will join fellow bay area players Blake Wagner (Tampa) and Anthony Wallace (St. Petersburg) in Dallas.

South Florida forward Jordan Seabrook was drafted by the Colordao Rapids in the fourth round, while former Ridgewood forward Richard Jata was selected by the Chicago Fire in the fourth round. Seabrook's South Florida teammate Yohance Marshall, who was initially projected as a possbile first round pick, went undrafted after a poor combine.

Nicholas Murray can be reached at (813) 259-8243.

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