College Soccer / MLS

Local players taken in MLS draft

Lost in all the Philadelphia Union hype was that several local players got drafted by MLS clubs on Thursday.

Allentown’s Jason Yeisley, Lehigh University’s Adam Welch, FC Delco product Kevin Tangney and Villanova University’s Mike Seamon all made the cut at the draft. Yeisley and Welch are former players for the newly dubbed Reading United A.C., the minor league club now affiliated with Philadelphia Union.

Here’s a look at the players, their new teams, and what their prospects are:

Mike Seamon

Mike Seamon, midfielder/forward – Seattle Sounders, 2nd round, pick 27

Seamon is a 6-1 attacker from Rahway, N.J., who recorded five goals and seven assists in 2009 and led Villanova in scoring all four years in college. The Sounders made him their second pick after reaching for forward David Estrada in the first round. Seamon’s ability to play both midfield and forward could help him find the field, because that’s basically the same role Sebastien Le Toux played last season before the Sounders lost him to Philadelphia Union in the expansion draft.

Kevin Tangney

Kevin Tangney, defender – Chivas USA, 3rd round, pick 35

Tangney is a 6-2 defender from Newton, Pa., and former FC Delco player who spent five years at the University of Maryland after an injury wiped out his 2007 season. He captained the Maryland squad and anchored a defense that gave up only 0.83 goals per game in 2009. Chivas coach Martin Vazquez said before the draft that center back was the team’s top need after losing Shavar Thomas to the Union in the expansion draft. Tangney was the only center back the team took, so that may bode well for Tangney.

Jason Yeisley

Jason Yeisley, forward – FC Dallas, 3rd round, pick 38

Yeisley is a 6-1, 200-pound striker from Allentown who scored eight goals and handed out five assists for Penn State on the way to becoming 2009 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. He lost two seasons to injury and captained his team, so he’s shown a lot of character. If not for the injury history, he might have warranted a higher pick. Dallas could use some depth at forward, but Yeisley wasn’t the only striker the team drafted – Cal’s Andrew Wiedeman went ahead of him in the second round.

Adam Welch

Adam Welch, defender – New England Revolution, 4th round, pick 54

Welch is a six-foot-tall center back from Bethlehem who was Patriot League Defender of the Year in 2009. He was the only center back taken by New England, so the question is whether he can grab a roster spot on a team that already overhauled its back line last year.

One local player who wasn’t drafted was Temple University and Ocean City Barons product J.T. Noone. He was invited to the MLS scouting combine, so it’s possible he could latch on with a team later or find his way to the USL-NASL.

Have you followed any of these players in college? What do you think their prospects are for sticking with their MLS clubs? Add your comments below.

2 Comments

  1. Mike Servedio says:

    I’ll definitely be cheering for Seamon, as he is from my home town.

  2. I just like the valuable information you supply on your articles. I’ll bookmark your blog and test once more here regularly.

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