SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes hold the 15th overall pick in the 2011 Major League Soccer SuperDraft on Thursday, Jan. 13 live on ESPN2 at 9 a.m. PT. The 2011 MLS SuperDraft is being held in Baltimore at the Convention Center in conjunction with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Annual Convention.
Along with the 15th overall pick, the Quakes own the 33rd overall selection in the current draft order.
The first round of the 2011 MLS SuperDraft, presented by adidas, will air live on ESPN2, beginning at 9 a.m. PT. The second and third rounds of the draft will then be streamed live on MLSsoccer.com.
San Jose supporters can also follow the event on sjearthquakes.com and can also get up-to-the-minute updates on Twitter and Facebook.
All 18 MLS clubs will participate in each of the three rounds, in an order predetermined by each team’s record from the 2010 season. Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the Portland Timbers, expansion clubs entering MLS for the 2011 season, were awarded the top two picks, respectively.
The 2011 adidas MLS Player Combine was held Jan. 8-11 in Lauderhill, Florida, as more than 70 players participated in front of MLS coaches, technical directors and general managers.
First Round
#15 – Earthquakes’ Natural First Round Selection
Second Round
#33 – Earthquakes’ Natural Second Round Selection
The Earthquakes third round selection was traded to the Chicago Fire on August 6, 2010 in exchange for defender Tim Ward.
At the 2010 MLS SuperDraft, the Earthquakes made five selections, highlighted by defender Ike Opara from Wake Forest with the 3rd pick in the first round. Opara appeared in 11 regular season games for the Quakes, scoring three goals before a foot fracture sidelined him for the remainder of the season. San Jose had three second round picks, and selected Notre Dame teammates Michael Thomas (19th) and Justin Morrow (28th), and San Diego State and San Jose native Steven Beitashour (30th). Additionally, William and Mary forward Andrew Hoxie was selected 37th overall in the third round. Of those final four picks, Beitashour and Morrow made the Earthquakes. Beitashour appeared in eight games, scoring once and Morrow appeared in three matches.
The San Jose Earthquakes will open the 2011 season at home on Saturday, March 19 against Real Salt Lake at Buck Shaw Stadium at 7:30 p.m. PT. The Quakes play RSL at home to open the season for the second straight year. San Jose looks to improve on their 2010 campaign that saw the Quakes reach the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2005. The Earthquakes finished 2010 with a 13-10-7 record and reached the Eastern Conference Championship after knocking out the first-seeded New York Red Bulls in the opening round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Season tickets for 2011 are now on sale and fans can log on to sjearthquakes.com or call 408-556-7700 to make a deposit or purchase season tickets. The 20-game season ticket package includes two bonus games and a playoff game ticket. Season ticket packages start as low as $240.
