In 13th place during the first of two draft rounds, the Impact selected Claudio Dias, a 22-year-old defender from Brampton, Ontario, who helped the University of Plattsburgh boast the best defensive record in the SUNYAC (State University New York Athletic Conference), with a goals against average of 0,48 per game. Dias also scored twice and tallied six points, starting 19 out of 20 games. He was named to the All-America NSCAA Team.
In the second round, 26th overall, Montreal drafted Brazilian forward Frederico Moojen, who played with Clemson University last year, scoring 11 goals. During the 2004 and 2005 seasons with Lincoln Memorial University, the 23-year-old tallied 48 goals and 109 points. In 2005 and 2006, Moojen also finished top scorer of the USL Premier Development League (PDL), scoring 18 goals each season with the Cocoa Expos and the defunct Augusta Fireball. In 2006, he was named PDL Player of the Year.
“We are very pleased with our picks even if we had to chose last in the two rounds of the draft,”, said Montreal Impact head coach Nick De Santis. “These were two players who had impressed us at the USL Showcase last December. It’s great to draft a Canadian player, now we’ll have to see if he is ready to play at our level. As for Moojen, he is a player with a lot of offensive qualities.
Last year, the Impact had selected as first pick midfielder Simon Gatti, from Rhode Island University. In his rookie season, Gatti had played 157 minutes in five games with the Impact.
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Source: Patrick Vallée, Montreal Impact
Info: 514-328-3668 (ext. 27)
