Friday Football: Donovan, WPS Draft & More
It's been a busy couple of days for soccer news and there's no let-up in sight.
Let's catch up a bit:
*Galaxy playmaker Landon Donovan told AP that Everton fans chanted "U-S-A, U-S-A" every time he took a corner kick in his debut at Arsenal last weekend.
"It was awesome," he said. "From Day 1 everyone has been very welcoming."
Donovan could make his home debut at Goodison Park against Manchester City on the weekend. The game airs live on Fox Soccer Channel at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
*The third 3rd Annual Mia Hamm & Nomar Garciaparra Celebrity Soccer Challenge benefiting Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and The Mia Hamm Foundation kicks off at 3 p.m. Saturday at Home Depot Center. Tickets are $20. Celebrities scheduled to play include Galaxy striker Edson Buddle, James Kyson Lee and Jimmy Jean Louis of "Heroes," Lakers guard Jordan Farmar as well as USWNT greats Brandi Chastain, Kristine Lilly and Joy Fawcett.
*Former Chivas USA Coach Preki and former U.S. international Thomas Dooley were
elected Thursday to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Dooley was selected on 83 of the 117 ballots cast in his final year of eligibility. Preki was
on 80 ballots (68.4 percent), just over the 66.7 percent required for election. Earnie Stewart (58.1), Shannon MacMillan (54.7) and Joe-Max Moore (52.1) were next on the list.
*Cal South has announced the sixth Soccer Nation Expo, touted as the largest free family soccer exposition in the nation, will return to the L.A. Convention Center Feb. 13-14. For full details, click here.
*The Women's Professional Soccer draft is under way today. The expansion Atlanta Beat took midfielder Tobin Heath (North Carolina) with the first pick.
The Sol's picks were:
*No. 5 overall midfielder Nikki Washington of North Carolina. Tweeted Sol GM Charlie Naimo: "The best outside MF in the US to whip crosses into Marta."
*Forward Casey Nogueira (North Carolina) was taken with the 8th overall pick.
*Forward Kiersten Dallstream (Washington State) was picked ninth overall.
*Forward Michelle Enyeart (Portland) was taken with the 14th overall pick (3rd pick of the 2nd round).
*Forward Kiki Bosio (Santa Clara) went 22nd overall (2nd pick of the 3rd round).
*The 25th pick overall was used on Kansas defender Estelle Johnson.
*Goalkeeper Mary Casey (Maryland) went 38th overall.
*Clemson's Lindsay Browne (midfielder-forward) was taken with the 47th overall pick in the fifth round.
Also:
*Ten of the 11 WPS First Round Draft picks played in the W-League, the first five all from Pali Blues.
*UCLA Olympian Lauren Cheney was the second overall pick by the Boston Breakers.
*North Carolina defender Whitney Engen of Rolling Hills Estates was taken fourth overall by the Chicago Red Stars.
*Kristina Larsen of UCLA went to St. Louis Athletica with the 17th pick.
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About 100 Percent Soccer
Sportswriter Nick Green has written the 100 Percent Soccer column since 2005 for the Daily News, Daily Breeze and other Los Angeles area newspapers. The blog of the same name began in 2007. A native of England, he began writing about soccer in the mid-1980s and in 2000 permanently exchanged a seat in the stands for one in the press box. He lives six miles from Carson's Home Depot Center, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chivas USA and the training headquarters for U.S. Soccer and is married to a long-suffering soccer widow. Join Nick on FaceBook and follow him on Twitter.
Does the Sol have 7 contracts to hand out? It seems that the WPS can cherry pick the best players from around the world... how much of a chance does a 3rd or fourth round pick out of college stand of even getting one pay check?