He wasn't in attendance and he didn't go as early as expected, but nothing could ruin the moment for Maryland senior midfielder Stephen King.

King was chosen by the Chicago Fire in the third round with the 40th pick overall of the MLS SuperDraft Friday at the Baltimore Convention Center as he trained hundreds of miles south with the Under-23 National team in Florida.

“I'm so happy right now. Its hard to explain what's really going on,” King said from Bradenton, Fla “It's a tremendous opportunity. I'm just looking forward to the challenge. Its something you look forward to your whole life and as a kid. I just can't wait to get started.”

King, however, was expected to be selected in the second round, according to many draft experts.

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“It was a surprise for me,” former MLS star and current ESPN analyst John Harkes said. “I thought he would have gone earlier.”

King carved a legacy at Maryland, opting to play all four years and finishing with 33 assists, second-most in school history, as well as helping the team to the 2005 College Cup Championship.

Friday's moment ranked right with his championship at Maryland, but the wait to hear his name — over the phone from agent Leo Cullen, the first overall selection in the 1998 draft out of Maryland — made him worry if he’d get the chance to play professionally.

“As it was getting latter and later into the draft, I was getting a little nervous and anxious,” King said. “At the end of the day, it doesn't matter when you're picked, you just have to go there and do your best.”

The 5-foot-8, 153-pound third-team All-American will join 14 other former Terrapins who played in the MLS last season. Former Terrapins forward Maurice Edu was selected first overall last year, and goaltender Chris Seitz went fourth. King is the third Terrapin to play with the Fire, following Sumed Ibrahim (2004) and Scott Buete (2004-05).

Towson University had two hopefuls — senior midfielder Pat Healey (Calvert Hall) and senior goalkeeper Billy Chiles — go undrafted. The MLS will hold its supplemental draft Thursday.

The Kansas City Wizards drafted UCLA defender Chance Myers with the first overall pick. The 6-foot, 160-pounder was one of eight members of Generation adidas — a program aimed to get talented young players to enter the MLS early — chosen in the first round.

dcarey@baltimoreexaminer.com, swelsh@baltimoreexaminer.com  

MLS First Round Picks

1. Kansas City: D Chance Myers*, UCLA; 2. Dallas: M/D Brek Shea*, U-17 National team; 3. Real Salt Lake: M/D Anthony Beltran*, UCLA; 4. Los Angeles: M/D Sean Franklin, CS-Northridge; 5. Colorado: M Ciaran O'Brien*, UC-Santa Barbara; 6. Columbus: D Andy Iro, UC-Santa Barbara; 7. Chicago: F Patrick Nyarko*, Virginia Tech; 8. Dallas: GK Josh Lambo*, U-17 National team; 9. Toronto: D Julius James, UConn; 10. Toronto: M Pat Phelan, Wake Forest; 11. Kansas City: M Roger Espinoza*, Ohio St.; 12. Chicago: GK Dominic Cervi, Tulsa; 13. New England: D Rob Valentino*, U. of San Francisco; 14. Real Salt Lake: D David Horst, Old Dominion

* Generation adidas