January 12, the New England Revolution selected midfielder Kelyn Rowe (UCLA) with the third overall pick and left back Tyler Polak (Creighton) with the 22nd overall pick of the 2012 MLS SuperDraft. Both players recently completed their sophomore seasons with their colleges and are signed to Generation adidas contracts, so their salaries won't count against the cap.
"I’m an attacking player, I love to go forward, I love the ball at my feet," said Rowe. "I like to play the attacking midfield and go forward. They say the number 10 position, that center mid that’s going forward with the front two - that’s where I’m most comfortable."
Click here for the complete list of MLS draft selections.
Kelyn Rowe
Rowe, 20, the 2011 Pac-12 Player of the Year as a sophomore, is a two-time All-American and has earned back-to-back all-conference honors. In 2010, he was also the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. He scored six goals and added a conference-leading 10 assists in 2011, finishing his UCLA career with a total of 46 points in 46 games. Rowe was also ranked eighth in assists in NCAA Division I. After making six appearances with the U.S. U-20 National Team, the Federal Way, Wash., product recently earned a call-up to U.S. U23 (Olympic) National Team camp as the squad prepares for the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Rowe is expected to report to the Revolution’s training camp later in January, following his training commitment to the U.S. Under-23 squad, which is currently in camp in Southern California.
Tyler Polak
Polak, 19, is a two-time NSCAA All-Midwest honoree and started each of his 44 total games played at Creighton. He led the Bluejay defense as it set numerous defensive records, and led the NCAA in shutout percentage and goals against average while allowing only five goals and 2.8 shots on goal per game this season. During his Creighton career, the Lincoln, Neb., native scored three goals and added six assists. Polak has been a member of the U.S. National Team pool at the U14, U17, U18 and U20 levels. After playing every minute during CONCACAF U17 World Cup qualifying, he continued to play every minute for the U.S. during the 2009 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Nigeria.
Polak is expected to join the Revs on Monday, Jan. 16, when they open camp at Gillette Stadium.
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