Issue date: 1/24/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Ashley Hess FC Dallas selected Andrew Daniels '07 of the men's soccer team in the second round of the MLS SuperDraft on Jan. 12.

When the men's soccer team lost to Duke University in the second round of the NCAA tournament this fall, Andrew Daniels '07 thought his soccer career was over. "Obviously, we had a bitter taste in our mouths from the loss," he said. "But I was completely content with the way my four years (at Brown) went playing college soccer."

But on Jan. 12, Daniels was given an opportunity to continue his playing career when he was selected 18th overall in the 2007 Major League Soccer SuperDraft by FC Dallas.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Head Coach Mike Noonan notified Daniels that he would be one of the players invited to the MLS combine January 4-7 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. It took a little while for the news to settle in.

"Honestly, I didn't really think about the combine all that much when I first heard about it," he said. "When I got home for Thanksgiving, I was sending out my resume and trying to make contacts to get another job."

When Daniels arrived at the combine, he was loose and focused. "I wasn't really nervous when I got there," he said. "I just made sure to have fun and play my game."

Part of "playing his game" meant that Daniels would display his versatility. Daniels played forward his entire career at Brown and for most of his soccer life. However, in one of the games at the combine, a midfielder went down with an injury which forced a center back to play in the midfield. The injury left a void in the defense and Daniels' coach asked him if he could fill that position.

"When the coach first asked me to play center back, I was a little reluctant," he said. "I played there during the spring season two years ago, so I had a little experience there, but I wasn't overly thrilled about playing there again."

Daniels' strong performance on the backline raised eyebrows by showing he could help prevent goals as well as he could score them.

Daniels is the third player in three years that Noonan has seen drafted. FC Dallas also drafted goalkeeper Chris Gomez '05 in 2005 and Keith Caldwell '06 was chosen by the Colorado Rapids in last year's MLS Supplemental Draft. Daniels credits Noonan's system in preparing him for MLS, especially his emphasis on instruction.

Continued...

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