Carson, CA. – Chivas USA had only one pick in this year’s MLS SuperDraft, taking place Thursday in Kansas City, the fifth overall in the draft. The Goats selected 22 year old Casey Townsend, a forward from the University of Maryland. Townsend will be added to the Chivas USA roster as he had signed a contract with MLS prior to the SuperDraft. The Terrapin will report to Chivas USA for his physical this weekend, and will start preseason camp this Monday, January 16 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California, home of Chivas USA.
“The kid is unbelievably competitive,” commented Chivas USA Head Coach Robin Fraser about Casey Townsend. “We watched him in the combine, we watched him in college, he’s the kind of kid who wins literally every challenge he has, and it’s all about his attitude. He is a very good finisher, has a good nose for the goal and he completely fits into what it is we are trying to do here [Chivas USA]. We want to get winners here and we got ourselves a winner today.”
“We watched a lot games with Casey and we loved his style of play, his guts. He is a guy that will always compete, he always wants to win. That’s the winner mentality we want at Chivas USA,” commented Red-and-White General Manager Jose Domene. “It was a great pick up, we didn’t think he would fall to us, we were hoping he would, and he did. We are super excited, he is a great guy, and from the personal interview, he’s a guy that wants to play many years in this league and he really wants to compete for a starting job.”
CASEY TOWNSEND
School: University of Maryland
Position: Forward
Height: 5-11
Weight: 161 lbs
Date of Birth: 07/07/1989
Hometown: Traverse City, Mich.
Citizenship: USA
COLLEGIATE RECORD
YR SCHOOL GP GS G A
2011 Maryland 21 21 17 2
2010 Maryland 23 23 9 5
2009 Maryland 15 15 6 1
2008 Maryland 26 24 11 4
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
College
2011: M.A.C. Hermann Trophy Semifinalist; NSCAA All-American First Team
2010, 2011: All-Atlantic Coast Conference First Team Ended Collegiate career with 43 goals, third-most in Maryland history
High School
Traverse City West HS (2007)
Three-Time Parade All-American
Scored 105 goals, second most all-time in Michigan Class A/Division 1
Personal
Enrolled in letters and sciences; studying criminal justice. Would like to become a defense attorney.
Club/National Team
Played for Vardar Soccer Club
U.S. youth international since 2006 at U-17, U-18 and U-20 level.
CHIVAS USA SELECTION IN 2012 MLS SUPERDRAFT
First Round: 5th overall (Natural 1st round pick) Casey Townsend (University of Maryland)
CHIVAS USA ALL-TIME FIRST ROUND SUPERDRAFT SELECTIONS
2005 2nd Overall Brad Guzan (University of South Carolina)
2006 5th Overall Sacha Kljestan (Seton Hall University)
2007 7th Overall John Cunliffe (Fort Lewis College)
2009 9th Overall Michael Lahoud (Wake Forest University)
2010 10th Overall Blair Gavin (University of Akron)
2011 4th Overall Zarek Valentin (University of Akron)
2011 14th Overall Victor Estupiñan (LDU Quito)
2012 5th Overall Casey Townsend (University of Maryland)
