CARSON, Calif. - The LA Galaxy selected four players while Chivas USA selected two in the 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft on Tuesday.
With the third overall pick of the Supplemental Draft, the Galaxy selected midfielder Daniel Keat then tabbed Stanford defender Ryan Thomas with the 16th overall pick before Chivas selected Ernesto Carranza at No. 22. In the second round, the Galaxy selected midfielder Dustin McCarty while Chivas picked UAB defender Curtis Ushedo. Goalkeeper Zach Johnson was taken by the Galaxy in the third round.
With the third overall pick of the Supplemental Draft, which was acquired on Thursday from D.C. United, the Galaxy selected Keat from Dartmouth University. Originally born in Wellington, New Zealand and a member of New Zealand's 2008 Olympic team, Keat had 20 goals and 13 assists in 64 career games with the Big Green. After missing the 2008 season through injury, Keat set career-highs with eight goals and six assists in 2009 to earn NSCAA Third Team All-American honors. The 23-year-old was a co-captain for Dartmouth this season and helped lead them to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in his five years at the school, reaching the Third Round before losing in overtime to UCLA.
Later in the first round, with the 16th overall pick, which was also acquired from D.C. United on Thursday, the Galaxy selected Stanford's Thomas. A native of Claremont, Calif., Thomas had two goals and 12 assists in his four years with the Cardinal, helping them reach the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament as a junior in 2009. A three-time UYSA national champion with Arsenal FC where he was a teammate of Hector Jimenez, the Galaxy's second round pick in last week's MLS SuperDraft, Thomas had three assists in each of his four years at Stanford and was named Second Team All-Pac-10 as a senior in 2010 after being an Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 honoree as a junior when he played in and started a career-high 20 games.
In the second round of the Supplemental Draft (34th overall) the Galaxy selected McCarty from the University of North Carolina. A member of the North Carolina team that reached the 2008 College Cup Final, McCarty began his college career at the University of Central Florida, earning Conference USA All-Freshman Team honors in 2007. He transferred to North Carolina before the start of the 2008 season and went on to appear in 60 games during his three years with the Tar Heels, scoring three goals and adding three assists. The brother of current D.C. United midfielder Dax McCarty, he helped North Carolina reach the NCAA College Cup in both 2009 and 2010, falling in the semifinals each year.
The Galaxy rounded out the Supplemental Draft by selecting Johnson in the third round (52nd overall). A four-year starter at the University of West Virginia, Johnson helped lead the Mountaineers to the NCAA Tournament in both 2007 and 2010 before falling to the eventual National Champion each year. The 2008 BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year, Johnson finished his college career with a 37-28-15 record with 36 shutouts and a goals against average under 1.00. A native of Lumberton, N.J., Johnson played all but eight minutes for the Mountaineers over the last four years and set a school record with 13 clean sheets as a freshman in 2007.
With the 22nd overall pick, Chivas selected Carranza, a 21-year-old midfielder/forward from Oakdale, Calif., who is coming off a strong four-year career at Sacramento State, where he is the all-time leader in assists. He played a total of 82 matches in his Sac State career (81 starts), scoring 18 goals and adding 20 assists. A graduate of Oakdale High School, where he had 113 goals and 114 assists in four years, Carranza also holds Mexican citizenship.
A powerful defender from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, Ushedo was selected 40th overall after playing four seasons for the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), scoring five goals in 67 appearances (63 starts). At 6-4, 195, Ushedo was an NSCAA All-Region pick for his junior and senior seasons, and has also participated in training camps with the Canadian Under-23 National Team.
