MLS held its annual Amateur SuperDraft today in Baltimore, Maryland. The LA Galaxy, with the 16th overall selection in the first round selected Uruguayan midfielder Paolo Cardozo, one of three non-collegiate international players in the draft. The 21 year old hails from the Argentine league, helping Quilmes to a promotion last year.
↵↵↵“I couldn’t believe it. To have the LA Galaxy pick you is something very incredible,†said Cardozo in Spanish. “You always hope that your hard work leads to this very moment, a big club picking you. Now it’s up to me to prove to them that I’m deserving.â€
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With their second selection, the Galaxy chose Southern California native and UC Berkeley star Hector Jimenez. Jimenez was a three time All-Pac 10 selection for the Golden Bears, who reached the NCAA tournament all three of those years. His local club, Arsenal FC, won three straight national titles, and he was a member of the US U-17 residency program in Florida before going to Cal.
↵↵“Hector Jimenez is a good player. We actually rated him as the best right-sided player in the draft,†Galaxy General Manager and Head Coach Bruce Arena said. “He’s a local kid, went to the University of California and obviously we love to have those types at the Galaxy. We think he’s a very good player and being a local player is a plus.â€
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