Coach Sasho Cirovski, midfielder Graham Zusi and defender A.J. Delagarza participated in the Terrapin men’s soccer team’s final press conference of the season today at the Comcast Center, national championship trophy in tow.
They spoke about the whirlwind last couple of days- Cirovski didn’t get back to College Park until yesterday, then proceeded to the Comcast Sportsnet studios in Bethesda for his appearance on “Washington Post Live.” Zusi and Delagarza said they didn’t have much time for celebration, as final exams started almost immediately upon their return home.
Zusi and Delagarza said they are going to spend about a week off, then get right back to training for the 2009 MLS Player Combine Jan. 9-13 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. While Zusi should be able to find a spot on an MLS roster because of his offensive talent and performance last weekend in the College Cup, Delagarza’s size (5-foot-8) is a factor he thinks could unfairly be held against him in terms of a professional career on the backline.
“They worry about my size,” Delagarza said of concerns pro coaches might have. “But when it comes down to it, I don’t think size really matters. I’m gonna work my hardest everyday in practice, everyday in games.”
While Delagarza, Zusi and other seniors Rich Costanzo and Michael Marchiano will definitely be leaving the program, there are a number of underclassmen who are rumored to be leaving for professional careers as well. Cirovski wouldn’t elaborate because he said he wants to talk to each player individually about their options in exit meetings throughout this week, but foremost among them is defender Omar Gonzalez.
Gonzalez is projected to be taken in the first round of the MLS draft by a number of mock draft websites, and Steven Goff of The Washington Post reported Gonzalez considered an offer to join the Tigres youth academy in Monterrey, Mexico before committing to Maryland.
But there are others rumored to be considering making the jump. Midfielder Jeremy Hall, who led the team in goals (14) and assists (7), was probably the team’s most consistent player throughout this season- though Zusi certainly took the lead in the final seven or eight games. Defender Rodney Wallace, who some would argue was the most talented player on the team, is probably a long shot to leave.
But then again, it’s hard to know what foreign offers or MLS interest there are out there with the way college soccer is set up. After their 2005 national championship season, forward Robbie Rogers left the Terps for a Dutch team just before the 2006 season began. Also, don’t forget about midfielder Matt Kassel, who actually received a small contract offer from the New York Red Bull before his freshman season and was a top prospect in their Youth Academy. He said earlier this year he would sit down with the Red Bulls after the season to make a determination.
So obviously, Cirovski has a lot to sort out through the next couple of weeks, and he admitted such. For now though, he’s keeping quiet about that and celebrating his second national championship. As for next season:
“When it’s all said and done, whoever is here, we’re going to be good,” Cirovski said.
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Funny thing is, at age 18 Gonzalez would have been scouted as a FORWARD. In that sense, Sasho has done a lot for him, because his future is at center back.
Still, Gonzalez and Kassel are both ready (frankly, probably the two most ready players on the team, more than even the seniors) to contribute to an MLS team if they think it’s what’s right for them. I’d be shocked if they didn’t both get what by MLS standards is a reasonably attractive contract (for Gonzalez I would guess 100-125k, and for Kassel 80-100k a year).