University of North Carolina Athletics
Carrieri Selected First Overall in MLS SuperDraft
February 5, 2001 | Men's Soccer
Feb. 5, 2001
Davie, Fla. - University of North Carolina men's soccer player Chris Carrieri (Stafford, Va.) was selected by the San Jose Earthquakes with the first overall pick in the 2001 Major League Soccer SuperDraft on Monday in Davie, Fla., the league has announced. The junior had one year of athletic eligibility remaining at Carolina.
Fellow Tar Heels Eddie Robinson (Greensboro, N.C.) and Caleb Norkus (Raleigh, N.C.) also were selected. Robinson was the 20th overall pick, going with the eighth selection in the second round to San Jose to join Carrieri. Norkus was the second pick of the fifth round, the 50th overall selection, going to D.C. United.
Carrieri had signed with Project-40, the joint venture between the MLS and U.S. Soccer aimed at providing America's young talent with training to develop their individual skills, prior to the draft. Robinson and Norkus were both seniors whose athletic eligibility at Carolina had expired.
"Being picked number one overall, that just overwhelms me with happiness," Carrieri said Monday from the Signature Grand hotel, site of the draft. "I'm extremely excited about playing in San Jose for the Earthquakes. I know a lot is expected of me, and I look forward to the challenge. They've got a great stadium in San Jose, a soccer-only facility that is a great place to play. And it's only 30 minutes from the beaches in Santa Cruz, so I couldn't be happier. I can't wait for the start of my professional soccer career."
Carrieri led the Atlantic Coast Conference and the nation in scoring as a junior during the 2000 season, breaking a number of UNC records along the way. He led the Tar Heels to the ACC Tournament championship and the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Carrieri, the 2000 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, set UNC school records for goals and points in a season in 2000. He led the ACC in points (64), goals (25), scoring (2.67 points per game) and goals per game (1.04). He also was second in the ACC in assists (14) and fourth in assists per game (0.58). He was named first-team All-America by the NSCAA and SoccerTimes.com in 2000 after earning third-team honors in 1999. He has been named first-team All-ACC in each of the last two years.
Robinson was named second-team All-ACC in 2000, earning praise as one of the top defensive midfielders in the conference. He started 20 games as a senior and finished with three goals and two assists.
Norkus also was named second-team All-ACC in 2000, ranking second in the conference with 43 points. His 15 goals were tied for fourth in the ACC and his 13 assists were third in the conference. All three figures were career highs for Norkus, who ranks fourth in school history in both goals (40) and points (101).
Carolina finished its 2000 campaign with a record of 21-3, 5-1 in the ACC. The Tar Heels won the ACC Tournament and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament before losing to two-time defending national champion Indiana, 1-0, on Dec. 2 in Chapel Hill.
Carrieri is the second Tar Heel ever to sign with Project-40. Former UNC defender Tim Sahaydak did the same after the 1996 season and now is a member of the Miami Fusion of the MLS.
