University of North Carolina Athletics
Three Tar Heels Selected in MLS SuperDraft
January 17, 2003 | Men's Soccer
Jan. 17, 2003
Kansas City, Mo. --Three former University of North Carolina men's soccer players were selected in Friday's Major League Soccer SuperDraft, including junior defender David Stokes (Dumfries, Va.), who went to D.C. United with the fifth overall pick.
Junior defender/midfielder Logan Pause (Hillsborough, N.C.) was a third-round pick of the Chicago Fire (24th overall). Senior midfielder Matt Crawford (Durham, N.C.) was a fourth-round selection of the Colorado Rapids, going 38th overall. Crawford will join former Tar Heel teammates Danny Jackson and Chris Carrieri in Colorado.
D.C. United had the first overall pick in the draft and selected Virginia junior Alecko Eskandarian, the reigning national player of the year.
Like Eskandarian, Pause and Stokes both gave up their final year of collegiate eligibility to enter professional soccer. As underclassmen, they signed contracts with Nike Project-40.
Pause and Stokes, both three-year starters at Carolina, were the starting central defenders on the Tar Heel defensive unit in 2002. Pause played in the midfield for his first two seasons before moving to defender in 2002. Stokes started as a marking back in his first two seasons and was named the Defensive MVP of the 2001 NCAA College Cup, helping lead UNC to the national championship.
Crawford was a four-year starter in the Tar Heel midfield who also was a first-team Academic All-America in 2002.
