Six Dynamo Players Selected In The MLS Supplemental Draft

Today six former Dynamo players were selected as part of Major League Soccer’s Supplemental Draft held at MLS headquarters in New York, NY. The Supplemental Draft serves as rounds three though six of the 2013 MLS Draft. Both Cameron Brown (UNC Chapel Hill) & Hakan Ilhan (UNC Greensboro) went in the 1st round, Brown as the 7th pick to FC Dallas, and Ilhan as the 8th pick to the Montreal Impact. Chris Thomas (Elon) was selected in the 2nd round by the New England Revolution as the 23rd selection, followed by Mark Linville(Princeton) as the 24th pick going to the Philadelphia Union. Luciano Delbono (Wake Forest) was selected in the 3rd round by the Montreal Impact, as the 46th selection. Shaun Sloan (High Point) rounded out the day for the Dynamo as the 66th overall pick. Sloan was selected by the Columbus Crew.

Including these six players the Dynamo have had 53 players drafted by Major League Soccer since joining the PDL back in 2004, and 72 drafted since Major League Soccer’s 1996 inaugural year.

For a complete list player’s selected in today’s Supplemental Draft click on the link below: http://www.mlssoccer.com/superdraft/2013/supplemental-draft

   Cameron Brown
   Position:               Midfielder/Forward
   College/Year:           UNC Chapel Hill/RS Senior
   Hometown:               Garland, TX
   High School/Club:       Naaman Forest H.S./Solar Soccer Club

Cameron appeared in four matches for the Dynamo in 2010 before tearing his ACL. The injury forced him to miss the remainder of the Dynamo season and redshirt the following fall at Chapel Hill. Brown was slated as first round draft pick before redshirting his senior season. A three-year captain at Naanman Forest High School, Cameron scored 36 goals, adding 26 assists in his 44 game career. A two-time Parade All-American (2006, 07), he was also named to NSCAA/adidas Youth All-America Teams in both 2005 and 2006. In 2005 Cameron was in the in U.S. U-17 World Cup player pool. Playing for the Solar Soccer Club, Cameron powered the team to 23 first-place finishes, four Texas State Titles, and three National Finals. He is the club’s career scoring leader with 154 goals and 275 assists.

   Hakan Ilhan
   Position:               Forward
   College/Year:           UNC Greensboro/Senior
   Hometown:               Stuttgart, Germany
   High School/Club:       Wirthschafts Gymnasium/Stuttgart Kickers U23

During his two seasons with the Dynamo, Ilhan twice led the team in points with 22 each season. Hakan totaled 20 goals with nine assists in 29 matches for the Dynamo. This past season at UNC-G Hakan led the team in scoring with 21 points and goals with seven, and was named to the 1st team All-Southern Conference, and 3rd team NSCAA All-South Region. Ilhan helped lead UNC-G to a Southern Conference regular season title last fall, seeing action in all 20 matches and pacing the Spartans with 10 goals and five assists for a team-high 25 points. He earned first-team All-SoCon honors, was named to the NCCSIA All-State Team and was also a third-team all-region pick. After transferring from the University of Stuttgart to play at UNC-G in 2010, Ilhan started 21 games, amassing 12 goals and 7 assists earning first team All-Southern Conference honors. He powered the Spartans to a Southern Conference Title and an NCAA appearance, making the SoCon All-Tournament Team and the NSCAA All-South Second Team. Hakan’s first club team, Offenburger FV, won the Verbandsliga Südbaden league title in 2008. He played the 2009-10 season with Stuttgart Kickers U23.

   Chris Thomas
   Position:               Forward
   College/Year:           Elon/Senior
   Hometown:               Snellville, GA
   High School/Club:       Greater Atlanta Christian/Norcross Fury

Chris played for the Dynamo prior to his junior season having just come off an injury. Thomas appeared in three games scoring one goal. This past season at Elon, Thomas led the Nation in scoring with 23 goals in 22 games. Thomas was named 3rd Team All-American by both College Soccer News & TopDrawerSoccer, and was a Hermann Trophy semi-finalist. As a junior, Thomas stared 18 games for Elon last fall leading the Phoenix with 10 goals and earned Southern Conference Player of the Year honors. In 2008, he played in 19 games, starting 18, netting 10 goals and 3 assists. Chris made Second Team All-Southern Conference, the TopDrawerSoccer All-Rookie Team, and was named SoCon Freshman of the Year. At Greater Atlanta Christian, Chris scored 53 goals as a senior and 41 goals as a junior and powered GAC to three State Titles. Thomas was the 2008-09 Gatorade Georgia Boys Player of the Year and the 2009 Georgia H.S State Player of the Year. His Norcross Fury 91 club team won the State Cup Title, the Score by the Shore crown, and the CASL Championship in 2008.

   Mark Linville
   Position:               Defender
   College/Year:           Princeton/Senior
   Hometown:               Boone, NC
   High School/Club:       NC School of Science & Math/Greensboro Soccer Club

During his two years with the Dynamo, Linville saw action in 17 games as a center back. This past season at Princeton, Linville started 15 of 16 matches recording two goals while assisting on another four for the Tigers. As a junior captain at Princeton, he notched one goal and finished second on the team with five assists. Linville was a first team All-Ivy League selection and was named to the Eastern College Athletic Conference All-Star second team. He started all 18 games, scoring one goal and dishing out two assists, as a sophomore, anchoring a Tigers defense that held opponents to 1.06 goals/game and a .082 shooting percentage. Linville was named to the 2010 All Ivy League First Team. In 2009, Mark also started every for the Tigers. He was the only freshman to earn a spot on the 2009 All-Ivy League First Team. Linville attended the NC School of Science & Math his junior and senior years of high school. He captained his NCSSM teams to the State Championship in 2007 and a second place conference finish in 2008. Mark tallied 19 goals and 20 assists his senior year earning him 2008 Conference Player of the Year and All-South honors. He was also a three-time All-State selection. His Greensboro Soccer Club team won the 2007 NC Premier League. Mark is a member of the North Carolina ODP team that won regionals and finished third in the nation.

   Luciano Delbono
   Position:               Midfielder
   College/Year:           Wake Forest/Senior
   Hometown:               Winston-Salem, NC
   High School/Club:       R.J. Reynolds/Twin City

During his two season with the Dynamo, Delbono saw action in 11 games, scoring one goal while assisting on two others. Delbono tallied one goal and one assist in 10 appearances for the club in 2011. During his four season at Wake, Delbono saw action in 65 games, scoring one goal while assisting on another four. Delbono lettered and started all four years at R.J. Reynolds High School and scored 36 goals during his career. He was named conference player of the year and All-Forsyth County. Delbono was also a member of the North Carolina State Olympic Development Program team. His ODP team won regionals and finished third in nationals.

   Shawn Sloan
   Position:               Midfielder
   College/Year:           High Point/Senior
   Hometown:               Geneva, Ill.
   High School/Club:       Geneva HS

This past season with the Dynamo, Sloan saw action in 13 matches, scoring one goal while adding another three assists. As a senior at High Point, Sloan was named 1st team NSCAA Scholar All-American, 3rd Team All South-Atlantic Region, & 1st team All-Big South after scoring six goals and adding 10 assists for the Panthers. He started all 21 matches for High Point as a junior, scoring four goals and adding a team-leading seven assists. Sloan earned first team All-Big South honors and was also named the Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year. As a sophomore, he started every match for the Panthers and amassed 24 points to help the team secure the Big South regular season title. Sloan was named first team All-Big South and also received ESPN Academic All-American honors. He led the Panthers in scoring with six goals as a freshman, appearing in all 18 matches. Sloan received first team All-Big South honors as well as Big South Freshman of the Year recognition. He scored 58 goals and dished out 40 assists in his prep career at Geneva High School, including a school record tying 29 goals his final season which helped him earn team MVP honors. As a senior, Sloan earned Western Sun Conference MVP, all-conference, all-section, all-state and NSCAA All-Midwest honors. He was also selected as the 2008 Player of the Year by the Geneva Republican, Beacon News, Daily Herald and Kane County Chronicle. Shawn also earned academic all-conference and all-state honors.

About the PDL
The Premier Development League www.uslsoccer.com (PDL) is the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid that begins with Major League Soccer, which boasts some 74 teams for the 2012 season and spans across the US into both Bermuda & Canada. The league is designed to develop top young talent, giving young aspiring professionals and elite collegiate players the opportunity to play in an organized league with veterans to learn from. Eight of the 26 player’s on each professional team roster are permitted to be over the age of 23. For this reason the league contains a large number of elite college talent, and a sprinkling of professional experience. USA National team stars such as Brian Ching, Jay DeMerit, and Sacha Kljestan, and seasoned World class professionals such as Jurgen Klinsmann (US National Team Coach) have also played in the league.

The PDL is often used as a ‘shop window’ by top level professional teams who look to watch players ahead of the MLS SuperDraft, this gives you the chance to see developing stars in live action at PDL games year in and year out.