New York, NY: Today via conference call Major League Soccer held the 3rd & 4throunds of the 2014 MLS SuperDraft. Former Dynamo standout MF, Alex Martinez (NC State) was chosen as the 57th overall selection in the 3rd round, by the defending MLS Cup Champions, Sporting Kansas City. Martinez becomes 79th Dynamo player drafted by a Major League Soccer team,since the inaugural draft took place in 1996.
Alex Martinez (Dynamo 2013)
Position: Midfielder
College/Year: NC State
Hometown: Rock Hill, SC
HighSchool/Club: Northwestern HS./Discoveries SC
Alex was an instrumental part of the Dynamos success thispast season having led the club to an USASA National Amateur National Championship and South Atlantic Division Title. Martinez saw action in 15 matches recording four goals with seven assists for the Dynamo. This past seasonat NC State Alex scored two goals while assisting on eight others to earn him 3rd Team All-ACC & 3rd Team All-South Region honors. Martinez transferred from High Point to NC State after his sophomore season, and was named 1st Team All-ACC, NSCAA All-South Region Team last season after leading NC State inpoints (32), goals (11) and assists (10). During his two seasons at High Point, Alex appeared in 30 games, scoring12 goals with 13 assists and was to the Big South All-Freshman Team. Martinez was named NSCAA High School All-American in 2010 and was four time All-Region selection while at Northwestern High School.
About the Dynamo:
The Carolina Dynamo is one of the oldest and most storied clubs in US soccer, having won 5 National Championships, multiple Conference Championships, and11 Division Titles. Founded in1993, the Dynamo is three years older than Major League Soccer. TheDynamo is a team of elite college players with professional aspirations. They compete for the Dynamo during the summer, andthen return to colleges to finish their eligibility. Many of our players are drafted by MLS clubs and can been seen playing on National TV the following summer. Beginning with Major League Soccer’s (MLS) 1996 inaugural year,77 Dynamo players have been drafted by MLS teams. The Dynamos commitment to player development brings the very best players from the Region’s top college programs together to play in Macpherson Stadium each summer.
About the PDL:
The Premier Development League www.uslsoccer.com (PDL) is the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid thatbegins 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 theopportunity 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 largenumber of elite college talent, and a sprinkling of professionalexperience. 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 alsoplayed 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.