Jan. 17, 2012
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Seniors Michael Green and Lance Rozeboom spent the past four years proving themselves time and again to be key assets to the Lobo men’s soccer program, both on and off the pitch. Both midfielders played huge roles in New Mexico’s historic 18-0-4 season on both sides of the ball, and have now been presented with the opportunity to showcase their talents at the professional level.
Both Green and Rozeboom were drafted in Tuesday’s MLS supplemental draft by Toronto and D.C. United respectively. The supplemental round of the Superdraft, held in New York, N.Y., consists of four rounds during which each MLS team is permitted three minutes per round to make a draft selection, with a three-minute break between rounds. Selected players will then join their respective teams for preseason training this week and compete for roster postitions for the upcoming season.
Green, a native of Strongsville, Ohio, was selected fourth in the first round of the supplemental draft by Toronto. He was named to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation all-tournament team following the Lobos’ claim on the postseason conference title, and was also named second-team all-conference after New Mexico went 10-0 in MPSF play. Green started all 22 games for the Lobos this season, recording two goals and four assists for eight points on the year. He is a strong facilitator of the New Mexico offensive attack while doubling as a tough defensive midfielder. Additionally, he serves as a set-piece specialist and has a proven ability to play on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
On the season, Green carried a .522 shot-on-goal percentage. He was named second-team all-conference and also earned a spot on the 2011 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation all-tournament team.
Over the course of his career at New Mexico, Green competed in 84 matches for the Lobos, starting in 67. He has 11 career goals and 15 assists to his credit and has logged over 1,000 minutes of pitch time in each of his four years for a grand total of 6,409 minutes on the field in a Lobo jersey. He was named third-team All-Far West following his performance this season, and has a total of two all-region awards, two all-conference awards and two MPSF Player of the Week awards to his name.
“It’s is a good feeling, it took about four or five minutes before it actually sunk in, I guess I was in shock that it all happened,” Green said. “Now hopefully I’ll make the team and put good name out there for New Mexico.”
Rozeboom, hailing from Walker, Iowa, was selected 26th overall in the second round by D.C. United. He is a versatile player with the talent to play multiple positions on both ends of the field. He’s especially gifted with the ball at his feet, and served as an anchor in the midfield for the Lobos this season. Rozeboom matched Green’s eight points with three goals and two assists, all three goals coming on penalty kicks, and also started every match of the season.
This season, he was named first-team all-MPSF, first-team All-Far West, and was named to Top Drawer Soccer’s Top 100 list (No. 37).
During his time at UNM, Rozeboom started 78 games for the Lobos – a statistic that ranks fifth all-time in program history — and made appearances in 82. He racked up seven career goals and five assists, and was a perfect 3-for-3 in penalty kicks. In total, Rozeboom logged 6,295 minutes on the pitch as a Lobo (tenth in the record books.)
The talent, teamwork and chemistry that both players displayed on the field stemmed from a familiarity with each other from their club soccer days, and a friendship that developed over the course of four years as Lobos.
“It’s a good thing to see a fellow teammate drafted, especially Lance,” Green said. “I’ve known him for a long time, we grew up playing against one another, so it’s cool to see us move up in the ranks of soccer.”
Green and Rozeboom are the first players to be drafted into the MLS since the 2009-10 season when Justin Davis and Euan Holden were drafted. Since the inception of the Fishbein era at New Mexico, 11 players have been played professionally and five remain active, plus the addition of Green and Rozeboom to the list.
“I think that Mike and Lance were overlooked in the earlier rounds of the draft,” head coach Jeremy Fishbein said. “In my mind they’re both MLS caliber players and at this point, it doesn’t matter what number you are or what round you’re drafted in. It’s time to go out and prove yourself, and I have complete confidence in their abilities to do so.
“We’re all excited for the guys to have this opportunity, and look forward to following them as they continue their careers.”
For a comprehensive, round-by-round list of the supplemental draft selections, please visit 2012 Supplemental Draft Tracker.