Jan. 12, 2012
SEATTLE - There were plenty of reasons to cheer if you are a UW men's soccer fan on Thursday as West Ham agreed to the signing of defender George John from MLS' FC Dallas and senior Jacob Hustedt was drafted No. 25 overall by the San Jose Earthquakes in the MLS Super Draft. John, a centre-back will move to Upton Park initially on loan, with a view to a permanent switch in the future. Boss Sam Allardyce said: "He's a good defender, of the right stature and the right ability and the right ambition who sees his future in this country. "He wants to be challenged, wants to improve and his dream is to come and play here. Hopefully we will give him the platform he needs to fulfill those dreams." John will not be involved against Portsmouth on Saturday, with Allardyce adding: "When it does get clinched we'll need to settle him in for a while." The West Ham United FC is based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in the Football League Championship and were founded in 1895. Their nickname is the Hammers. John had been seeking a move to Europe for quite some time. MLS and Blackburn Rovers reached an agreement on terms for a transfer of John last August, but John was unable to come to personal terms with the club and talks ended. Hustedt was the 25th overall selection and the first pick by the San Jose Earthquakes in the second round. "I'm so excited to play for a great coaching staff and a great team," said Hustedt. "I can't wait to get started." The Sandy, Utah native joined the Huskies for the 2011 season after beginning his playing career at Cal Poly. He was instrumental in the success of UW last year, as the Huskies were left out of the NCAA Tournament but ranked throughout the entire season and finished second in the Pac-12 behind UCLA. Hustedt was second on the team with six goals, tied for the team lead with five assists, had 17 points, 25 shots on goal, two game-winning goals and was one-for-one on penalty kicks. Throughout Washington's history 17 players have now been taken in the MLS Draft. The first was Goalkeeper Dusty Hudock with the ninth overall pick in the 1996 draft. But more recently John was taken as the 14th overall pick in 2009. Hustedt will join fellow teammate Brent Richards as players signed in the last two weeks with the MLS. Richards signed with the Timbers. The MLS Supplemental Draft will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 17 in New York. Watch to see if anymore former Huskies get picked up. |
