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Adios Agoos D.C. sends U.S. defender to San Jose for Conteh, picks
ATLANTA (CNNSI.com) -- Not so long ago, D.C. United had an internationally experienced defense and no top picks in Monday's Major League Soccer draft. Suddenly, the opposite is true. A day after trading national team defender Carlos Llamosa to Miami, United traded fellow U.S. defender Jeff Agoos to the San Jose Earthquakes for forward Abdul Thompson Conteh and two first round picks (8th and 10th overall). Additionally, the Earthquakes picked up A-League standout Dwayne DeRosario and L.A. Galaxy defender/midfielder Zak Ibsen in pre-SuperDraft moves. Agoos, the 32-year old defensive pillar of the U.S. national and Olympic Teams, joins the Earthquakes after five seasons with D.C. United. During his time with D.C., he helped lead the team to three MLS Cup titles and was a voted to the MLS All-Star team four times. "Jeff is a proven winner, a rock-solid defender, and will be a great example for our younger players," said Earthquakes coach Frank Yallop. "Having been a member of the D.C. United coaching staff, I have first hand experience seeing his qualities in action. Coming to San Jose, one of my first orders of business was acquiring Jeff Agoos to help anchor our defense." "These are all important moves for our organization, " said GM Tom Neale. "Jeff Agoos is a class professional whose experienced ability and leadership is paramount to this team's future success. We're confident that these recent acquisitions are a very good use of team resources and are important for coach Yallop's plan to build a solid core for the 2001 season." The Earthquakes used their lowest ranking of three player allocations to acquire DeRosario, the 5-10, 164-pound, dreadlocked striker from the A-League's Richmond Kickers. Ibsen was acquired by trading the Earthquakes' 4th pick from the second round (16th overall) of the 2001 MLS SuperDraft to the L.A. Galaxy. DeRosario, the 22-year old hailing from Scarborough, Canada, was the Kicker's leading scorer in 2000 with 38 points on 16 goals and six assists. Since joining the Canadian National Team at age 17, DeRosario has been capped at the U-20, U-21, Olympic and full national team levels. Earlier in 2000, he helped Canada win the Gold Cup and CONCACAF Confederation Cup, and received the Golden Boot Award and co-MVP honors as the U-20 team won the CONCACAF championships in Mexico. "DeRosario is a great offensive threat and a proven goal scorer," said Yallop. "He is a young, exciting, attacking player with flair, and his international experience and nose for the goal will be a great addition to the Earthquakes' offense." Ibsen, the 27-year old from Santa Cruz, Calif., comes off a productive season with Los Angeles where he finished with four assists and helped the Galaxy win the 2000 CONCACAF Champions Cup. "Zak is a very solid performer," said Yallop. "He is fast, incredibly versatile and is a good fit for the club." The Earthquakes will be the UCLA graduate's fifth MLS team; he has seen time with the N.E. Revolution, Dallas Burn, and the 1998 MLS Champion Chicago Fire. These moves leave the Earthquakes with two remaining player allocations along with eight picks for Monday's 2001 MLS SuperDraft. New head coach Frank Yallop still has the pick of the litter with the No. 1 selection overall and two second round picks.
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