Ignition adds five player to inaugural season roster
Published on October 18, 2006 under Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Detroit Ignition News Release
(Southfield, Mich., October 18, 2006) - The Detroit Ignition has agreed to terms with five players, Ignition president Greg Bibb announced on Wednesday. The organization has added forwards Jamar Beasley and Mauricio Salles, midfielder Miodrag Djerisilo, and defenders Droo Callahan and Nate Craft. Per club policy, financial terms of the agreements were not disclosed.
"This group of signings further solidifies our 2006-07 roster," Bibb stated. "Through this process we have added team speed, scoring punch and experience along the back line. I'm excited to have these five players in an Ignition uniform this season."
Jamar Beasley was acquired by the Detroit Ignition as the first selection during the 2006 MISL Dispersal Draft. In 2005-06, Beasley ranked fourth in the MISL in goals scored with 33 and sixth in the league in points with 45. A member of the All-MISL Second Team last season, Beasley has amassed 86 goals over the 91 games of his career. Beasley began his professional career when he signed with Major League Soccer in 1998 directly out of high school. At the time of his signing, Beasley was the youngest player in MLS history. Beasley is the older brother of DeMarcus Beasley who was a 2006 FIFA World Cup participant for the United States squad and currently plays for Manchester City of Barclays Premiership.
In his third USL First Division season in 2006, Mauricio Salles scored nine goals and 19 points in 26 games leading the Montreal Impact to the best regular season record in the league. A native of Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, Salles made his North American professional debut in 2004 with the Puerto Rico Islanders of the USL First Division where he led his team in points with 24. In 2005, Salles was selected as a member of the USL First Division All-League Team further solidifying himself as a premier outdoor talent.
Miodrag Djerisilo made his debut in the Major Indoor Soccer League during the 2002-03 season with the Kansas City Comets where he scored 11 goals and registered seven assists in 32 games. The Belgrade, Serbia native and former MISL All-Star last played in the league during the 2004-05 campaign when he ranked fifth on the Comets with 31 points. Prior to coming to the United States, Djerisilo played for the Italian club Pescara of Serie B.
Once a member of the now-defunct Detroit Rockers, Droo Callahan spent three seasons in the MISL beginning with the 1998-99 season and finishing with the 2000-01 campaign. Callahan scored 130 points in his three seasons in the league. Callahan is a well-known member of the Michigan soccer community having spent over 10 years coaching at the club level. Callahan led the MISL in blocks with 104 in his final campaign.
Nate Craft spent the 2006 outdoor season with the Rochester Rhinos of United Soccer League's First Division after spending two seasons with the Michigan Bucks of the USL's PDL Division. He was the 2005 winner of the Paul Scicluna Award which honors the Michigan player who best exemplifies the qualities of performance, effort and class of the former Bucks owner. The native to Royal Oak, Michigan started 18 games for the Rhino's last season.
The Detroit Ignition will kick-off the team's inaugural MISL season at Compuware Sports Arena on Saturday, November 4. Information regarding Ignition season, group, and individual tickets can be obtained by calling the club at 1-888-436-GOAL (4625), by visiting the team's official Internet property, www.detroitignition.com, by calling TicketMaster at 248-645-6666, or by using www.ticketmaster.com.
The Detroit Ignition is a subsidiary of the Hantz Group. The Hantz Group is a full-service financial holding company with 24 locations in Michigan and Ohio serving over 18,000 clients with over $1.3 billion in assets under management. With over 500 employees the full service company provides financial planning, tax planning, investment products, and mortgages through its affiliates.
Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from October 18, 2006
- KiXX Come to Terms with Three-Time Defender of the Year Genoni Martinez - Philadelphia KiXX
- Ignition adds five player to inaugural season roster - Detroit Ignition
- Milwaukee Wave Begins Training Camp - Milwaukee Wave
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