Twenty Tar Heels On MLS Rosters

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – As the 2011 Major League Soccer season kicked off Tuesday with the First Kick matchup between the Seattle Sounders and LA Galaxy the North Carolina men’s soccer program was well represented with 20 former players on MLS rosters to open the year. A pair of Tar Heels will serve as team captains for their respective squads as Logan Pause was named captain of the Chicago Fire and one of the newest members of D.C. United, Dax McCarty, was selected team captain.

McCarty has a familiar face on the sideline in the country’s capital, as former Tar Heel Chad Ashton is one of the assistant coaches for D.C. United.

Pause, who saw time with the U.S. Men’s National Team at the beginning of the year, will have the opportunity to provide guidance to a rookie with the Chicago Fire as 2011 MLS SuperDraft First Round pick Jalil Anibaba will be a member of the Fire as well.

Five other members of the 2010 Carolina soccer team will be part of MLS squad lists in 2011 as fellow defender and first round pick Eddie Ababio agreed to terms with Colorado Rapids. Second round draft picks Stephen McCarthy (New England Revolution) and Michael Farfan (Philadelphia Union) went into the draft with signed contracts, while the LA Galaxy in the supplemental draft selected Dustin McCarty. Junior Alex Dixon signed a homegrown deal with Houston Dynamo who the Humble, Texas, native starred for during his academy days.

Dixon will have the help of several former Tar Heels in Houston as the club boasts five former Tar Heels on its squad. Veterans Corey Ashe and Eddie Robinson along with relative newcomers Tyler Deric and Jordan Graye are part of the Dynamo roster.

Other Tar Heels in MLS include: Zach Loyd (FC Dallas/USMNT), Gregg Berhalter (LA Galaxy), Sheanon Williams (Philadelphia Union), Chris Leitch (San Jose Earthquakes) and Michael Harrington (Sporting KC). In addition to Ashton manning a sideline, former Tar Heels Marco Feruzzi (FC Dallas) and Kerry Zavagnin (Sporting KC) are also MLS assistant coaches, while Gregg Berhalter will serve in a player-coach role in 2011.

Tar Heels in MLS 2011

Chicago Fire

Logan Pause – Captain
Jalil Anibaba

Colorado Rapids

Eddie Ababio

D.C. United

Dax McCarty – Captain
Chad Ashton – Assistant Coach

FC Dallas

Zach Loyd
Marco Feruzzi – Assistant Coach

Houston Dynamo

Corey Ashe
Tyler Deric
Alex Dixon
Jordan Graye
Eddie Robinson

LA Galaxy

Gregg Berhalter
Dustin McCarty

New England Revolution

Stephen McCarthy

Philadelphia Union

Michael Farfan
Sheanon Williams

San Jose Earthquakes

Chris Leitch

Sporting KC

Michael Harrington
Kerry Zavagnin – Assistant Coach