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MLS teams draft Piatczyc, Zalzman

By Des Moines Menace, 01/15/19, 10:15AM CST

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David Zalzman (kicking in his 2017 hat trick against Minneapolis City SC) is the 53rd Menace alum to go in the MLS Draft.

DES MOINES, Iowa – Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019 – Joey Piatczyc and David Zalzman, who played alongside each other in the 2017 Des Moines Menace’s midfield, were selected in the fourth round of the 2019 Major League Soccer SuperDraft yesterday.

The New York Red Bulls selected Piatczyk in the draft’s 84th spot, and the Portland Timbers chose Zalzman 11 picks later. Zalzman was the final selection in the draft, whose first two rounds were announced in Chicago on Friday.

As seniors last fall, Piatczyc and Zalzman guided their college teams to conference titles. Piatczyc was named the 2018 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year after leading West Virginia with 26 points on 10 assists and eight goals (five game-winners). Zalzman represented Memphis on the American Athletic Conference’s first team.

Piatczyc, a native of Lee’s Summit, Mo., assisted one goal and played 401 minutes in six games for the Menace. Zalzman, from Maracay, Venezuela, appeared in seven matches. Though he did not collect any goals or assists in 430 regular-season minutes, Zalzman delivered a hat trick when he handled all the scoring in the Menace’s 3-0 exhibition win over Minneapolis SC on June 3. They helped the 2017 Menace to a 7-5-2 record and a berth in the Premier Development League Playoffs.

 

With the exception of 2011, at least one former Menace player has been drafted by an MLS team every year from 2001 to 2019. By the organization’s records, 53 Menace alumni have been drafted, and 39 have signed MLS contracts.

 

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FOOTNOTES

  • Every Menace team from 1998 to 2018 has included at least one MLS draft pick; the streak continues thanks to Wilfred Williams, who suited up for the 2018 PDL regular-season champs after hearing his name in last year’s MLS draft.
  • The Red Bulls and the Timbers are coming off successful campaigns; New York clinched the 2018 MLS Supporters’ Shield (best regular-season title) and Portland advanced to the championship match, dropping a 2-0 decision to host Atlanta in the MLS Cup on Dec. 8.
  • Piatczyc and Zalzman are the Menace’s 28th and 29th MLS draftees in the last eight years.