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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