Revs Add Five Players in SuperDraft

Valentino, Videira Headline 2008 Draft Class

January 18, 2008

BALTIMORE -- The Revolution selected one West Coast standout and three players from Duke in the MLS SuperDraft held Friday at the NSCAA convention. The Revs picked University of San Fransisco standout defender Rob Valentino with their first pick (13th overall) and five picks later plucked Milford, Mass., native Michael Videira (18th overall), the first of three Dukies chosen by New England, with their first second-round choice.

The Revs added Duke midfielder Joe Germanese (27th overall) in the second round, Brown defender Matther Britner (41st overall) in the third round and another Blue Devil, midfielder Spencer Wadsworth (55th overall) in the fourth and final round. Earlier in the day, the club acquired veteran defender Chris Albright from the Galaxy.

(For the full 2008 MLS Draft, click here.)

The Revs selected University of San Fran defender Rob Valentino with their first pick in the 2008 draft. (Photo source: USF Athletics)

“We’re very pleased with our acquisitions today,” Revolution Director of Soccer Michael Burns said in a statement. “We started the day out very well by bringing in Chris Albright, and we’re very satisfied with the draft selections we made. We’re looking forward to getting everyone into preseason camp in a couple of weeks and beginning preparations for the 2008 season.”

Valentino, the 2006 West Coast Conference Player of the Year, was named to the Hermann Trophy Award Watch list entering the 2007 campaign, before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, an injury that sidelined him for his entire senior season. He played in 57 career games for the Dons, scoring five goals and adding eight assists. The 22-year-old spearheaded the Dons run to back-to-back WCC Championships (2004-05) and catapulted USF Soccer to three consecutive NCAA Tournament berths.

A three-time All-WCC First Team selection and an Honorable Mention All-American, Valentino competed on the U-23 USA National Team in its 2007 trip to Japan and was the only collegiate player to start.

"We are very excited for Rob," USF head coach Erik Visser said on the University of San Francisco website. "He is joining an outstanding franchise and will develop and compete for a strong coaching staff. We are proud our coaching staff has had the privilege to develop a first round selection. Rob has worked extremely hard for this and we are thrilled he has the opportunity to pursue a career in the MLS."

Videira, 22, grew up in Milford, attended Noble and Greenough High School and played at the youth level for the FC Greater Boston Bolts. He was a three-time semifinalist for the Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy (2005, 2006, 2007) and a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) third-team All-American in both 2006 and 2007. In 80 career games with the Blue Devils, Videira scored 17 goals and added 15 assists. As a senior in 2007, he played in 16 games, scoring three goals and two assists while battling a leg injury. He is also a former member of the U.S. Under-18 and Under-20 National Teams.

Germanese, 22, played in the midfield at Duke after transferring from Vanderbilt after his sophomore season. He was a third-team NSCAA All-South Region selection as a senior, and played in a total of 76 games in his four-year collegiate career. The St. Louis product scored 18 career goals (seven at Duke, 11 at Vanderbilt) and added 22 career assists (13 at Duke, nine at Vandy).

Britner, 22, was taken in the third round (41st overall) out of Brown University. The defender was a member of Canada’s Under-20 World Cup squad in 2005 and other Canadian youth national teams. In his five-year Brown career, Brittner started 53 of the 54 games in which he played, scoring three goals and adding one assist. He was a two-time All-Ivy selection and was the 2007 Ivy League Player of the Year.

Wadsworth, 21, was the Revs’ final SuperDraft selection in 2008, taken in the fourth round with the 55th overall selection. Wadworth, a forward/midfielder, became the third Duke Blue Devil drafted by the Revs in ’08. He played in 20 games in 2008, recording two goals and adding one assist, seeing limited action because of off-season surgery and transitioning to the midfield. In his Duke career, Wadsworth played in 86 games and scored 25 goals while adding 34 assists. In 2006, he led the nation in assists with 14.

New England Revolution 2008 MLS SuperDraft Selections:

Rob Valentino – First Round (13th Overall)
Pronunciation: val-ehn-TEE-no
Position: Defender
D.O.B.: Jan. 21, 1985
Birthplace: Chicago, Ill.
Hometown: Cave Creek, Ariz.
Height: 6-3
Weight: 190
College: Univ. of San Francisco

Mike Videira – Second Round (18th Overall)
Pronunciation: vid-AIR-ah
Position: Midfield
D.O.B.: Jan. 6, 1986
Birthplace: Milford, Mass.
Hometown: Milford, Mass.
Height: 5-10
Weight: 175
College: Duke

Joe Germanese – Second Round (27th Overall)
Pronunciation: ger-man-EES
Position: Midfield
D.O.B.: June 4, 1985
Birthplace: St. Louis, Mo.
Hometown: St. Louis, Mo.
Height: 5-10
Weight: 165
College: Duke

Matthew Britner -Third Round (41st Overall)
Position: Defender
D.O.B.: April 17, 1985
Birthplace: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Hometown: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Height: 6-0
Weight: 180
College: Brown

Spencer Wadsworth – Fourth Round (55th Overall)
Position: Forward/Midfield
D.O.B.: May 10, 1986
Birthplace: Houston, Texas
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Height: 5-8
Weight: 160
College: Duke