UCLA senior midfielder McCall Zerboni woke up around 8 a.m. Friday morning.
For most students, that is hellishly early for a Friday. But in Zerboni’s case, it was an hour late.
The Women’s Professional Soccer League Draft commenced at 7 a.m. , and Zerboni was one of hundreds of college soccer players hoping to get her name called.
Although she may have missed the first few picks, by the time the 47th selection came around, she was wide awake and clicking refresh on her computer at home.
And that’s when she found out she would be staying in Los Angeles as a member of the Sol.
“It was really exciting, but it was also kind of distracting at the same time to have to sit there and wait for your name to pop up,” Zerboni said. “And you wanted to see the other girls’ names to pop up to find out who will be on your team, and there was the question of where. Will you have to pick up and leave? There was a lot of mystery, but I’m not going far.”
Zerboni may have missed the selection of her friend and teammate Christina DiMartino, who was taken early as the No. 3 overall selection by the FC Gold Pride, a team based in the Bay Area. DiMartino will play alongside UCLA alumna Jill Oakes, who was selected as the No. 2 overall pick in the General Draft held back in October. The draft Friday was the first time teams had the opportunity to add college players to their roster.
“I’m just honored that they recognized my play,” DiMartino said. “They are big shoes to fill and a lot of expectation, but I’m excited for that. To go the third pick, I’m in shock.”
Joining Zerboni in Los Angeles is former Bruin goalkeeper Val Henderson who ended her UCLA career in 2007 ranked first in victories, shutouts and goals against average. Henderson was the 33rd pick overall in Friday’s draft.
DiMartino, Henderson, Zerboni, Oakes, and UCLA alumna Danesha Adams, who was also selected in the first round of the general draft by the Chicago Red Stars, bring the total number of UCLA alumni in the new league to five.
“I mean, I’m just thrilled,” UCLA coach Jill Ellis said of her players being selected. “I’m so happy that they get to continue playing soccer. It is something they love and something they work so hard for. Now that there is an arena for them to showcase their talent in a professional way, I can’t be more proud of them and more happy for them.”
For DiMartino and Zerboni, the excitement of being drafted and experiencing something new was tempered slightly by the desire to leave California. DiMartino is a native New Yorker, and said she would have liked to have been able to play near home, especially so that her family could watch her play.
Zerboni was also ready for something different, but she said that staying in Los Angeles allows her to complete her degree at UCLA while she plays. She said that for her personally, being drafted into the league is helping her move forward past the disappointment of losing in a fourth consecutive College Cup. In her final game as a Bruin, Zerboni had to leave the game with an injury midway through the first half, and could not return.
“I was having a hard time with how my UCLA career ended, kind of abruptly,” Zerboni said. “To be able to look forward in my career and something to look forward to, that has been a positive thing for me.
“Without soccer, I didn’t really have a direction. I knew I had to get a job at some point. For the next year I’ll have an opportunity to play, and kind of postpone the growing up part of life so that’s nice.”
All the players in the league said they were excited to become a part of the new soccer community that the league will form. Ironically, the Los Angeles team will sport jerseys that are blue and yellow, making Zerboni and Henderson’s experience strikingly similar to their time at UCLA. The Sol will play their home games in the Home Depot Center, and should attract soccer fans with last week’s addition of the Brazilian forward, Marta, the three-time FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year.
But even with an influx of international talent, Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) is still haunted by the failure of its predecessor, the WUSA, which folded in 2003.
Commissioner Tonya Antonucci has emphasized that this new league will be run differently than the WUSA, operating on a smaller budget, and adopting more of minor league concept. According to the Associated Press, most players will be paid between $30,000 and $40,000 a year, teams will play 10 home games, and most stadiums will seat a modest 5,000 people. The League has a national TV deal with the Fox Soccer Channel and corporate sponsorship with Puma.
The WPS season begins on March 29th, and four of the seven teams have already sold 1,000 season tickets which cost $99.
The Los Angeles Sol can tally one more to their count.
“I’ll tell you,” Ellis said, “I can’t wait to buy season tickets.”
HARDY PULLS OUT OF DRAFT: UCLA senior defender Erin Hardy, who was projected to be selected in the first few rounds of Friday’s draft, removed her name from the pool the day before.
Hardy, who gained All-American status for the first time in her senior season, opted out because she said she wants to complete her degree at UCLA, and is currently engaged.
“I had such an amazing time at UCLA, I’m just ready to take on my life in front of me,” Hardy said. “I’m getting married, I’m just excited to start new things.”
A-ROD GOES NO. 1: USC’s Olympic gold-medalist Amy Rodriguez was selected No. 1 overall in the WPS Draft, Friday by the Boston Breakers. Rodriguez led the Trojans to a victory over UCLA in the national semifinal back in 2007, en route to the school’s first women’s soccer national championship.