Jan. 19, 2016
by Tony Jones
NOTRE DAME, Ind. ââ’¬” A third University of Notre Dame men’s soccer graduate is headed to an MLS affiliate club after hearing his name called during the 2016 MLS SuperDraft. Vince Cicciarelli (’15), a three-year forward with the Irish, was the 19th pick of the third round (60th overall) by the Columbus Crew during Tuesday’s draft conference call that completed the third and fourth rounds.
Cicciarelli joined former teammates Max Lachowecki (25th overall ââ’¬” Real Salt Lake) and Patrick Hodan (28th overall ââ’¬” San Jose Earthquakes) as 2016 MLS SuperDraft picks. Lachowecki and Hodan were each selected last Thursday during the draft’s second round in Baltimore, Maryland.
The three MLS SuperDraft picks with Notre Dame ties in 2016 equals the most Irish players taken in the league’s entry draft during a single year, joining the three Notre Dame selections in the 2005, 2010 and 2011 editions. A total of 26 Notre Dame players have been selected in the MLS SuperDraft since 2004, including 20 former Irish stars that went in either the first or second rounds.
Cicciarelli (Peoria, Illinois/Peoria Notre Dame) completed his final year of eligibility as a graduate transfer at Saint Louis University in 2015, helping guide the Billikens to an 8-6-2 mark that included a 4-2-2 Atlantic 10 ledger while claiming all-conference second team honors. He scored a team-high five goals and added two assists to the Saint Louis attack for a club-high 12 points over 15 matches (12 starts), with two goals counting as game-winning tallies.
A contributor on the Notre Dame front line from 2012-14, Cicciarelli enjoyed a standout campaign during the 2013 Irish run to the NCAA College Cup. He set career-highs with six goals, three assists and 15 points in 24 matches that season, which included starts in the final 19 contests of the year. Cicciarelli earned all-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) third team honors before a broken collarbone ended his 2013 season during the NCAA College Cup Final against Maryland. He closed his Irish career with 39 starts in 44 match appearances, scoring eight goals while adding three assists (19 points).
Cicciarelli received a Monogram in each of his final two seasons at Notre Dame before graduating with a degree in marketing and American Studies from the Mendoza College of Business in the spring of 2015. Cicciarelli is pursuing an MBA through the John Cook School of Business at Saint Louis.
W/60th pick in @MLS #SuperDraft, @ColumbusCrewSC select Vince Cicciarelli! Congratulations @VinnyyChase! #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/SicfVt8R9q
– ND Men’s Soccer (@NDMenSoccer) January 19, 2016
Notre Dame All-Time MLS Draft Selections (since 1997)
2016 SuperDraft
Max Lachowecki (D)
Real Salt Lake – Second Round – 25th overall selection
Patrick Hodan (M)
San Jose Earthquakes – Second Round – 28th overall selection
Vince Cicciarelli (F)
Columbus Crew – Third Round – 60th overall selection
2015 SuperDraft
Nick Besler (M)
Portland Timbers – First Round – 5th overall selection
2014 SuperDraft
Grant Van De Casteele (D)
Colorado Rapids – First Round – 19th overall selection
Harrison Shipp (F)
Was not drafted because he signed with the Chicago Fire as a Homegrown Player
2013 SuperDraft
Ryan Finley (F)
Columbus Crew – First Round – 9th overall selection
Dillon Powers (M)
Colorado Rapids – First Round – 11th overall selection
2013 Supplemental Draft
Adam Mena (M)
Vancouver Whitecaps – First Round – 10th overall selection
Michael Rose (M)
Vancouver Whitecaps – First Round – 11th overall selection
2012 SuperDraft
Aaron Maund (D)
Toronto FC – First Round – 12th overall selection
Brendan King (M)
Portland Timbers -Second Round – 27th overall selection
2012 Supplemental Draft
Greg Klazura (D)
Vancouver Whitecaps – Second Round – 21st overall selection
2011 SuperDraft
Jeb Brovsky (F/M)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC – Second Round – 19th overall selection
Bilal Duckett (D)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC – Third Round – 37th overall selection
Steven Perry (F)
New England Revolution – Third Round – 39th overall selection
2011 Supplemental Draft
Philip Tuttle (G)
San Jose Earthquakes – Second Round – 33rd overall selection
2010 SuperDraft
Bright Dike (F)
Columbus Crew – First Round – 12th overall selection
Michael Thomas (M)
San Jose Earthquakes – Second Round – 19th overall selection
Justin Morrow (D)
San Jose Earthquakes – Second Round – 28th overall selection
2009 SuperDraft
Matt Besler (D)
Kansas City Wizards – First Round – 8th overall selection
Jack Traynor (D)
New York Red Bulls – Second Round – 29th overall selection
2008 SuperDraft
Ryan Miller (D)
Columbus Crew – Third Round – 31st overall selection
Joseph Lapira (F)
Toronto FC – Third Round – 35th overall selection
2007 SuperDraft
Greg Dalby (M)
Colorado Rapids – Second Round – 17th overall selection
Nate Norman (M)
Chicago Fire – Second Round – 21st overall selection
2005 SuperDraft
Jack Stewart (D)
Chicago Fire – First Round – 10th overall selection
Kevin Goldthwaite (M/D)
San Jose Earthquake – Second Round – 17th overall selection
Chris Sawyer (G)
Kansas City Wizards – Second Round – 24th overall selection
2004 SuperDraft
Kevin Richards (D)
Colorado Rapids – Fourth Round – 35th overall selection
Justin Detter (M/F)
Kansas City Wizards – Fifth Round – 47th overall selection
1999 Supplemental Draft
Ryan Turner (F)
Kansas City – Second Round – 14th overall selection
1997 Supplemental Draft
Dan Stebbins (F)
Dallas – First Round – 4th overall selection
Tony Jones, athletics communications assistant at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2012 and coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame softball and men’s soccer programs. A native of Jamestown, New York, Jones is a 2011 graduate of St. Bonaventure University, and prior to arriving at Notre Dame held positions at the University of Louisiana at Monroe and with the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills.