FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution selected two veteran MLS players in today’s Stage 2 of the 2011 Re-Entry Process, choosing Seattle Sounders FC forward Nate Jaqua (pronounced JAKE-wuh) with the second overall selection in the draft, before taking D.C. United midfielder Clyde Simms with the 21st overall pick in the second round.
A total of 12 players were chosen by five clubs during this afternoon’s conference call, which included all 19 teams and league officials. Fourteen clubs passed on making selections.
The Revolution will now have Major League Soccer extend contract offers to the players within the next seven days.
“With Nate and Clyde, we’ve chosen two players who have a lot of MLS experience,” General Manager Michael Burns said. “The league will now make them contract offers. Should they decide to remain in MLS and play for the Revs, we believe they can help us on the field. We also expect that their professionalism would have a positive impact in our locker room.”
Jaqua, 30, has nine seasons of MLS experience after entering the league in 2003 with the Chicago Fire. With stints at the LA Galaxy (2007), Houston Dynamo (2007-08) and most recently Seattle Sounders FC (2009-present), Jaqua has made 197 career MLS appearances, scoring 41 goals and adding 29 assists. The Eugene, Ore., native also played half a season at Austria’s SC Rheindorf in early 2008. In 2009, his first with Seattle, Jaqua registered career-highs with nine goals and seven assists in 28 games.
Jaqua has three caps with the U.S. National Team, and is a former member of the U.S. Under-18, Under-20 and Under-23 teams. Chicago originally drafted Jaqua third overall in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft out of the University of Portland.
Simms, 29, has spent the last seven seasons as an anchor in the D.C. United midfield. He made 182 regular-season appearances, including 147 starts, mainly as a defensive midfielder, adding three goals and seven assists. A product of East Carolina University, Simms played one season with the Richmond Kickers of the then USL First Division in 2004 before signing with D.C. in 2005.
The Jamestown, N.C., native has one cap with the U.S. National Team (May 25, 2005 vs. England in Chicago), and helped United win back-to-back Supporters Shields as the best regular-season team in MLS in 2006 and 2007, and the 2008 U.S. Open Cup. In 2011, Simms started all 29 matches in which he appeared.
Former Revs forward Kheli Dube, who spent the last four seasons in New England, was selected by the Chicago Fire with the eighth overall selection in the first round.
In Stage 1 of the 2011 Re-Entry Process last Monday, Dec. 5, the Revs selected defender Danleigh Borman from Toronto, who has already been extended a contract offer by MLS.
