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ohhh_yeah
27 Jul 2007, 02:47 PM
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC

MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Friday, July 27, 2007

CAPS ACQUIRE 2007 USL-1 FIRST OVERALL DRAFT PICK

VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today they have acquired defender Sola (SH-laa) Abolaji (abo-laa-jee) from Carolina RailHawks in exchange for forward Joel Bailey, pending international clearance.

Abolaji, 22-years-old, joins the Whitecaps after playing 309 minutes in five games for the RailHawks this season; registering eight fouls and one shot. The native of Carbondale, Illinois was the United Soccer Leagues First Division (USL-1) first overall pick in the 2007 USL-1 College Draft.

Collegiately, the six-foot, 180-pound defender played at three different schools. In his last two years, he attended the University of Buffalo, where he played 18 games in his senior season, scoring two goals and assisting on one goal. In his junior season, Abolaji scored one goal and added three assists in 15 games. As the first overall draft pick to the RailHawks, Abolaji became the first athlete from University of Buffalo to be drafted first overall in any professional sports draft.

Before attending the University of Buffalo, Abolaji played at Northern Oklahoma College in 2004, where he lead them to the National Junior College Athletic Association Region II championship and was named the team’s defensive Most Valuable Player. In 2003, Abolaji played his freshman year at Barton County Community College in Kansas.

While attending the University of Buffalo, the defender played for the Boulder Rapids Reserve (now Colorado Rapids U-23) of the Premier Development League. In 10 games with the Rapids, Abolaji played 639 minutes and recorded seven shots and 16 fouls. Abolaji is scheduled to arrive in Vancouver on Sunday.

Bailey played 14 games with Vancouver this year after being acquired from the Montreal Impact before the start of the season. Bailey recorded one assist, 11 shots and 24 fouls for the Whitecaps.
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wjarrettc
27 Jul 2007, 03:51 PM
http://trisoccerfan.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=828

aimorris
27 Jul 2007, 03:58 PM
Don't know much about Bailey, but I like the move, or at least the attempt to improve our offense. Abolaji has looked extremely raw and we definitely needed a forward more than we needed to keep Sola.

I wish we could've picked up Josh Hansen from the Vics before the Cpas did though

wjarrettc
27 Jul 2007, 07:42 PM
Hansen would have been nice. At least Bailey is from TnT like KJ so I don't have to buy another flag for the Depot :)

treefire
01 Aug 2007, 02:36 PM
Good luck, Sola.

And welcome to the Triangle, Joel. Even better luck to you!

How many forwards do they have on this team?
Maher, Cephas, Jeffrey, Jonas, Edozien
People who used to play forward, but haven't for the 'Hawks - Carrieri (has been in the position a little here), Norkus, Worthen


How many defenders?
Frankie, Stokes, Chad, Caleb, Kutsu, Little Maher
Apparently, Demetrius Donald and Cooper Friend, although the last couple minutes of Cruz Azul is the only chance they've had on the pitch...
Maybe you could count Kupono as a defender, if you really wanted to.

It just doesn't seem to me that they need another forward. In fact, I would think the signing of another forward might be bad for team morale, as it's even less likely that the guys listed above will get minutes. If this guy had a great track record, that would be one thing... I am so ready for Bailey and the coaches to show me the great reasons behind him coming to the club.