Grabavoy welcomes new challenges of MLS

It will be remembered as one of the greatest moments in IU soccer history. \nNed Grabavoy was unsure if he would even arrive in time from his Under-20 National Team flight back from the United Arab Emirates to play in IU's National Championship match in Columbus, Ohio, last December.\nWhile fortunate timing may have brought him to the game, Grabavoy's sheer desire did the rest.\nNot long before a snowstorm blanketed the field and made it difficult to see, let alone score, an exhausted Grabavoy fired a bending missile off a free kick over and around the wall of defenders into the net for the game's first goal, lifting IU to a championship victory. \nThe free kick would be Grabavoy's last goal as a Hoosier, capping the career of one of IU's most electrifying players. \nAfter last year's season, Grabavoy was selected No. 14 in the second round of the Major League Soccer Draft by the Los Angeles Galaxy. Serving as a reserve for most of the season, Grabavoy has now settled in and has been inserted into the starting lineup five times, including Sunday's match against the Chicago Fire. \n"I'm sure most rookies went from being the go-to guy to finding themselves in a little different role," Grabavoy said. "I've been playing different positions all season and trying to stay focused because it's a long season. If you're not playing in a two- or three-game stretch, you can't get down on yourself. You have to keep working hard because there will always be a chance for you to get in there and play."\nGrabavoy left IU after his junior season, but even after limited playing time halfway through his first MLS season, he has no regrets leaving IU one year early. \n"I think it was the right decision, especially after winning the national championship," Grabavoy said. "I accomplished what I needed to there, and I really thought it was my time since it was a situation I was looking at two or three years earlier. It's one of those things where it worked out there and hopefully will work out now."\nAfter leading IU with 11 goals and 11 assists last season, Grabavoy expected to be a first-round pick. After some trades and other various draft-day shakeups, the 2003 National Soccer Coaching Association of America First Team All-American was chosen by the Galaxy in the second round.\nGalaxy Head Coach Sigi Schmid said you can expect three things when getting a player from IU: the player knows what kind of sacrifices are needed to win, knows how to come in and compete and is going to come prepared to work every day. \n"Those are the things all IU players possess, and that gets instilled in them by coach (Jerry)Yeagley, from all the seniors down to the freshmen," Schmid said. "As a team drafting in the MLS, those are the ingredients you look for. Talent is one thing, but talent alone never makes it. You have to have these other ingredients to make it."\nGrabavoy became the 19th Hoosier to be drafted in the MLS since its inception in 1996 and with just a total of 10 teams in the league, slots on each roster are extremely limited and competitive. IU alumni Pat Noonan, Chris Klein and Dema Kovalenko are atop numerous statistical categories. Noonan was eighth in points per game and seventh in goals, while Klein led the league with six assists. \n"You look at some IU players in the league, and they are guys that work really hard," Grabavoy said. "Like (Nick) Garcia and Klein, they are hard workers who come from the Jerry Yeagley program. I am proud when I see other guys like Noonan around the league."\nJust halfway through his rookie campaign, Grabavoy hasn't quite yet earned the same reputation around the league as some of the other Hoosiers. But his teammates say they understand the skills he brings to the Galaxy. \nIn his fifth year with the Galaxy, Sasha Victorine said he is aware of Grabavoy's potential as a player and also sees a man with a good attitude and perspective.\n"He brings good skills, he is quick and he holds the ball well in the middle," Victorine said. "He is good at seeing the game and reading the game, so that helps him take the next step a lot easier. He's a good kid with a good head on his shoulders and will be a good player in a couple years."\nAfter their 1-0 victory over the Fire Sunday, the Galaxy own a 7-5-3 record with a league-leading 23 points. \nDuring the offseason Grabavoy said he hopes to return to Bloomington to see his former Hoosier teammates and catch a home tournament game. \n"When I first left IU, it was like a faze of not having my buddies around and being able to hang out with them all the time," Grabavoy said. "Now I get done with soccer, and you have to rest your body for the next day. But I definitely miss those times down there."\n-- Contact staff writer Daniel Cohen at djcohen@indiana.edu.