Alexander, Sarkodie taken in MLS draft

For former IU soccer players Eric Alexander and Ofori Sarkodie, the wait is finally over.

The teammates were selected No. 44 and No. 52, respectively, in the 2010 Major League Soccer SuperDraft on Thursday in Philadelphia.

Alexander was chosen by F.C. Dallas, while Sarkodie was chosen by the Kansas City Wizards.

Both players were invited to the draft after attending the 2010 adidas Major League Soccer Player Combine this past week. Alexander and Sarkodie were among only 62 college seniors invited to the combine.

Alexander, a midfielder who started 80 games of 91 possible games in his career, will be a key asset to F.C. Dallas. The Portage, Mich., native started off his time at IU as a member of the Big Ten All-Freshman team. During his junior year, he earned honors to the Top Drawer Soccer and Soccer America Teams of the Week. The team captain scored just one goal in his senior year with four assists and 34 shot attempts. He finished with 12 goals and 13 assists in his career.

Sarkodie, a defender for IU, made 70 starts. As a junior, Sarkodie netted his first career goal during the quarterfinal of the NCAA Tournament against St. Johns. That year he was named to the Big Ten Championship all-tournament team. The 2009 Soccer America second-team preseason All-American helped lead the Hoosiers to 30 shut-outs in the 83 matches he played.

-Stephanie Kuzydym