Defenders were at a premium in this year's A-League draft held at the Airport Hilton in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on February 1.

 

The draft was part of the 1998 Umbro Select All-Star Classic, an annual event presented by Umbro to showcase future soccer stars.

 

Just as a defender was chosen first in the Major League Soccer college and supplemental drafts, the same held true for the first pick of the A-League draft, as Mark Moore from the University of New Hampshire was selected by the Staten Island Vipers.

 

The Hampton Roads Mariners followed suit by selecting defender Junior Noel from the University of Mobile as the second overall pick.

 

The first round of the A-League draft was conducted on a territorial basis where each team selected a college player from its designated territory. Rounds two and three were open and allowed teams to select from any region.

 

A total of 81 players were selected, 23 of which were also drafted as part of the 1998 Major League Soccer college draft.  The MLS college draft consisted of three rounds and a total of 36 players were selected.

 

There were also 21 players who could say goodbye to the USISL and show their talents in the MLS this season should they find a roster spot on the MLS team that selected them.

In the MLS supplemental draft nine of the first 12 picks were from the USISL, including three of the first four selections coming from one team.

 

The San Francisco Bay Seals lost three players to the MLS in a matter of minutes as defender C.J. Brown was drafted by the Chicago Fire with the first pick, Tim Weaver was selected by the San Jose Clash with the third pick and Marquis White was chosen by the Colorado Rapids with the fourth overall selection.

 

These three talented performers were part of the history making Seals club that saw their way through the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup by defeating the San Jose Clash and Kansas City Wizards before falling to D.C. United.