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 Nearly nine hours after being selected with the 10th pick in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft, and after doing who knows how many interviews, Ethan Finlay's voice was a little hoarse Thursday night.
But he was still excited to talk about his day and his future with the Columbus Crew.
"I'm almost speechless," Finlay said, "but I'm not, because I keep talking."
The former Marshfield High School and Creighton standout was one of two Wisconsin players chosen in the SuperDraft, as midfielder Calum Mallace became the first Marquette player drafted by an MLS team when he was taken by the expansion Montreal Impact with the No. 20 pick.
Finlay, the runner-up for the Hermann Trophy – given to the nation's top college player, had signed a senior contract with MLS and an endorsement deal with adidas, but didn't have any great insight as to where he would be drafted.
"There were a lot of teams that were talked about (as potentially picking him) ... but I'm so happy I landed the place that I have," he said.
The Crew finished fourth in the nine-team Eastern Conference in 2011 and lost to the Colorado Rapids 1-0 in a wild card game, and have made several offseason changes, mostly geared toward their attack.
Forward Andres Mendoza, the team's leading goal scorer last season, was released, while midfielder Robbie Rogers, who led the team in assists, signed with Leeds United of England's second division Championship. Chilean midfielder Milovan Mirosevic and Costa Rican forward Olman Vargas have joined the fold, along with forward Ben Speas, a highly regarded college player who was signed under the MLS homegrown player rule.
"They've made a lot of changes, they're looking for a couple answers and there's a lot of opportunity to jump in and contribute," Finlay said of the Crew.
Finlay scored 43 goals as a forward at Creighton, but is expected to mainly play on the right flank with the Crew.
"I think they're really looking at me as a winger and I'm totally OK with that," he said. "In their system, I can get plenty of assists and get on the end of crosses. They played a traditional 4-4-2, with the freedom that those wingers can get in the box and be the third guy in the box with the forwards. So I'll definitely have my opportunities in front of goal. As well as, they might try me certain times in the game up off the forward, if I'm lucky.
"I think they have a great plan for me. It's a great formation, it's a great style of soccer and I think it fits me very well."
Finlay was scheduled to meet with Columbus coach Robert Warzycha and technical director Brian Bliss at the MLS Combine last weekend in Florida, but had to cancel the appointment – instead, Finlay had to do an EKG test, which he missed Friday because he was in St. Louis for the Hermann banquet.
"I thought, 'Oh my God, there's no way they're going to take me, that hurt my chances and I'd love to go there,' " he said.
Yet he clearly left a good impression on the Crew.
"I think Finlay is a very good flank player, as he proved in his college career," Warzycha said in an interview posted on the club website. "He scored a lot of goals and he's very opportunistic around the goal. It seems like he's always a step ahead of everybody else. So I think that he's going to help us, give us some competition on the flank."
"(You) can't argue with his stats – 14 goals, 15 goals in his last two seasons ... he's a proven goal scorer, a proven winner if you look at the record Creighton's had while he's been there, as well," Bliss added. "(He) can play wide right or second forward running off the ball. He's a cool finisher in the box and I think that's something we can benefit from."
While Finlay had an excellent college career, he felt some still had questions about his ability heading into the Combine because Creighton doesn't play in a major conference. After missing the first day of matches, the two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year put on a show Sunday, recording a hat trick in just 17 minutes.
"It further emphasized that I was the real deal," he said of his performance at the Combine, which included creating several chances for his team with crosses in from the right side on Tuesday. "Honestly, I think there were some doubts that I could play against some of the top college players, the top MLS prospects. I think I really answered those critics. ... I think it definitely helped my stock."
Mallace also impressed at the Combine and was projected as a first-round pick in nearly every mock draft. He ended up being available when the Impact were on the clock for the first pick of the second round, much to the pleasure of Montreal coach Jesse Marsch (Racine Park).
"Calum is a competitor and he showed his abilities at the last MLS Combine," Marsch said on the club website. "He was the 11th player on our list, so it was a pretty easy decision for the technical staff."
The 6-foot-2 Mallace, a native of Scotland who grew up in Minnesota, had 13 goals (eight game-winners) and 13 assists in 69 appearances (62 starts) for the Golden Eagles. He was the Big East Conference Midfielder of the Year and a second-team All-American by College Soccer News last fall as he helped lead Marquette to its first Big East Blue Division title.
"I'm so proud of him," Golden Eagles coach Louis Bennett said in a news release. "Calum has set the standard here. I'm really, really happy about him getting his just reward. I give him my best. He's accomplished some of his goals and also got his degree from Marquette in three and a half years. I think Montreal is a great fit for him. It's a group that's going have great support. He's going to have a great opportunity."
Mallace's selection was heralded on the Impact's website in both English and French, the official language of Quebec. Asked via Twitter if he speaks French, Mallace replied: "Not a word."
The other state player who participated in the Combine, midfielder Tony Walls (Wauwatosa East/UW-Green Bay), wasn't among the 38 selections in the two-round draft. In a Twitter message, he expressed optimism that he'll be picked in Tuesday's four-round Supplemental Draft.
WISCONSIN PLAYERS IN MLS DRAFTS
College Draft (1996-99)
M Mike Gentile (UW) – First round, No. 9 to Colorado Rapids in 1996
D Scott Lamphear (UW) – Second round, No. 11 to New York/New Jersey MetroStars in 1996
M Jesse Marsch (Racine Case) – Third round, No. 21 to D.C. United in 1996
SuperDraft (2000-current)
M Wes Hart (UW) – First round, No. 7 to Colorado Rapids in 2000
M Mike Gentile (UW) – Sixth round, No. 66 to Tampa Bay Mutiny in 2000
M Narciso Fernandes (UW) – Fifth round, No. 59 to Kansas City Wizards in 2001
F Dominic DaPra (Racine St. Catherine's/UW) – Fourth round, No. 43 to Kansas City Wizards in 2002
D Chad Dombrowski (West Allis Hale/UW-Milwaukee) – Fifth round, No. 44 to Chicago Fire in 2003
M Tighe Dombrowski (West Allis Hale/UW-Milwaukee) – Fifth round, No. 50 to San Jose Earthquakes 2004
D Tim Ward (Waukesha) – First round, No. 12 to MetroStars in 2005
M Nick Van Sicklen (Madison West/UW) – Second round, No. 19 to D.C. United in 2005
F Antou Jallow (UW-Milwaukee) – Fourth round, No. 44 to San Jose Earthquakes in 2005
GK Josh Lambo (Middleton) – First round, No. 8 to FC Dallas in 2008
F-M Ethan Finlay (Marshfield) – First round, No. 10 to Columbus Crew in 2011
M Calum Mallace (Marquette) – Second round, No. 20 to Montreal Impact in 2011
Supplemental Draft (1996-99, 2003, 2005-08, 2011-current)
F Dan Stebbins (Milwaukee) – First round, No. 4 to Dallas Burn in 1997
F Eric Stempinski (UW-Milwaukee) – Third round, No. 26 to Dallas Burn in 1997
D Don Gramenz (UW-Milwaukee) – Second round, No. 13 to Chicago Fire in 1998
M Travis Roy (UW) – Second round, No. 14 to MetroStars in 1998
D Aaron Hohlbein (Middleton/UW) – First round, No. 3 to Kansas City Wizards in 2007
D Steve Bode (UW-Milwaukee) – Fourth round, No. 47 to Chicago Fire in 2008
M J.C. Banks (Milwaukee Riverside/UW-Green Bay) – First round, No. 8 to Toronto FC in 2011
M Andy Adlard (Brookfield East) – Third round, No. 48 to Columbus Crew in 2011
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