Fresno State Athletics
Men's Soccer Player Drafted in 2001 MLS SuperDraft
2/7/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Feb. 7, 2001
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Senior midfielder Danny Risch (Clovis, Calif.) was drafted in the 2001 Major League Soccer SuperDraft held in Fort Lauderdale , Fla. on Monday, Feb. 5. In its fifth year of existence, the six-round draft took 72 players, taking Risch at No. 68.
Risch was present for the selection and will join the other three Chicago Fire draftees and the rest of the 2000 U.S. Open Cup Champions, to begin training camp from Tuesday, Feb. 20 through Thursday, March 8 at a site yet to be determined. Risch must still try-out in order to officially be selected as a member of the 2001 Fire. Fresno State head coach Dave Chesler commented on Risch's selection. "It's a special thing to have someone from the area, who was once a walk-on, reach the highest level of soccer in the U.S."
More recently, Risch has been playing with the Central Coast Roadrunners as a forward. This past season, Risch was honored with numerous accolades including Mountain Pacific Sports Federation All-Academic, National Soccer Coaches Association of America Academic All-Far West, the Dean's List and as a member of the UMass Soccer Classic All-Tournament team. In his senior season, the Bulldog had the second-highest points total with 15. He netted six goals and had three assists, while starting and playing in 17 matches. The additional points raised his four-year total to 39 points, 17 goals and five assists. In 1999 Risch played in all of the Bulldogs' 20 matches, starting 15. He netted seven goals and assisted once. In addition, he earned Academic All-Western Athletic Conference honors and was named to the Dean's List. In 1998, Risch played in 17 matches and scored three goals. He also earned Academic All-Western Conference honors and was named WAC and Fresno State Scholar Athlete Honors. In his first season as a Bulldog, Risch saw action in nine of the 20 matches, while scoring one goal and one assist. Before coming to Fresno State, Risch was a two-year letterwinner in soccer at Fresno Christian High School where he led the Valley in scoring for both his senior and junior years. He was also named to the all-East Sierra League twice with two MVP nods. Risch, who joined the Fresno State team as a walk-on in 1997, now joins four other former Bulldogs playing within the MLS: Mark Dougherty, Colombus Crew, David Kramer, Colorado Rapids, Brian Johnson, Kansas City Wizards and Gerell Elliot, Dallas Burn.
