Dombrowski Drafted By Chicago Fire Of MLSJan. 17, 2003 KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Chad Dombrowski of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee was drafted Friday in the fifth round of the Major League Soccer SuperDraft. Dombrowski, a West Allis native, was taken as the 44th player overall by the Chicago Fire. He and coaches Louis Bennett, Stan Anderson and Jon Coleman were in Kansas City today for the draft. "It's great. It really hasn't sunk in yet," Dombrowski said. "Certainly it was on my mind. It's something I think everyone aspires to - trying to get to the top league in America." A four-year starter and a key player in the national emergence of the Panther program, Dombrowski was named Second-Team All-America by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. He was also a two-time First-Team All-Great Lakes Region performer as well as a two-time, First-Team All-Horizon League member. "It's probably one of the milestones for this program because it's the first time one of our players has been drafted by MLS," head coach Louis Bennett said. "It's fantastic for Chad, fantastic for the school and fantastic for our program. Today's is definitely one of the days I will remember and look back on." A captain on UWM's 19-2-1, NCAA Tournament Second Round team, he finished his four-year career with 62 career points thanks to 24 goals and 14 assists. A strong, physical defender who is dangerous offensively, Dombrowski finished the 2002 season fourth on the squad in scoring with six goals and six assists, good for 18 points. UWM went 60-24-3 during Dombrowski's three-year career, while claiming back-to-back Horizon League Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances. Dombrowski came to UWM as a walk-on, earning a scholarship soon into his career and earning many honors from there. "You can really use his experience as a blueprint," Bennett said. "He was willing to come here as a walk-on and work hard. He wound up leaving here as one of our more decorated players and one of our most scholarshipped players. For a kind of player like that to achieve what he's achieved is something for all of our players to point for."
"He is such an unassuming, quiet person, and I think he thought he was just here (at the draft) for the experience," Bennett said. "But we thought he had a chance to be drafted by Dallas and Kansas City. When Chicago drafted him it was great because it's geographically the best scenario."
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