Former IU stars getting their kicks as professionals

IU men's soccer continues to dominate within the college ranks, but former IU coach Jerry Yeagley built a program that bred players for success at the professional level as well.\nDuring Major League Soccer's brief nine-year existence, 19 former Hoosiers have passed through the league, including six current MLS players. \nThe most recent Hoosier to join the league is the 2004 second-round draft choice Ned Grabavoy, who was selected by the Los Angeles Galaxy after leading IU to its sixth national championship last year.\nGrabavoy joins forward Pat Noonan of New England, midfielders Brian Maisonneuve of Columbus, Dema Kovalenko of D.C., Chris Klein and defender Nick Garcia of Kansas City.\n"Certainly it starts with Yeagley and his program," Chicago Fire General Manager Peter Wilt said. "He runs a quality program that trains players in a quality way. They develop players that are serious about soccer and that work hard. Yeagley focused on teamwork and has a long track record of developing players that have a good team concept and work hard for each other."\nNoonan and Klein were selected Monday as All-Star reserves for their respective conferences. Both will be making their first All-Star appearances. \nAs of Monday, Noonan is tied for seventh in total points and is one of four players to have recorded a hat-trick this season. \nHeading into Wednesday's match against Chicago, Noonan leads the Revolution with five goals and 13 points with 35 shots. \nRevolution head coach Steve Nicol said he feels former Hoosiers like Noonan possess a certain something that cannot be taught at the professional level.\n"He just had that one extra thing that people don't expect," Nicol said. "They don't whine and moan, but instead stand up to any challenges."\nAnd while six NCAA titles are a strong enough indication of powerful coaching, Yeagley also instills a work ethic and discipline into his players that lasts well beyond college and into any professional realm. \nHis stress on teamwork is evident in Klein, who is tied for second in the league with six assists, including two game-winning helpers. \nKovalenko, who starred at IU from 1996 to 1998, isn't far behind with five assists -- good enough for third in the league.\n"You look at some IU players in the league, and they are guys that work really hard," Grabavoy said. "Like Garcia and Klein, they are hard workers who come from the Jerry Yeagley program. I am proud when I see other guys like Noonan around the league."\nOf the six Hoosiers in the MLS, Garcia is the lone defender but has recorded one assist thus far for the Wizards. \nNoonan said he feels the success of IU players in the MLS goes all the way back to Yeagley's practices and the high level of competitiveness during every practice. \n"Every practice was as intense as the games were, and it definitely helped IU players to get to the next level," Noonan said. "The coaches put winning in the mind of the players, and they go out and prove it."\nLike IU, programs such as UCLA, Virginia and other Atlantic Coast Conference schools have established themselves and set the bar for soccer in their respective regions. The Hoosier soccer reputation around the Midwest has enabled IU to become a recruiting hotbed for top-notch talent.\nThe IU alumni in the MLS are not strictly limited to club success. Currently, Noonan, Klein and Garcia are in the pool of American players U.S. coach Bruce Arena will choose from for 2006 World Cup qualifying. Klein has been capped 16 times for the national team, including a start in 2004. Noonan has been called up to the national team once but has opened some eyes recently with his stellar play for New England. Garcia has made Arena's squad six times -- including a start in 2004 against Denmark -- a game in which Klein saw action as well.\nAfter a few years under the tutelage of Yeagley and the rest of the IU staff, coaches and players have said IU's soccer alumni are more prepared than many others to thrive at the professional level.\n"It's a combination of things," Wilt said. "(Yeagley) got in on the ground floor and has a long tradition of success. He has been able to create an advantage in recruiting throughout the Midwest. He is a very good coach and surrounds himself with good assistants."\nOne of Yeagley's former assistants, current IU coach Mike Freitag, now has the task of continuing the Hoosiers into the future. \nBut with an established core of solid players, Noonan said he sees a bright future under the new coach.\n"I'm sure Freitag will continue the success," he said. "Everyone has no doubt he will succeed in taking over the program. It's pride, really."\nAs the MLS heads into the All-Star break at the end of July, Grabavoy's coach Sigi Schmid will coach the Western All-Stars. He stressed the importance of the tools Yeagley has instilled in each of his former players.\n"Those (sacrifice, competitiveness and preparation) are the things all IU players posses," Schmid said. "As a team drafting in the MLS, those are the ingredients you want to look for. Talent is one thing, but talent alone never makes it. You have to have these other ingredients to make it."\n-- Contact staff writer Daniel Cohen at djcohen@indiana.edu.