Wahl gets the call from Wizards

Newport Harbor High grad is the No. 19 pick in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft. He joins a Kansas City roster that includes two National Team members.Tyson Wahl went on the Internet on Friday morning, looking for his name. Not only did he find it, he liked what he saw there.

The Newport Harbor High graduate was chosen by the Kansas City Wizards with the 19th pick of the Major League Soccer SuperDraft on Friday. He becomes the third Newport-Mesa area alum selected to play in the league.

Wahl watched the draft online from his Newport Beach home, getting a call from Wizards manager Bob Gansler with the good news.

“I’m feeling pretty excited,” Wahl said. “I didn’t really have any knowledge as to where I was going, but I was pretty excited when I found out. I’m looking forward to getting out there and meeting all the coaches and starting to train.”

A defender, Wahl was an All-American as a senior at the University of California in 2005, also earning All-Pac 10 first-team honors. He started every game in his four years with the Golden Bears, who reached the NCAA quarterfinals last season.

A two-time All CIF Southern Section Division II selection at Newport Harbor, he sat out his junior season in order to train with the U.S. Under-17 Residency Program in Florida.

“We have known about Tyson for quite some time,” Gansler told reporters. “He was raised in the Irvine Strikers system under a former player of mine who swears by him. We have watched him in the NCAA quarterfinals, the combine and when he was in the residency program. He is a strong central defender, strong with the ball and left footed.”

Wahl solidified his draft position with his showing at last weekend’s draft combine at the Home Depot Center in Carson. Playing on a team coached by his Cal Coach Kevin Grimes, Wahl said he was satisfied with his performance there.

“I definitely didn’t play my best, but I think it went well,” Wahl said. “I don’t know if I dramatically improved my situation. If I had played a little better, I think I could’ve changed it, but I was pretty satisfied. I felt our team performed pretty well. A lot of them got picked pretty high, so I guess we were doing the right things.”

Having already completed his degree work at Cal, Wahl will devote himself to training for the upcoming season. He’s scheduled to fly to Kansas City on Jan. 30 and report to the Wizards’ training camp the next day.

His first task, though, was to find out more about his new teammates. The Wizards roster includes National Team members Josh Wolff and Jimmy Conrad, who was the 2005 MLS Defender of the Year.

“Once I found out, I just went on the [team’s] website to find out,” Wahl said. “It’s one of the teams where I didn’t really know anyone who’s currently playing there. I’m excited to meet a bunch of new players and live in a new city.”