NEW YORK, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Major League Soccer's leaders in goals and
assists will be available Friday when the league's
dispersal draft gets under way.
The draft became necessary Tuesday, when the league decided to eliminate the Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny because of their inability to draw a significant fan base.
The dispersal draft will follow the allocation draft, which is expected to get under way Friday at 11 a.m. EST.
The Fusion went a league-best 16-5-5 in 2001, thanks mostly in part to the 1-2 scoring punch of forwards Alex Pineda Chacon and Diego Serna.
Pineda Chacon had an MLS-best 19 goals and 47 points in 25 games. The Honduran national had a league-high seven game-winning goals and won the Player of the Week award four times.
Serna also is available after recording a league-leading 15 assists and finishing second to Pineda Chacon with 15 goals and 45 points. He also is one of MLS' most aggressive players, placing second with 73 fouls.
Preki, Miami's star midfielder, also is up for grabs. He was sixth in the league last season with 30 points, recording eight goals and 14 assists in 24 games.
Nick Rimando is the top goalkeeper available. He went 14-5-5 with five shutouts and ranked third in the league with a 1.29 goals-against average while helping the Fusion reach the league's semifinals.
