Crew rookie Kirk Urso dies at 22

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COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- Columbus Crew and former University of North Carolina soccer player Kirk Urso died Sunday, the MLS team announced. He was 22.

Urso, who helped lead the Tarheels to an NCAA national championship last season, was a rookie midfielder for the Crew.

Police officers responded to a call from a Columbus bar-restaurant early Sunday, from where Urso was transported to Grant Hospital, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

The player was pronounced dead an hour later.

"While the circumstances of Urso's passing are still being determined, no further comments will be made at this time," the Crew said in a released statement.

"The thoughts and prayers of the entire Columbus Crew and Hunt Sports Group are with the Urso family in this time of need."

Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber added, "We are deeply saddened by the death of Columbus Crew player Kirk Urso. Major League Soccer mourns his death and sends our condolences to his family."

Urso, the 10th overall selection in January's MLS supplemental draft, started five Crew games before undergoing surgery for a sports hernia in June.