Meram Selected 15th Overall in MLS SuperDraft by Columbus Crew
1/13/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Jan. 13, 2011
BALTIMORE, Md. -- University of Michigan senior forward Justin Meram (Shelby Township, Mich./Eisenhower) was selected by the Columbus Crew with the 15th pick in the first round of the 2011 Major League Soccer SuperDraft on Thursday afternoon (Jan. 13) at the Baltimore Convention Center. Meram becomes the second Wolverine drafted by the Columbus Crew and is the sixth player in program history to be selected in the MLS SuperDraft. Meram is U-M's second first-round selection in the last three years, joining Peri Marosevic (2006-08), the No. 5 overall pick in 2009.
"This is a dream come true," said Meram. "I have been looking forward to this day for a very long time, and I want to thank my team back at Michigan because I love them and without them none of this would have been possible for me. I'd also like to thank the Michigan coaching staff for helping me reach this goal."
"We are absolutely thrilled for Justin to start his Major League Soccer career with the Columbus Crew," said Michigan head coach Steve Burns. "Justin is a special person and a special player that is very deserving of his selection in the first round."
Meram's selection marks the third consecutive year the Wolverines have had players drafted in the SuperDraft. Last season, Mauro Fuzetti (2006-09) was the 41st overall pick of the Kansas City Wizards, now Sporting Kansas City. Additionally, Marosevic and Michael Holody (2005-08) were chosen in the 2009 SuperDraft by FC Dallas and the Colorado Rapids, respectively.
Meram closed his senior season on a nine-game scoring streak, the longest in program history, and scored U-M's lone goal in the College Cup semifinals against eventual national champion Akron. Meram started all 23 games his senior season, tallying 42 points on 17 goals and a team-leading eight assists. His 42 points, 17 goals and 104 shots in 2010 each rank second best in U-M's single-season record book.
In his two seasons at Michigan, Meram became the sixth player in program history to record a hat trick with three goals in U-M's 5-1 win over Bowling Green during the 2009 season. He also made an impact in U-M's career rankings. His 62 career points and 24 career goals put him third all-time in both categories, while his seven game-winning goals are fourth all-time. Additionally, Meram is No. 5 in shots on goal (74) and No. 8 in assists (14).
Meram is a two-time All-Big Ten Conference second team selection and earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week this season to go along with TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week and College Soccer News Player of the Week honors. Meram also earned NSCAA All-Great Lakes region honors this season for his outstanding senior campaign.
Meram joins former Wolverines Fuzetti, Marosevic, Holody, Kevin Taylor (2000-03) and Knox Cameron (2001-03) as MLS draftees. In the 2004 MLS SuperDraft, Taylor was selected with the 25th overall pick by the Colorado Rapids, and the following year Cameron went 44th overall to the Columbus Crew.
Contact: Jessica Poole (734) 763-4423
