FORMER National Under-21 player Shaun ‘Rivaldo’ Francis who was drafted in the fourth round (63rd overall) of the 2010 Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft by Columbus Crew, said the draft was a big surprise to him.

“Actually it was a surprise. You don’t have a lot of players being drafted from my division,” Francis told the Observer yesterday.

That division is the Mid-South Conference (MSC) in which his school Lindsey Wilson College participates in. It is an affiliate of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) which is overshadowed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

“The MLS coaching staff is mostly focusing on Division One. It’s not very often that a player from our division is drafted,” said the former Sporting Central Academy player.

“I am very happy because my dream was to play professional football and I know the talent that I have and once I play to my ability they couldn’t say no,” said Francis who started as a midfielder, idolising Brazilian Rivaldo and Frenchman Zinedine Zidane.

Francis, 23, who can either play left back or left midfield was part of that powerful Glenmuir High School team that won the DaCosta Cup in 2004, playing alongside the likes of then captain Ricardo Cousins, Eric Vernon, Carnell Learmond, Shauntel Mundle, James Thomas, Dustin Ashman, John Ross Doyley and Steven Morrissey.

Francis, who captained Lindsey Wilson College to the title in December, was picked 63rd of 64 by the Columbus Crew, was the first of the Crew’s five draftees to be offered a supplemental contract in March.

“He’s a smart kid,” Crew coach Robert Warzycha was quoted as saying on the club’s website. “He’s good on the ball; he’s technically good. He’s a left-footer and has a good cross and he has a lot of speed. Obviously, he needs some experience.”

Francis, who sprained his left ankle in a pre-season game against FC Dallas on March 21, said he has settled in well.

“The players are cool, they make you feel like a part of the team. You just have to adjust. I must give credit to my former coaches Chris Dawes and Jackie Walters who made me able to adjust to any situation,” he noted.

Francis played four years of college soccer at Lindsey Wilson College, scoring seven goals in 61 appearances.

Columbus Crew president Mark McCullers was quoted on their website giving credits to team technical director Brian Bliss for tracking Francis.

“It goes to show if you do your homework, there are players throughout the collegiate system,” McCullers said. “It’s not only D-1 schools that you find the talent to fit your needs.”

The Crew were looking for depth behind left back Gino Padula, but Warzycha said Francis would have made the squad even if he wasn’t the left-footed defender the organisation desperately wanted.

“He has a lot of composure on the ball and he connects the passes — all the things you want a good player on the field to do,” Warzycha said.

During his college years Francis also played with both Indiana Invaders and the Thunder Bay Chill in the United Soccer league (USL) Premier Development League.