UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer selected Penn State defender John Gallagher with the 30th overall selection of the MLS Supplemental Draft Tuesday (Jan. 22) afternoon.
The Nittany Lion left back played in 54 games while starting 36 contests. Gallagher (Pine Bush, N.Y.) was selected as a captain for the 2012 Penn State squad that captured the program’s first Big Ten regular-season championship since 2005. After transitioning to left back from midfield as a senior, Gallagher posted a career-high five points on three assists and a goal while handling set piece responsibilities on the way to earning first-team All-Big Ten honors.
Gallagher is the sixth Penn State player to be drafted into the MLS in program history. Mark Fetrow was the most recent draftee before Gallagher, going in the fourth round of the 2012 Supplemental Draft. Before Fetrow, Corey Hertzog was selected by the New York Red Bulls in the first round of the 2011 MLS SuperDraft with the 13th overall pick and Drew Cost was taken by Real Salt Lake in the second round of the supplemental draft.
Jason Yeisley, the 2009 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, became the second three years ago when he was chosen by FC Dallas with the sixth pick in the third round of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. Ted Gillen was Penn State’s first MLS draftee, selected in the sixth round (59th overall) by the New York/New Jersey MetroStars in 1996 in the league’s inaugural draft.
A proven developer of professional talent, Penn State head coach Bob Warming has had at least one of his players selected in every MLS draft since the league’s inception in 1996 and is the only college coach to do so.