Nyarko falls to Fire at No. 7

The Fire wanted Virginia Tech forward Patrick Nyarko so badly that coach Denis Hamlett said the team considered trading up in Friday's MLS SuperDraft to get the player many mock drafts projected to go No. 1 overall.

It's a trade the Fire is glad it didn't make.

The Fire drafted Nyarko at No. 7 overall, the pick New York gave up as compensation for coach Juan Carlos Osorio, then got Tulsa goalkeeper Dominic Cervi at No. 12.

"We were surprised," Hamlett said of the speedy Nyarko's availability. "We felt he just brought the whole thing. He has the complete package."

The Fire picked Cervi because negotiations with 2007 starter Matt Pickens aren't going well.

"We made a very good offer to Matt Pickens," Hamlett said. "His representative got back to us and said they didn't think it was the right amount or the right offer, so we needed to protect ourselves."

The 6-foot-6 Cervi impressed everyone with a strong showing at last weekend's combine.

"We had him ranked as the No. 1 goalkeeper coming out this year," Hamlett said, citing Cervi's physical presence, ability to organize the defense and footwork.

In the second round, the Fire drafted central midfielder Peter Lowry out of Santa Clara University.

"He's got a very good soccer brain," Hamlett said. "He plays the game simple. We were surprised again he was on the board at that time because I thought he had a very good combine."

The Fire stuck with offense in the third round, picking up Lynn University forward Dwight Barnett and Maryland midfielder Stephen King. In the fourth round, the Fire turned to defense, grabbing Austin Washington out of Gonzaga.