DALLAS — FC Dallas of Major League Soccer has invited former Fort Lewis College outside midfielder Joey Madigan to its 2012 preseason training camp.

“The FC Dallas coaches came to watch our NCAA semifinal game against Millersville and were very impressed with Joey and invited him to come join them at their preseason camp,” said third-year FLC head coach Oige Kennedy, who was named the NCAA Division II Coach of the Year by the National Collegiate Soccer Coaches Association earlier this month.

“Joey only transferred to us in 2010 and needed a year to learn our system and get used to how we ask our wide players to play and he worked as hard as anyone to make it a short learning curve,” said Kennedy. “We really began to see the benefits of his hard work in 2011 and he was consistently one of our best performers day-in and day-out and peaked at the perfect time — the Final Four. That was the big stage and he was a great performer on it.”

Madigan, a 5-foot-9, 160-lb. senior from Arapahoe High School in Littleton, Colo., ranked second on the Skyhawks in scoring in 2011 with 22 total points on seven goals and eight assists. Two of his helpers came in the Final Four, including the corner kick that set up Berekk Blackwell’s overtime header that lifted FLC to a 3-2 win over Lynn in the NCAA title game.

He earned a bevy of awards in 2011, including NSCAA/Continental Tire All-America second team, NSCAA All-Central Region first team, Daktronics All-Central Region second team, All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference second team, RMAC All-Academic second team, RMAC All-Tournament team, and College Soccer 360.com Primetime Performer for Dec. 16, 2011.

During his two-year FLC career, Madigan amassed 35 total points (11 goals, 13 assists) in 44 games —22nd all-time in school history.

He becomes the second player from FLC’s 2011 championship team to attract MLS attention. Chivas USA selected defender Fabian Kling with the 11th pick in the second round of the MLS Supplemental Draft on Jan. 17. Kling is currently on trial with Reading FC, an English association club that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English professional football.

“It is great to have our players striving to make it at the next level and shows how we have established the traditions of Fort Lewis College players earning opportunities to play at the highest level,” said Kennedy. “With Joey getting this chance with FC Dallas and Fabian still at Reading FC, we are excited to see what the future will hold for these players.”

Madigan also attracted the attention of one of the nation’s foremost collegiate soccer analysts. Joe Mauceri, who has written for Top Drawer Soccer and College Soccer News, commented about Madigan’s invitation to attend FC Dallas training on Twitter. “Nice player, good crosser with quickness,” he tweeted.

The Skyhawks captured their third NCAA Division II championship in 2011, having previously won national titles in 2005 and 2009. FLC was national runners-up in 1999 and 2006. Fort Lewis posted a 24-1-0 overall record, 13-1-0 in RMAC games. The Skyhawks also won NCAA-II Central Region, RMAC regular season, and RMAC tournament titles.

Fort Lewis and the MLS have built strong history in the past 15 years. In addition to Madigan and Kling vying for roster spots in 2012, forward John Cunliffe (2003-06) was drafted seventh by Chivas USA in the 2007 MLS Draft and played one season for Chivas USA and one for the San Jose Earthquakes. Defender Cliff Wilmes (2003-06) was on the Colorado Rapids roster in 2007 but didn’t appear in a game. Forward Rich Hansen (1995-98) suited up for the Rapids in a non-MLS “friendly” in the late 1990s but was never officially on their roster. Midfielder Kieran Hall (2004-07) was selected by the Houston Dynamo in 2008 and appeared in preseason action, but didn’t sign a regular season contract.

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