NEW YORK (Wednesday, August 11, 1999) - Major League Soccer Vice President of Player Personnel and Director of Project-40 Todd Durbin announced today the club assignments of U.S. Pro-40 goalkeepers Scott Vallow (Dallas Burn), Matt Nyman (Tampa Bay Mutiny) and U.S. Under-17 midfielder DaMarcus Beasley (Los Angeles Galaxy).

"The assignment of these three top young Americans to their MLS clubs points in the right direction for the development of their professional career," Durbin said. "The training and coaching that Vallow, Nyman and Beasley will receive at Dallas, Tampa Bay and Los Angeles, along with their time with U.S. Pro-40 and Youth National Team duty, will be invaluable."

Sharing the number one goalkeeper spot for U.S. Pro-40, Vallow and Nyman will report to their MLS clubs immediately while Pro-40, the A-League's Central Division leader, is on a 14-day hiatus. Returning to action on Wednesday, August 18 to face the Minnesota Thunder, U.S. Pro-40 will look to secure its first A-League playoff berth and break the sophomore club's three-game losing skid.

Major League Soccer identified Vallow and Nyman at the 1999 Umbro Select College All-Star Classic in February in Fort Lauderdale. Ranked ninth among A-League goalkeepers with a 1.05 goals against average, Vallow has an 8-4 record between the pipes for U.S. Pro-40. Vallow, a two-time NSCAA Third Team All-America at Bowling Green University, came to Project-40 originally on an extended trial basis. His tenacity manning the nets, where he recorded four shutouts in six games, won him a full Project-40 contract.

"We are glad to receive another talented young goalkeeper to follow in the tradition of fine goalkeepers in Dallas," Dallas Burn Head Coach Dave Dir said. "Our first impressions of Scott have shown tremendous upside and it looks like he has a great future in MLS and with the Burn organization."

Joining U.S. Pro-40 following his graduation from Dartmouth College in June, Nyman has played in five games and recorded three consecutive wins in his first three matches. The Middletown, Conn., native has registered a 1.96 GAA with a 3-2 record. Nyman, a 6-foot-4 presence in goal, finished his four-year college career as Dartmouth's all-time career leader in shutouts with 17 and was a 1997 and 1998 NSCAA First Team All-New England standout.

"Matt is a certainly someone who I have watched at Dartmouth," Tampa Bay Mutiny Head Coach Tim Hankinson said. "I saw him in the combine last year and in the college all-star game. He has great size to build on and seems to have a very confident range of movement to come out for balls. Getting in some U.S. Pro-40 games this summer is a great transition into the pro ranks for him."

Beasley, the youngest player to sign an MLS contract at 16 years and 10 months, has played two games with U.S. Pro-40 this season, recording the game-winning assist in the 99th minute of the 2-1 win over Indiana on June 6. Beasley has established himself as one of the U.S. U-17 National Team's top scorers in 1999 with eight goals and nine assists in 22 appearances, as the team prepares for the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship in November in New Zealand. Nicknamed "Jitterbug" for his quick moves on the field, he helped lead the U.S. Under-23 National Team to a bronze medal finish in the 1999 Pan American Games, playing five matches and tallying one assist. The youngest of the two Beasley brothers in MLS (older brother Jamar is part of Project-40 and is assigned to the New England Revolution), DaMarcus returns to the Bollettieri Academy, part of the U-17 Residency Program, in an effort to receive year-round training by U.S. National Team staff coaches, on August 21. The Galaxy's young phenom will report to the team full-time following his high school graduation in June 2000.

"DaMarcus is an exciting young player," Los Angeles Galaxy Head Coach Sigi Schmid said. "He has tremendous ability as a wide player with natural agility and speed. Our club is excited to watch and aid the development of DaMarcus into a solid professional."