Veteran Midfielder Daniel Wasson Released by Minnesota Stars
Veteran midfielder Daniel Wasson has been released by the Minnesota Stars FC according to an article on the team’s website yesterday.
Wasson was a stalwart midfielder for the newly created NSC Minnesota Stars playing in their first season in 2010. He played in 30 games and had 2 goals and 4 assists. Most notable of those was the Stars’ first-ever goal scored by Wasson, a 1-0 road win against the Carolina RailHawks in April 2010. He also provided the first assist in club history, setting up Neil Hlavaty’s goal in a 3-1 loss at Puerto Rico.
After playing for both the Air Force Academy and the University of Tulsa, the Colorado Springs, CO. native began his professional career with his hometown Colorado Rapids where he was selected 38th overall in the 2006 Supplemental Draft. He went on to play 22 games in a season-and-a-half with the Rapids before departing for Germany in July 2007. In two years in Germany, he played with SV Meppen and VfL Osnabruck.
Just before the start of the 2011 season, Wasson tore his ACL and after surgery worked hard to rehab until he was signed late in the season by the Stars just before their 2011 championship playoff run. The speed of his recovery from a major injury and surgery was a testament to Wasson’s dedication to the sport and the club, but he never saw a minute of play in 2011.
In the spring of 2012, Wasson was excited for a chance to get back on the pitch and prove himself once again. But the Stars midfielder had a difficult time breaking into coach Manny Lagos’ midfield and only logged in 365 minutes this season.
The 28-year-old Wasson had become increasingly frustrated with his lack of playing time. He told IMS on Thursday that he has enjoyed his time here in Minnesota and will be looking for a team to play with for the 2013 season.
“Danny’s been a dedicated professional and outstanding teammate during his time with the club, whether in a game, in training or in the locker room, and we thank him for his efforts here and wish him the best in the future,” Stars head coach Manny Lagos said. “He’s motivated and wants to be on the field, and we both felt that he would have greater opportunity elsewhere at this point in time.”
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I’ll keep an eye on this guy. He’s a good player that kind of got victimized by a system moving away from him while he was injured.
Thanks for the work, Danny. All the best.
@ Jim Oliver.
I agree with you. It’s tough when a good guy/player loses his spot while away recovering but those things do happen from time to time. I think he’ll find another spot. He’s got a few good years left in him if he’s able to stay healthy.