The Chicago Fire has secured the services of rookie defender-midfielder Osei Telesford (pronounced Oh-SAY) with a contract that will place the Trinidad native on the squad's 28-man roster. Per Major League Soccer (MLS) and team policy, specific terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 23-year-old Telesford joins the "Men in Red" by way of the 2007 MLS Supplemental Draft, as Chicago selected the Liberty University product with its second round (21st overall) pick. Telesford was a defensive mainstay in college, starting in 65 of 66 appearances for the Flames. He was named to the All-Big South Conference team all four years, earning First Team honors on three occasions. He was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-South Atlantic Region First Team for the second straight year this fall. In 2006, Telesford ranked second on the team in goals, and during his four-year career, notched eight goals and eight assists.
Telesford has also represented his country at the highest level, having recently played the full 90 minutes in each of his five appearances for the Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) Senior National Team in the Caribbean Digicel Cup in January. The defensive player was also capped this year for "Soca Warriors" friendlies against Panama (January 31) and Costa Rica (February 4) and has represented T&T regularly at the U-20 and U-23 levels.
"Osei is a player that immediately had an impact at the start of preseason," said Fire head coach Dave Sarachan. "He offers us international experience and it showed during this preseason. He defends one-on-one very well and is good in the air and doesn't get fazed by competition."
Osei Telesford
Position: Defender/Midfielder
Height: 5'11" (1.80 m)
Weight: 190 lbs. (87 kg)
Born: Nov. 30, 1983 in San Juan, Trinidad
Hometown: San Juan, Trinidad
College: Liberty University
Citizenship: Trinidad and Tobago
How Acquired: Drafted in the second round (21st overall) of the 2007 MLS Supplemental Draft
Pronunciation: oh-SAY