Jaqua's call arrives early in MLS draft.

Byline: PHIL LUECK The Register-Guard

Nate Jaqua was caught off guard when he heard his name called at the Major League Soccer Superdraft on Friday.

After all, most experts saw the former South Eugene High and University of Portland standout going late in the first round.

But the Chicago Fire, in need of help at forward after trading away three of their top players from last season in salary-cap moves, selected Jaqua with the third overall pick in the draft, held in Kansas City, Mo.

"I was really surprised, really excited," said Jaqua, who attended the draft with his father, Jon, a former defensive back with the Washington Redskins. "I would have been excited just to be picked in the first round. This whole process is new to me, and I was really surprised to be picked so high."

Fire general manager Peter Wilt said the team was impressed with Jaqua's abilities.

"We were looking at the available forwards in the draft, and we thought he was right up there with Alecko (Eskandarian, the No. 1 pick by D.C. United)," Wilt said. "In fact, we think he brings qualities that Alecko doesn't. He's got some natural physical gifts with his height, but he has the skills of a small player."

At 6-feet-3 and 180 pounds, the 21-year-old Jaqua will be a big target on offense for the Fire, which traded all-star midfielder Dema Kovalenko to D.C. United, forward Josh Wolff to Kansas City and captain Peter Nowak, a midfielder, to New England, in an effort to cut salaries.

Wilt said he expects the team to trade at least one more veteran player.

"It's really a demarcation of a new era for the Fire," he said. "It's a good opportunity for the younger players."

Those moves should give Jaqua the chance to get plenty of playing time.

"They were looking for someone who could contribute right away, and I guess that's why they picked me," Jaqua said. "You can't ask for much more than the chance to play right away."

And Jaqua will help the Fire save some salary cap money as well. As a member of Project-40, a joint developmental venture between MLS and U.S. Soccer, Jaqua's $24,000 base salary will not count against the cap for the next two seasons.

"It gives him a chance to develop before he's counted as a roster player, so it should be a big help for him," Wilt said.

Jaqua will be joined in Chicago by former Portland teammate Kelly Gray, whom the Fire picked with the No. 5 selection in the 2001 draft. The Fire, who won the MLS Cup in their inaugural season, 1998, and reached the Cup final in 2000, finished 11-13-4 in 2002 and lost in the first round of the league playoffs to the New England Revolution. The Fire also won division titles in 2000 and 2001.

The team returns leading scorer Ante Razov and includes midfielder DaMarcus Beasley, a major contributor for the U.S. team at the 2002 World Cup.

D.C. United selected Eskandarian, a University of Virginia striker, with the first pick, and the MetroStars took midfielder Ricardo Clark of Furman.

Jaqua had 10 goals and seven assists in 2002, his junior season with the Pilots. He scored 10 goals in 2001 and nine as a freshman in 2000. He was the league's freshman of the year in 2000 and named first-team all-league in 2001 and 2002 and second team all-league in 2000.

Jaqua scored 31 goals to lead the South Eugene to the state Class 4A title as a junior, then he had 21 goals and 20 assists in leading South to the state quarterfinals as a senior. He was Oregon player of the year as both a junior and a senior and a two-time Parade all-American.

Jaqua also was a member of the U.S. National Team's under-20 and under-18 player pools.

CAPTION(S):

Nate Jaqua, a two time Class 4A player of the year at South Eugene, is headed to soccer's professional ranks.