Jan. 7, 2009

LAS VEGAS - UNLV sophomore forward Daniel Cruz signed a three-year contract with Major League Soccer on Tuesday, and will participate in this weekend's combine before attending the 2009 MLS Superdraft in St. Louis on Thursday, Jan. 15.

Cruz will be a Generation adidas player for MLS, which is a joint venture between U.S. Soccer and the MLS that will offer a college tuition stipend for players to continue their college education after turning pro. Cruz has signed a three-year contract with the league, with an option for two more years.

"We are extremely happy for Danny and the opportunity he has," said UNLV head coach Mario Sanchez. "When we recruited Danny, we knew that there was a good chance that he would leave early. He has worked extremely hard for this, he gave everything he had while he was a Rebel and helped the program move forward. We are looking forward to following his success as a professional and with the U.S. National Teams."

Cruz, a native of Glendale, Ariz., earned first team All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation honors twice for the Rebels, and was the first freshman All-American in team history when he was named to College Soccer News All-Freshman Second Team in the 2007 season. He scored five goals this past year and had 13 points, which tied him for seventh in the MPSF, and over his two years as a Rebel, Cruz posted nine goals and seven assists for 25 points.

Cruz has also been a member of the U-20 National team since the spring of 2008, and also played on the U.S. National Team in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in the summer of 2007.