Montreal, Quebec, native second player in program history picked by New England

RINDGE, N.H. (January 16, 2004) - Franklin Pierce All-American midfielder Felix Brillant (Montreal, Quebec/College Francais) was selected by the New England Revolution in the sixth round (56^th overall) of the 2004 Major League Soccer SuperDraft in Charlotte, N.C., this afternoon.

Brillant is the second player in program history to be selected in the MLS Draft, joining former two-time All-American Bojan Vuckovic, who was also selected by the New England Revolution with the team's third pick in the inaugural MLS Draft in February, 1996. Brillant is one of two Division II players chosen in this year's draft, joining fellow Northeast-10 Conference star Olivier Occean from Southern Connecticut State University who was picked by the New York/New Jersey MetroStars in the third round (26^th). Both Brillant and Occean are also products of College Francais in Montreal.         

"Felix is a very talented player with great pace," said John Murphy, Assistant Coach and Director of Youth Soccer Development for the Revolution. Murphy served three years (1998-2000) as Head Men's Soccer Coach at Northeast-10 rival Assumption College where he first saw Brillant during his freshman season in 2000, when he totaled a career-best 16 points on three goals and career-high ten assists, and continued to track his progress.

"We feel he can play up front or outside," continued Murphy. "He certainly gives us options and has great potential, so couldn't pass on the opportunity with him being local. We hope he can have an impact on our team in the future."

Brillant recently completed a stellar four-year career at Franklin Pierce where he joined Vuckovic as the only two players in program history to earn All-New England status four times. Brillant was also a four-time All-Northeast-10 selection and was named the Conference's Freshman of the Year in 2000 when he claimed NSCAA/adidas All-America honors.

Brillant finished his career with seven goals and 25 assists for 39 points in 68 career matches played. His 39 points rank 19^th on the program's career scoring list while his 25 assists are good for ninth all-time. Brillant ranked second on the team in 2003 with five assists, two of which came on match-winning goals and another on a match-tying tally.           

 "This is a dream come true for Felix," said Franklin Pierce Head Coach Marco Koolman. "He will get the opportunity to prove himself in the professional ranks. Felix is one of those kids that eats and sleeps soccer and I'm sure he will make the most of his chance to make it in pro soccer."

Brillant played two summers for the Cape Cod Crusaders in the Premier Developmental League (PDL), helping lead the team to back-to-back PDL National Championships in 2002 and 2003. He was named MVP of the 2002 National Tournament.

Brillant is the sixth Franklin Pierce student-athlete to be drafted by a major sports organization, joining Vuckovic, women's soccer All-American Minna Mustonen (New York Power, 2002) and baseball standouts Justin Blood (Seattle Mariners, 2001), Chris Shank (Oakland Athletics, 2002) and Matt Weagle (Saint Louis Cardinals, 2003).

Franklin Pierce, ranked No. 19 in the final NSCAA/adidas Division II poll, posted an 11-6-2 overall record this past fall and earned the program's ninth NCAA Tournament berth before falling in the first round to No. 7 UMass Lowell, 3-0, in New Haven, Conn. The Ravens finished with an 11-2 record in Northeast-10 Conference play, good for second place in the regular season.