SharX defender Dos Santos named to MISL All Rookie Team

Norfolk SharX Press Release:

Tampa – The Major Indoor Soccer League honored the top performers from a highly successful 2011-12 regular season today, naming the All-MISL First and Second Teams and MISL All-Rookie Team.  The Norfolk SharX are proud to announce that team defender Gerson Dos Santos has been selected to the 2011-12 All Rookie Team.

On behalf of all the players and the coaching staff, we are ecstatic that Gerson has received such an honor,” said head coach Jon Hall. “It couldn’t go to a more deserving person than Gerson. His professionalism, skill and leadership, added to his high integrity, make him such a deserving recipient. He’s a class act.”

Dos Santos scored 36 points in 17 games for the SharX this season including the game winner in the team’s first win in its history over Rochester on December 29, 2011. He was named MISL Player of the Week on January 3, 2012 for his performance in that game. He also led the SharX in assists with ten.

GERSON DOS SANTOS

Dos Santos is very happy and surprised by this honor since he had to travel back to Brazil mid-season to tend to his ill father and missed six games. “I am happier to represent the SharX,” he said, “because the whole organization did an awesome job and everyone including my teammates deserves to be a part of this honor.”

 “I am pleased that our peers recognized a top player on a new team,” said SharX General Manager Jim Gooley. “New teams are generally given a pass on such honors until they prove themselves but Gerson was certainly a playmaker for the SharX.”

The 29 year-old Dos Santos is from Sao Paulo, Brazil and played his college soccer at Virginia Commonwealth University.  He played for several youth clubs in his native Brazil including C.A. Juventus and Foz Cataratas E.C., before moving to the United States in 2005 to attend VCU. He played for the Rams for three seasons, scoring ten goals and nine assists, earning All-CAA First Team honors in his sophomore season. He was named CAA Co-Player of the Year as a senior. He played for the Richmond Kickers Future in the Premier Development League in 2007. Dos Santos graduated from college one year early and turned professional in 2009, signing with the USL Second Division Richmond Kickers. He made his professional debut on April 18, 2009 in Richmond's 2-2 opening day tie with the Harrisburg City Islanders and helped the Kickers to the 2009 USL Second Division championship. He returned to play for Richmond at the end of the SharX’ MISL season.

The All-MISL and All-Rookie teams were selected through a vote by MISL team management and select media members.  

Baltimore and Milwaukee will face off in the best-of-three 2012 MISL Championship Series starting this Friday night at 1^st Mariner Arena in Baltimore (7:35 p.m. ET, MISLLive.com), with the second leg set for 4:10 p.m. ET Sunday at U.S. Cellular Arena in Milwaukee (MISLLive.com). A deciding mini-game will be played immediately following Game 2 if needed.

2011-12 ALL-MISL First Team

D        Mike Lookingland, Baltimore Blast

D        Nelson Santana, Syracuse Silver Knights

MF      Max Ferdinand, Baltimore Blast

MF      Geison, Missouri Comets

F        Mauricio Salles, Rochester Lancers 

GK      Sagu, Baltimore Blast

2011-12 All-MISL Second Team

D        Leo Gibson, Missouri Comets

D        Joe Hammes, Milwaukee Wave

MF      Marcio Leite, Milwaukee Wave

F        Machel Millwood, Baltimore Blast

F        Byron Alvarez, Missouri Comets

GK      Danny Waltman, Missouri Comets

2011-12 MISL All-Rookie Team

D         Gerson Dos Santos, Norfolk SharX

D        Stephen DeRoux, Baltimore Blast

MF      Kevin Ten Eyck, Wichita Wings

F        Slavisa Ubiparapovic, Syracuse Silver Knights

F        Nicolas Perera, Milwaukee Wave

GK      Eric Reed, Syracuse Silver Knights