MISL Rookie of the Year - John Barry Nusum
WESTPORT, Conn. (Tuesday, May 3, 2005) – The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) announced today that John Barry Nusum has been named the 2004-05 MISL Rookie of the Year. The Philadelphia KiXX forward was selected following a week-long balloting process that polled media and team personnel and concluded on Monday, April 25, one day after the conclusion of the MISL regular season. Nusum, who was one of three forwards, and six players overall, named to the 2004-05 MISL All-Rookie Team on Monday, received better than 78 percent of the first-place votes in the Rookie of the Year balloting. Voters were asked to cast a first-place vote (worth five points), a second-place vote (three points), and third-place vote (one point) for eligible MISL newcomers. Nusum was the only Rookie of the Year candidate to appear on every voter’s ballot.
“I am honored to be chosen as the MISL’s Rookie of the Year,” Nusum said. “The MISL is a highly-competitive League and there were many deserving players throughout. Some of which were my teammates on the KiXX. My main focus heading into the season was to help the team attempt to win a championship and to have a good season for Philadelphia. Receiving this individual honor is for me an added bonus.”
The 23-year-old Nusum led all MISL rookies in scoring, and finished in the top-10 in the MISL in scoring with 45 points on 28 goals and 17 assists. A native of Devonshire, Bermuda, he registered his first professional indoor point in Cleveland on Oct. 23, and scored his first of three hat trick’s during the season on Nov. 6.
Nusum finished second on the KiXX in points to forward/head coach Don D’Ambra and helped lead that team to a third-place finish in the regular season standings (22-17), and an MISL Championship Series Semifinals appearance last weekend. He scored an additional two goals and one assist in those two games versus Cleveland.
“To me, John was an obvious choice for Rookie of the Year this season,” D’Ambra said. “He stepped up and made big plays for us all season, not mention his great personality on and off the field, and his hard-work mentality. We hope to have him in a KiXX uniform for many years to come.”
Nusum also competes with the Bermuda National Team, and was named Bermuda’s 2004 Male Athlete of the Year. The Furman University graduate holds that program’s all-time mark in goals (61) and points (161).
ABOUT THE MISL
The Major Indoor Soccer League is a single-entity organization featuring a coast-to-coast presence with seven teams located across the United States. The MISL is the single major league of indoor soccer. In February of 2004, the League announced an expansion team in Stockton, CA, that will begin play in 2005-06. On May 4, 2004, the League announced plans for an expansion team in Newark, NJ, that will begin play in 2007-08. The 2005 MISL Championship Series Finals will feature the Milwaukee Wave and the Cleveland Force and is scheduled for Saturday, May 14 at U.S. Cellular Arena in Milwaukee (Game One) and Saturday, May 21 at Savvis Center in St. Louis (Game Two). The MISL Championship Series Finals will be telecast live in prime time on ESPN2. For more information on the MISL, visit the League’s website at www.MISL.net.