August 5, 2012
CREW ROOKIE DIES
Illinois native Kirk Urso passed away Saturday

COLUMBUS, Ohio----Columbus Crew player Kirk Urso passed away on Saturday night, the team said in the statement.

No cause or other information was given, although the Associate Press reported that the Franklin County Medical Examiner plans an autopsy on Monday.

A native of Lombard, Ill., the 22-year old Urso was in his first year with the MLS team, playing in six games. He has been sidelined since may with a groin injury and was not with the team for the game against DC United in Washington Saturday night.

Urso was a standout midfielder with the North Carolina Tar Heels, earning selection to the 2011 NSCAA All-South Region First Team. While at Carolina, he started 80 of the 91 matches in which he appeared, tallying 15 goals and 24 assists. He started in the Tar Heels’ 2011 NCAA Men’s College Cup final 1-0 victory over UNC-Charlotte and was named to the All-Tournament Team. During his college career, Urso took a semester off to train with Bolton Wanderers of the English Premier League and Borussia Dortmund of the German Bundesliga. He played for the United States in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2007.

He played club soccer with Chicago Sockers FC for eight years and served as team captain. He also played for the Carolina Dynamo in the Premier Development League in 2008 and 2009 and for the Chicago Fire Premier in 2010.

“The thoughts and prayers of the entire Columbus Crew and Hunt Sports Group are with the Urso family in this time of need,” the Crew said in a statement.