Real Salt Lake trades one of two first-round supplemental picks

Real Salt Lake was an active player in the 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft on Tuesday.

Not long after selecting UCLA's Andy Rose with the sixth pick, RSL traded his rights to Seattle Sounders FC for the MLS contract rights to Leone Cruz, selected by the Sounders in the second round of the 2011 MLS SuperDraft

Cruz, a 6-foot defender from Round Rock, Texas, played in the MLS Reserve League games in August. At SMU, Cruz started 47 of 67 games played with nine goals.

RSL had two first-round supplemental picks and chose forward Emiliano Bonfigli with the 17th overall pick. Forward Oliver Kupe was taken in the second round, while midfielder Benjamin Ubierna was taken in the third of four rounds.

RSL passed on its fourth-round selection.

All four players are expected to participate in next week's start of the 2012 season.

Bonfigli, from Bahia Blanca, Argentina, scored 16 goals in 13 games during the 2010-11 campaign for Club Almargo of the Argentine Primera B Metropolitana, the regionalized third division of Argentina. Later in 2011, he played for Manta F.C. of the Ecuadoran Serie A.

Kupe, a 6-foot-3 forward for Northwestern, of the Big Ten Conference, has U.S.-Congo citizenship. He finished his college playing days as the seventh all-time goal scorer, with 22.

Ubierna, a 6-foot-1 midfielder from Lima, Peru, played in three games for Peru when the country hosted the South American Under-20 Championships in 2011.

The Salt Lake Tribune