Virginia sophomore winger Brian "Cobi" Span signed a contract today with Djurgarden IF of Sweden's top flight, Allsvenkan. While at Virginia, Span was second on the team in points with 19 this season, earning him Second Team All-ACC honors. His two goals against Wake Forest in the ACC Quarterfinals, including the game winning goal with just 20 seconds left in the second overtime, helped earn him a spot in the All-ACC Tournament team.
Fox Soccer's Big Board rates Span as the No. 7 overall prospect in this year's MLS Draft. Still, Span was not offered a Generation adidas deal by MLS. Generation adidas players typically earn a much higher salary than the league minimum -- many speculate that not locking down the Generation adidas deal ultimately sealed the deal for Span to look abroad. Virginia's last Generation adidas player was midfielder Tony Tchani, who was selected second overall in the 2010 MLS Draft.
Djurgarden finished the 2010-2011 season with a 11-17-8 record. The club last won the Allsvenskan league in 2005 -- their seventh Allsvenskan title. Span's contract extends through the end of the 2013-2014 season. This season begins on March 31.
Fun fact: Span was named after Cobi Jones, who has appeared in more U.S. National Team games than any other player in history and is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.