There are many things in this world that I don't understand. To name a few: Why I have to wait for a recording to tell me how to leave a message every time I get someone's voicemail; why Kevin McHale is still the general manager of my Minnesota Timberwolves; women.

I don't expect these mysteries to be solved any time soon, but I did recently have one question of mine answered, and I have a feeling it is a question that a lot people have.

Well, maybe not. But it is definitely a topic that not many people seem to know about—the process of making it to a professional soccer league.

Think about it. The NFL and NBA drafts are nationally televised events, and if the MLB draft wasn't 2,432 rounds long then it might be too. Even the NHL draft is gaining popularity. We all understand the process leading up to these drafts. But not soccer. For many of us, our knowledge begins and ends with the Beckhams.

According to Marquette men's soccer assistant coach and former Wisconsin-Milwaukee star Steve Bode, professional soccer in America is divided into two leagues: the United Soccer League and Major League Soccer, with the MLS being the more competitive of the two.

There are 14 teams in the MLS, with Seattle and Philadelphia set to receive teams in 2009 and 2010, respectively.

The MLS draft is also split into two parts. The SuperDraft, held this year on Jan. 18, is composed of four rounds, or 56 total players, and the Supplemental Draft, which uses the same format.

Players taken in the supplemental draft sign what Bode called "developmental contracts." Bode said that these are players that are not as, for lack of a better word, developed, as the players taken in the SuperDraft.

The way Bode explains it, these players are a part of their MLS team's 28-man roster but may only play sparingly. As such, they will play in reserve games to stay sharp and work on their game.

The process leading up to the MLS draft is very similar to that of the NFL draft. There is a five-day MLS combine, or scouting event, that takes place the week before the draft, to which approximately 90 prospects are invited, Bode said.

Bode, who was drafted last year by the Chicago Fire but was not invited to the combine, said that prospects will participate in some agility and speed workouts, but that the majority of the combine is devoted to scrimmages between the invitees.

The USL, on the other hand, does not have a draft. The league uses open tryouts to find players.

"A lot of their signings will be players that aren't necessarily getting a lot of playing time in the MLS, and they decide they want to come down to the USL and in a lot of ways be the some of the best players on their team," Bode said.

Bode said that there are three or four Marquette players that he feels could play professionally, namely goalkeeper Matt Pyzdrowski and midfielder Anthony Colaizzi. At what level he sees those guys playing Bode said is entirely up to their play going forward.

"A guy like Matt Pyzdrowski, our goalkeeper, he's already been over in Sweden training," Bode said. "He's had some professional exposure to different clubs. He's big, he's 6-foot-4, he is quick as a goalkeeper. Big and quick as a goalkeeper, they always say, are a dangerous combo. A guy like him, he could definitely do it."