Toronto FC didn't have to look far to get some much-needed scoring punch Thursday in the MLS Superdraft.

Toronto FC selected striker O'Brian White of Toronto with the fourth pick overall. White, 23, enjoyed a stellar '07 campaign at the University of Connecticut, scoring an NCAA-high 23 goals to capture the Hermann Trophy as U.S. college soccer's player of the year.

Scoring was at a premium last season for Toronto FC, whose 34 goals was the lowest in the Eastern Division and second-lowest in the MLS. Danny Dichio was the club's leading scorer with five goals and three assists in 23 games.

But the six-foot-one, 175-pound White, who moved to Canada from his native Jamaica as a teenager, isn't coming in expecting to become Toronto FC's offensive saviour.

"I don't put pressure on myself," he said. "I just look at that I'm coming back to a great atmosphere, a great environment. My goal is to get back out there and help the team."

Trouble is, White isn't sure exactly when that will be. He had six goals in 14 games this season at UConn before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

"It's coming around pretty good," White said. "I'm just looking forward to coming back to Toronto and continuing my therapy.

"I'm on a treadmill now. I decided to stay at school over Christmas so I could concentrate on my therapy. That has helped a lot. Maybe I won't be playing right away but I should be by about March."

Toronto FC, who will open the 2009 regular season on March 21 against Kansas City, had three of the top 13 picks in the draft.

The club selected Sam Cronin, a five-foot-10, 165-pound midfielder with Wake Forest University, second overall. Then at No. 13, Toronto FC picked Stefan Frei, a Swiss-born goalkeeper from the University of California who was the MVP at the league's player combine earlier this week in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Head coach John Carver was ecstatic to come away with Cronin, White and Frei but said he expects all three to compete for playing time.

"Before the draft, we said these were the three guys we wanted to come out with and we've got them," he said. "I want these three guys not to come through the door thinking that they're here to learn and develop over a period of time.

"It's up to them. If they come in pre-season and push for the shirt, then go and earn the shirt and keep the shirt. I want pressure on these players and I want pressure put on the players already with the club."

Carver said Toronto FC wasn't worried about White's injury status heading into the draft.

"We took him because we know what he was like before the injury," he said. "It's not like five, 10 years ago where if you picked up this type of injury you never played again.

"We have very, very good medical support - in my opinion it's the best medical staff in the MLS - and he will come back fit, well and strong."

However, Carver also said Toronto FC will certainly be patient with White and allow him to fully recover first.

"We won't rush him, we'll give him all the time he needs because we want him in the form we saw before the injury," he said. "They (goal-scorers) are diamonds and if you find one, you hang on to him, you keep him.

"As we saw last year, we needed somebody to score goals, we need somebody to put pressure on the guys who are up there at the moment. This guy will certainly do that when he's fully fit."

Toronto FC also has two selections in the third round.

The expansion Seattle Sounders FC took University of Akron forward Steve Zakuani with the No. 1 selection. Zakuani, 20, led the NCAA with 20 goals and 27 points this season as a sophomore.

Zakuani was Soccer America's player of the year and was a Hermann Trophy finalist.

The Los Angeles Galaxy took defender Omar Gonzalez of NCAA-champion Maryland with the third pick. The six-foot-five, 210-pound Gonzalez was the most outstanding defensive player in the NCAA College Cup.

Cronin, 22, had 10 goals in 24 games last year with Wake Forest. Cronin, who served as the team's captain since his junior season, is described as a solid two-way midfielder who has long-distance shooting ability.

"He's a good, young talent that we need to nurture properly," Carver said. "Technically, he's very good, comfortable with the ball and likes to go hunt the ball.

"He can set up players, he can get forward and is a good passer. We think we have a nice player there."

Frei was a first-team All Pac-10 selection and a third-team All-American. He appeared in 47 career NCAA games, posting a 0.71 goals-against average. And he was also a member of the Swiss under-15 national team.

"He was the top goalkeeper in the draft and we were surprised he didn't go earlier," Carver said. "He was down to go in the top five but because of needs (of other clubs) we managed to get him."

But it was White who was breathing a huge sigh of relief Thursday after months of indecision ended with being taken by Toronto FC.

"There's a lot of relief," he said. "Now you know where you're going to go and what you need to do.

"There's no need to wonder where you might end up. Now you know where you're going to be and that definitely helps a lot. It will also be good for my family to come to games."

Going so high in the draft was somewhat of a surprise for White, given his injury status.

"It was out of my hands. I'm just grateful to get drafted. I didn't know what number I'd go or where I'd go especially with the fact that I'm injured. I'm excited about it."

However, White says he's well aware of what he must do in order to enjoy the same level of success in MLS that he had at UConn.

"Just compete every day and on every play," he said. "There's no day off.

"Maybe in college you might have a day off and be lucky but in the pros you have to compete every day."