The MetroStars acquired veteran defender Tenywa Bonseu and the first pick in the third round (21st overall) of the 2004 MLS SuperDraft from the Dallas Burn in exchange for veteran defender Steve Jolley. Bonseu, a Senior International player and native of Kampala, Uganda, has seen action in the past four MLS seasons and the MetroStars will be his fourth team (Chicago Fire, Columbus Crew, Dallas Burn).

"This was a difficult trade to make," said MetroStars President and General Manager Nick Sakiewicz. "We give up a great player and a great person in Steve Jolley, but we feel that Tenywa Bonseu will work well in our defense and the draft pick will also give us the ability to continue to build with talented young players. It is never easy to trade a great person like Steve, but in this case we needed to do what was best for the future of this organization."

Bonseu, who is 27 years old, appeared in 20 games for the Burn in 2003 starting in every appearance. In 2002, he was named the Burn Defensive Player of the Year as he led the Burn in blocks with four, and appeared in 27 of the Burn's 28 regular season games. Bonseu was acquired by the Burn from the Columbus Crew on January 15, 2002 along with a fourth round draft pick in the 2002 draft for a second round pick in the 2002 draft.

Allocated to the Crew on February 3, 2001, Bonseu started 24 of 26 games for the Crew, missing two games due to red cards in 2001. He tallied three assists, including one game-winner from his defensive position in that season. In addition he played the full 90 minutes in all three U.S. Open Cup matches.

"This day is bittersweet for the team," said MetroStars coach Bob Bradley. "It gives us the opportunity to get a solid player in Tenywa Bonseu and it also gives us a valuable pick that we can use in the draft, but it comes at the cost of a great professional in Steve Jolley."

In 2000, Bonseu was called up to the Chicago Fire from the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (A-League) just prior to the MLS playoffs and won a starting job on the Fire's back line. He played in two regular season games for Chicago and saw action in six playoff games, starting five, including MLS Cup 2000. He assisted on the game-tying goal in his first MLS postseason match on September 19, 2000 against the New England Revolution.

In addition, Bonseu has represented Uganda 13 times at the full international level. At age 18, he became one of the youngest players ever selected for the Uganda National Team. He appeared in two World Cup qualifiers in 1996, vs. Angola and Algeria.