The Blast has signed four new players for the start of the season: forward Michael Todd, midfielder Brian Devlin, and defenders Marko Bedenikovic and Ryan Pierce.

The Blast opens its Major Indoor Soccer League season Friday night at home against the Philadelphia KiXX.

Todd, the Blast's 2007 first-round MISL amateur draft pick, played at Hofstra and was the 2006 Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year.

Bedenikovic spent the 2007 season with the Canadian Soccer League's Toronto Croatia. He turned pro in 2003 when he joined the Toronto Olympians of the CSL. He then played for the Croatia (2004), the Oakville Blue Devils (2005) and the United Soccer Leagues' Toronto Lynx (2006).

Devlin and Pierce were teammates on the USL Division 2 champion Harrisburg City Islanders. Devlin, a four-year starter at Penn State, was a three-time All-Big Ten selection and helped lead the Nittany Lions to the 2005 Big Ten championship.

Pierce, who had one goal for Harrisburg this season, played two seasons at Binghamton and two seasons at Herkimer County (N.Y.) Community College,where he led the team to two National Junior College Athletic Association Region III championships.