New England picks UVM star Brian Wright in MLS draft
The day that decided Brian Wright’s future as a professional soccer player also tested his nerves.
The 21-year-old’s only appointment was at noon but he struggled to sleep in past 7:30 a.m. The anxiety that jostled him awake built throughout the morning and churned even more when he slipped into his crisp blue suit and headed out the door, final destination unknown.
But it turns out the University of Vermont’s first MLS draft pick is staying in New England.
Wright was selected 20th overall by the New England Revolution during the first round of the MLS SuperDraft on Friday afternoon in Los Angeles.
“Everything just seemed so surreal, like you always kind of dreamed of it as a kid,” Wright said Friday night. “It’s an amazing opportunity, I’m really grateful to be in the position I am and I want to thank the Revs for giving me this opportunity.”
Wright was one of four NCAA seniors to sign with MLS last week ahead of the league’s annual pre-draft combine, a marker of his elite evaluation by the league among the crop of graduating college players.
“We went in to the draft thinking he might not be able to get to us (at No. 20) but we were excited he was there,” Revolution head coach Jay Heaps said. “Going into the draft he was one of the players we liked a lot.”
The tension swelled for the Catamount senior and his support group, which included his mother, sister and UVM assistant coach Rob Dow, as other names were called ahead of Wright’s, including five forwards.
Wright said the nerves were there “seeing the first round go by and my name was getting close to not getting called … but when the Revs went on the clock I kind of felt confident about them.”
UVM head coach Jesse Cormier didn’t mince words about the value the Revolution got with their draft choice.
“I’ll state for the record I think they got the best forward,” Cormier said. “I think they got the most athletic. He’s durable, he’s missed one practice in four years. He’s got 39 goals in four years and if you look at guys drafted ahead of him, no one else compares. Some people will say it’s due to competition but I don’t think there’s a substitute for production. He’s been double-, triple-teamed for years now and still has 39 goals for his career and no one else can measure up to that.”
According to Wright’s agent, Nicco Roffo, several teams had showed interest in the UVM star in the weeks before the draft and ultimately fell to the Revolution after other potential destinations passed on the Ajax, Ontario native.
“I think their awareness was probably a little more keen than everybody else’s,” Cormier said. “We knew he was on their radar for a while, including last year.”
The 6-foot-1 striker set a Vermont single-season record with 40 points this fall — 14 goals and a nation-leading 12 assists — as the Catamounts reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
He finished his career No. 2 in the program’s career scoring chart, increasing his output every year since bursting on the scene as the America East rookie of the year in 2013.
“We’ve seen him play on a couple occasions but at the same time he was someone we wanted to see compete here at the combine, see what he’s going to be able to do against all the college players he’d be up against,” Heaps said. “We thought he was excellent.”
Among the nation’s most dangerous players on the counter attack with his combination of speed, strength and finishing, Wright’s commitment to adding to his game each year caught the attention of the New England staff.
Heaps also noted the relationship the club developed with the UVM staff gave valuable insight into Wright’s character.
“That’s what you can see most over the last two years, his ability to run the line, make smart intelligent runs, open up defense, make runs behind and not get caught offside,” Heaps said. “That type of game translates to this level especially when you’re fast, strong and can score goals.”
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Wright is only the second UVM product selected in the first round of the draft of one of America’s major pro sports leagues. Basketball player Larry Killick, the No. 10 pick in the 1947 NBA draft, stood alone until Friday.
“I definitely just wanted to be drafted in the first round, that was one of my goals, and I wanted to stay on the East Coast,” Wright said. “The way things fell with the Revs, being on the East Coast, being close to UVM, not that far of a drive for my family back in Canada. I feel like it’s just a great spot for me.”
The Revolution are also a natural progression for Catamounts fans to track his career.
“It’s great to have him so close to his soccer roots here in Vermont and I like many folks plan on going to watch him and support him with New England,” Cormier said.
The Vermont standout joins a Revolution club that went 11-9-14 a year ago, finishing seventh in the Eastern Conference. He will be vying for playing time alongside the likes of forwards Juan Agudelo, a U.S. international player, and Kei Kamara, who tied for the league lead in goals in 2015 (22).
“I’m just going in and trying to learn from the veterans that are there, adapt as soon as possible in the camp,” Wright said. “I just want to learn every single day I’m there and try to learn fast.”
Notes: Minnesota United, one of two expansion teams joining the league this year, took UCLA forward Abu Danladi with the first overall pick. Atlanta United, the other first-year club, chose Syracuse defender Miles Robinson with the No. 2 pick.
The 2017 season will be the 22nd for Major League Soccer. A pair of Catamounts, Jim St. Andre and Kevin Wylie, veterans of UVM's record-setting 1989 squad, featured for the New England Revolution in the league's inaugural campaign.
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Contact Austin Danforth at 651-4851 or edanforth@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/eadanforth