LOS ANGELES – Brian Wright may be Canadian by birth, but the 21-year-old forward will feel like something of a hometown kid after being drafted 20th overall by the New England Revolution in the first round of Friday afternoon’s MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas.
Wright spent the past four years as a New Englander himself, scoring 39 goals and adding 25 assists during a standout career at the University of Vermont.
“A lot of friends still live in the New England area, so it’s like I’m not really leaving home,” Wright said just minutes after hearing his name called at the Los Angeles Convention Center. “Vermont’s become my home the last four years, so the fact that I’m still in New England is a great feeling.”
Wright’s presence at a New England school meant the Revolution’s technical staff was able to scout him heavily throughout his time with the Catamounts, where he impressed the Revs with a combination of size, speed, and an ability to serve as playmaker as much as a goal scorer.
“We like him because he’s a big, strong kid, he can hold the ball up, he’s fast enough to get in behind defenses, but he also creates,” said head coach Jay Heaps, adding that the Revs were surprised that Wright was still available at 20th overall. “You want goal scorers, but you also want forwards that can bring other players into the attack.”
“We felt Brian was the best available player on the board at 20, so that was the ultimate decision why we decided to select him,” said General Manager Michael Burns. “We think there’s a big upside there, so we’re excited. Plus he’s fairly local having played at Vermont, so he’s very familiar with the New England weather. I think he’s excited, and we are, as well.”
Friday was an emotional day for Wright, who said “it was pretty surreal to finally see a lifelong dream come true,” but it won’t be long before an entirely new challenge awaits as the Revs will open preseason camp in Foxborough just 10 days after the draft, on January 23.
Wright said he’s looking forward to learning from New England’s corps of attacking veterans – particularly forwards like Juan Agudelo and Kei Kamara – while at the same time proving to them that he belongs at the professional level.
“I’ll just try not to do too much,” Wright said of his objectives in camp. “I’ll just go in there every day, work hard, and show the veterans that I deserve to be there. I worked hard. I’ll just try to make a good impression on all my new teammates.”
