FC Cincinnati’s first Major League Soccer SuperDraft is Friday afternoon in Chicago. There, the expansion club has 10 picks, including three in the first round and the No. 1 overall.
The players FCC select come with promise of the future and, in some cases, present-day potential. It’s an exciting time for the club.
It’s an exciting time for the players, too.
A few current FC Cincinnati players shared their experiences from the MLS SuperDraft, as well as advice for the current prospects hoping to hear their names called.
Experience
Fatai Alashe: That was something that was very special for me. I had a great experience. My family was there and they were able to sit next to me at the draft and be there when my name was called. That was very cool. Again, I know it was another very stressful day and night before the draft, but looking back on it, it’s something I have and will be able to remember for the rest of my life. It was definitely a special moment for me and my family.
Corben Bone: The draft was a nerve-wracking experience. I remember the moments before a name was called and hoping it was mine and every time it wasn’t, I gained a bit more nervous energy. But when my name was finally called, all of those unknown feelings went out the door and I was overcome with joy.
Emery Welshman: The draft was very special for me. I was hopeful for it to be the start of my professional career and something that I had been working toward since I first kicked a ball. After the combine, MLS invited my family and I had to attend the draft live because I was projected a SuperDraft pick. Being drafted in the first round by my hometown club is something not a lot of players will experience and for that I feel extremely blessed and grateful. It was a dream come true.
Advice
Alashe: The draft is one of the most exciting parts of the whole process. Enjoy that time with your family and friends. Soak in the experience because it’s a time of your life that you’ll never forget. Don’t let the unknown of where you’ll end up stop you from appreciating where you are and how far you’ve come. Enjoy it. You’ve worked hard to get there.
Blake Smith: All the hard work is done at that point. You just have to sit there and pray your name gets called. If it does, then congratulations, it’s a huge accomplishment. If not, it’s not necessarily the end of your playing career, obviously. There’s still USL and different outlets to get to the MLS.
Bone: In that moment of happiness you are thankful and proud, but come to the realization that all the hard work and sacrifice that went in to the culmination of that moment lasts only the next few hours because the real work starts and all the previous moments take a backseat to the hopeful newfound success at the professional ranks.
