Logan Gdula said there are few instances where he accepts being vulnerable. Being drafted is one of them.
So when FC Cincinnati selected Gdula as the No. 13 pick in Friday’s Major League Soccer SuperDraft, the outside back began crying of joy and relief.
“It was shocking to hear my name called,” he said at the draft in Chicago. “It’s something I worked for for so long. It felt great. All my emotions just came out. I wanted to show everyone how much it meant to me.”
His selection meant a lot to his new team, too.
“Logan was right at the top of our draft board,” Team President and General Manager Jeff Berding said. “For him to be there at 13 was an enormous pick for us.”
Gdula was the first player selected during the SuperDraft who primarily played right back in college.
During four seasons at Wake Forest, the 22-year-old played 77 games and collected 60 starts for the Demon Deacons. The school finished runner-up in the 2016 College Cup.
But Gdula has attacking qualities as well. Despite featuring as an outside back, he gets forward and serves as a creative option in the final third, which he takes pride in and FCC finds appealing.
“I showed I can get up and down the field and I help in the attack and create or help score goals when I can,” he said. “Defensively, I’m solid. I thought I showed my repertoire and that I have potential to grow and be a better player in the future.”
He made that known at last week’s MLS Player Combine in Orlando, Fla. There, the outside back got forward and scored during a match. Last season, he had seven assists, which, for context, would have been fifth on FC Cincinnati’s 2018 roster.
“I love to get up the wing and create in the final third,” Gdula said. “I think it’s part of the game now where it’s developed and fullbacks get forward. I think it’s important to do that and it’s something I like to do. It’s something I think I’m good at and it’s something I strive to be good at.”
Part of getting forward comes from previous experience playing higher up the field, he said.
Before college, he played as a false-nine forward or as a winger. Naturally, attacking tendencies developed. Once he got to Wake Forest, he became a defender but still utilized his previous qualities.
“I came to Wake and I properly learned how to defend and use all the knowledge I had before from attacking just to hone my skills in the attacking third. I think it really helped I played those positions beforehand.”
Now at FC Cincinnati, his role could change again. After the draft, Head Coach Alan Koch said the right back could factor into his first-team plans, but it’s too early to determine anything. All five players the expansion club selected Friday are projects, Koch said.
“We had him really, really high on our list, so we were pleasantly surprised to get him with the pick we did,” he added. “He’s just a good player and he’s got the right mentality, good athleticism, good soccer IQ and he’s a highly-motivated kid. We’re really excited to bring him into the environment.”
Gdula is excited to join as well.
After meeting with FC Cincinnati’s coaches and technical staff at the combine, he said he loved the interactions and thought the team felt like a family.
“They were so welcoming, it just felt warm,” he said. “It just felt right. I was hoping I’d land here and I did, so I feel good about it. …I’m super excited to be a part of history.
“I’ve heard such great things about the city. The supporter groups are awesome, the club’s awesome and I just can’t wait to get started and show them what I have.”
