CARSON, Calif. – For the rest of their lives, the players selected in last week’s 2013 MLS SuperDraft and Tuesday’s 2013 MLS Supplemental Draft will remember where they were and what they were doing when they learned that their journey as professional soccer players had begun.
LA’s SuperDraft selections Charlie Rugg (first round, 19th overall), Kofi Opare (second round, 24th overall), Greg Cochrane (second round, 38th overall) are no different as each had their own unique experience on draft day.
All three are participating in practice and I spoke to the trio to find out just where they were when they found out that their names were called on draft day.
RUGG: “I had a feeling, but I didn’t want to jinx it. I was watching it online and it was a little delayed so I started getting calls before I found out. It was just the happiest moment of my life.”
OPARE: “I was lying down in my bed and I had my laptop out as I was watched the SuperDraft, hopeful that a team would pick me. As it progressed, I had a feeling based on mock drafts where I’d be picked so when that time came around, I grew a little anxious. When it was LA’s turn, I remember the commissioner saying that ‘with the fifth pick in the second round of the 2013 MLS SuperDraft, the Los Angeles Galaxy select from the University of Michigan,” and that’s when I knew it’d be me. It was definitely an excitement and that’s when I got a call from Bruce who welcomed me to the team. Then my phone just started going off with text messages and calls from so many people.”
COCHRANE: “I was sitting there on the edge of my seat [watching the draft] and my agent had two seconds before and asked me, ‘how do you like LA’ and I said, ‘what’s not to like about LA,’ so he told me that they were about to draft me. When you hear your name called, it’s a good feeling then I got a call from coach Dave [Sarachan] telling me that they had selected me.”
