Supplemental pick Brandt eyes roster spot with hometown Union
Thomas Brandt could have been shipped 3,000 miles from home. He could have been sent to Canada.
And that would've been just fine. Receiving an opportunity to compete for a roster spot on any Major League Soccer club would have been a blessing.
To receive a phone call from the hometown Philadelphia Union made the day that much sweeter. In fact, it was the ideal scenario.
The Union selected Brandt, a defender from the University of Pennsylvania, with the 13th overall pick in Tuesday’s MLS Supplemental Draft.
Brandt, who hails from Palmyra, PA, was Penn’s captain the last two seasons and a two-time NSCAA All-Region selection.
Now, it’s on to the Union.
“I’m so excited,” Brandt told philadelphiaunion.com by phone. “I was just trying to follow the draft online from my dorm room and then I got a call from my agent. I was so shocked with the great news. It could have been any team who drafted me, and I was so excited to hear that it was the Union. When you go through this process, you just don’t know.
“All you can do is play soccer, work hard and see what happens in the draft. I know the Union came to see me play a good bit. I have been following them closely and I can’t wait to get started with them. It’s pretty surreal and just a great feeling.”
Union assistant coach Rob Vartughian echoed similar thoughts about seeing Brandt on the board.
“We were hoping that he wouldn’t be taken before it was our turn,” said Vartughian, who scouts the college landscape year-round and has been tracking Brandt's progress. “We felt Thomas was underrated and flew under the radar. We liked everything about him and we feel lucky to have taken him. He is a hard-nosed, competitive player and we think he has a lot to offer. We’re very excited to have drafted him and get him to our club to see what happens.”
Brandt scored five goals from Penn's back line in both his junior and senior seasons. He recorded a hat trick in his final game with the Quakers in a double-overtime victory over Harvard on Nov. 12.
It was the first hat trick at Penn since 1995.
Over his four seasons at Penn, Brandt appeared in 56 matches with 52 starts, scoring 11 goals.
Statistics aside, Brandt believes he brings a number of strengths to the Union.
“I have a very good motor,” Brandt said. “I have a good work ethic and always work hard. I got some good results at Penn because of that work, and I think that competitive-oriented edge keeps me going. I’m never satisfied and continue to work just as hard game in and game out to be the best player I can be.”
The next step will obviously be tougher.
The Union advanced to the playoffs for the first time in 2011 and added plenty of talent in the offseason. Brandt will be involved in heavy competition once training camp starts, and that’s just fine with him.
“The biggest thing is maintaining fitness,” Brandt said. “I’m going to play as much as I can. I’m on campus now working out and staying fit. My goal is to come in and try to win a roster spot in preseason and play as well as I can.”