Former Ohio State men’s soccer teammates Matt Gold and Konrad Warzycha are headed for Major League Soccer.
Defensive midfielder Gold and attacking midfielder Warzycha heard their names called in the third round of the MLS SuperDraft. The two were selected by Toronto FC and Sporting Kansas City, respectively, making them the 11th and 12th players in program history to earn MLS draft selections.
Soccer pundits didn’t think highly of Gold’s draft stock, but Toronto selected him with the 43rd overall pick. The selection confirmed Gold’s suspicion that he and Warzycha might “do better than what was expected.”
Gold described his performance at the MLS Player Combine as an up-and-down affair, saying, “The first day, I couldn’t have played better; the second day was the opposite; and the third day was somewhere in between.”
Despite not being sure how much he helped himself at the combine, Gold got the news he had been waiting for.
“I was at a loss for words when I found out,” Gold said. “I’m really excited.”
Warzycha, the 46th overall pick, was also excited while describing his emotions about being drafted in spite of a self-described “average” combine performance.
“You never see this day coming,” Warzycha said. “It’s surreal; I’m on cloud nine.”
In joining Sporting KC, Warzycha will reunite with former OSU teammate Roger Espinoza. They spoke shortly after today’s selection was announced.
“I got a chance to talk to Roger, and he told me about the new stadium in Kansas City and the fans,” Warzycha said. “I think this is going to be a great fit.”
