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With the Super Draft a little over a month away, it's time to start getting familiar with some of the prospects that will be available for selection. Every few days or so leading up to the draft we will be providing player profiles to give you some insight into each prospect. These previews will obviously have a Revolution-centric theme and feel to them, and we'll be looking at players that we feel will be a proper fit for the organization going forward.
There's nothing "mock" about these profiles either, the order in which they're done is completely random, although we will only be profiling players that we feel will be available when the Revs make their selections. Alright, everyone following along? Good. After the jump, it's our first player profile: North Carolina Tar Heel forward, Billy Schuler!
It's no secret that Jay Heaps will be looking for forward help in the offseason, so why not look to the leading scorer on the consensus #1 team in the country? At 5'11", Schuler is a speedy, good-sized striker with a flair for the dramatic and a habit of coming up in the clutch (the Tar Heel junior has EIGHT game winning goals this year).
The redshirt junior has tallied 15 goals for the Tar Heels this season, and has also added 4 assists in his 22 appearances for UNC. It's Schuler's blend of speed and technical ability that catches everyone's eye, and with his solid track record of scoring big goals in big spots, it's plain to see why he's rated so highly.
Schuler was once a standout performer for the U-17 national team, but a lost season last year after a severe shoulder injury caused some folks to forget about the talented striker. As UNC has continued to progress in the NCAA tournament, Schuler's stock has risen with each victory, especially after scoring the only goal (in overtime, mind you) against perennial soccer powerhouse Indiana to send the Heels to the quarterfinals.
It's widely expected that Schuler will come out early, and many project him to not only be a top-five selection, but a Generation Adidas player as well. Schuler would do well in New England with his high energy style of play, and Coach Jay Heaps would certainly be getting a good character player to fit in to what is shaping up to be a brand-new system in Foxboro.