Revolution draft pick Jordan McCrary overjoyed by MLS chance

To put it lightly, Jordan McCrary couldn’t wipe an ear-to-ear grin off his face after the New England Revolution selected him with the MLS SuperDraft’s 10th pick.

The University of North Carolina outside back was anxiously waiting in the crowd with his mom, Phyllis, and dad, Darold, when Jay Heaps and Mike Burns made the selection they wanted all along. Likened to Kevin Alston for his pace and 1-on-1 defending skills, McCrary had nothing but words of praise for his new team.

"I can’t say it’s been a blessing enough," the 22-year-old said. "It’s a great opportunity for me to showcase my talents and show I deserve to be here. Once again, the combine and everything was such a great experience and it’s a great setup down there. I just can’t wait. I’m pretty much lost for words."

A four-year starter as a Tar Heel, McCrary played in the U.S. Residency Program with Juan Agudelo, and said he can’t wait to reconnect with the striker. Agudelo was not the only player McCrary highlighted, though.

He stressed how important learning from the likes of Andrew Farrell, Chris Tierney and Jose Goncalves will be.

"It excites me, it does," McCrary said. "I’m just a really competitive guy and I can’t wait to get in and learn from these other defenders and learn the whole system and get acclimated."

The outside back figures to challenge from day one for starting time, and said he had productive meetings with New England in the draft’s buildup. He hopes to lock down the outside, remain in sync with his fellow defenders and rewards the confidence New England showed in him.

"I can’t wait," McCrary said. "It’s just an opportunity to learn and that’s all I see."