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With the 20th overall pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, the Revolution selected forward Brian Wright from the University of Vermont.
An Ontario native, Wright graduated as one of the most decorated athletes in Catamount history. He earned NSCAA All-East Region First Team honors, America East All-Conference First Team honors and All-America Second Team honors in 2016, all while finishing as a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist.
His resume during his first three collegiate seasons reads equally as impressive, and his career stats—39 goals and 25 assists in 80 matches—tell the story of an attacker with a nose for the goal and a knack for threading a final pass.
With the 20th overall pick, the #NERevs select @UVMmsoccer forward @brianwright777 #Superdraft pic.twitter.com/PO8npLHrxZ
— NewEnglandRevolution (@NERevolution) January 13, 2017
As a member of the Revolution, Wright will feature as a depth piece behind forwards Kei Kamara, Juan Agudelo and Teal Bunbury. He played primarily as a target forward during his career at Vermont.
Though Wright figures to replace some of the productivity lost when Femi Hollinger-Janzen departed for Minnesota United, the pick does come as something of a surprise. The Revolution currently employ just five defenders and, as the roster stands today, will enter the 2017 season with a pair of backup center backs (London Woodberry and Je-Vaughn Watson) in the Starting XI.
Now, the club will look to address its defensive needs through international signings and late-round draft picks.