By Jack Ryan
The 2015 Major League Soccer SuperDraft was held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philly on Thursday, and the Union made a couple of intriguing picks.
They selected forward Dzenan Catic (left) from Davenport University with the No. 31 overall pick and midfielder Eric Bird (photo above) from the University of Virginia with the No. 41 overall pick. Both players won national championships for their respective schools in 2014.
“When Catic fell into our lap, we were shocked,” said head coach Jim Curtin. “That part worked out very well. He’s a guy who brings some size; very good in front of the goal. Talking with a lot of the coaches at the combine, they saw him as one of the top players – not just the top forwards.”
Catic, 22, played two years at NAIA-member Davenport University, located in Caledonia Township, Mich. In 2014, he scored 39 goals and handed out 11 assists to en route to being named the NAIA Player of the Year. Catic was the driving force behind the team’s national championship. He also scored 24 goals and had three assists in his first season at Davenport in 2013. He was born in Jablanica, Bosnia and moved to Michigan with his family when he was 8 years old.
Bird, 21, played four years for the University of Virginia. In 2014, he scored five goals and had two assists in 19 games en route to being named to the All-ACC First Team. As a junior in 2013, he scored seven goals and had five assists in 24 games and was named to NSCAA All-America Third Team. In high school, Bird was the 2011 Virginia High School State Player of the Year and won two state championships while at Cox (Virginia Beach, Va.).
