Ex-Broncos aiming for MLS rosters
By Ryan Donough
Four former Bronco soccer players who were selected in January's Major League Soccer SuperDraft have been awarded spots on three different Major League Soccer rosters.
Peter Lowry, Matt Marquess, Jamil Roberts and Matt Hatzke each made their developmental rosters this spring and will hope to make their respective teams' main rosters sometime during the season.
Lowry made the Chicago Fire squad, Marquez earned a spot on the Kansas City Wizards roster, and Roberts and Hatzke both were awarded spots with the San Jose Earthquakes.
The developmental roster is used by the MLS to sign players, usually out of the draft, under the age of 25 to non-guaranteed contracts, where they will have the opportunity to join the main roster. The roster is comprised of 10 players who play their own schedule and do not travel with the primary 18-man roster.
The 18-man roster usually plays on Saturdays, while the reserve roster plays the following day. They play a smaller, 12-game schedule against other developmental teams, in addition to games against the United Soccer League and college teams.
After being drafted back in January, Lowry met with the Chicago Fire before heading to Florida to train with other MLS teams. Lowry then joined the Fire on a three-week trip to Mexico and signed as a developmental player just a few days into the trip.
Although Lowry has been hindered by a virus since leaving Mexico, he has slowly regained his form. He registered two assists in the Fire's second reserve game this past Sunday.
"(Santa Clara) is helping out a lot," Lowry said. "The intensity and training at Santa Clara is on par with a professional team."
Marquess has taken a more difficult path to the MLS.
After being drafted, Marquess headed to Kansas City and then to Florida. After traveling with the Wizards for 18 days in Argentina, Marquess returned to Kansas City, but was hampered by a nagging injury that he suffered while at Santa Clara. The injury turned into a calcium deposit on his right quadricep, leaving him out of action until just last week.
Marquess, though still recovering from the injury, hopes to make the primary roster this season and credits Santa Clara for much of the development that lead him to the MLS.
"I think the level of competition I faced in practice helped me the most because it is the same way in the pros," Marquess said.
Roberts and Hatzke both followed similar paths to the Earthquakes. Roberts was drafted by Dallas FC, but the limited amount of developmental roster spots available drove him to ask for a trade to the Earthquakes. Dallas granted the trade in exchange for a supplemental pick, and Roberts signed with the Earthquakes after a few workouts. Roberts is now on the senior developmental roster, meaning he has a better chance of making the 18-man primary team.
Roberts said that familiarity with Buck Shaw Stadium and other former Broncos on the Earthquakes have helped him tremendously.
"You have a familiar relationship with them, knowing they are from Santa Clara," Roberts said. "Also, they can point you in the right direction because they have been in the league for so long."
Hatzke was drafted by the Los Angeles Galaxy and practiced with them for three weeks, but was eventually traded to the Earthquakes in exchange for a supplemental pick.
Lowry said that the recent selections will help bring recruits to Santa Clara.
"I think that it can be a stepping stone for the program because players will see that if you play at Santa Clara, you can go pro," Lowry said. "It's amazing that we got drafted in the first four rounds, and there are a lot of the guys in the pros right now from Santa Clara, and a lot of them are doing well."
Contact Ryan Donough at (408) 551-1918 or rdonough@scu.edu.