Redlands Men's Soccer Standout Richie Marquez Drafted by Philadelphia Union with 44th Overall Pick in MLS SuperDraft
With the 44th overall pick in the 2014 Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft, the Philadelphia Union selected University of Redlands men's soccer standout Richie Marquez (Pomona, CA) as the only NCAA Division III student-athlete among this year's class of draftees. With the selection, Marquez becomes the third Bulldog men's soccer player to pursue a career in the MLS, following Ross Schunk '09, who was drafted 47th overall by the Colorado Rapids in 2009, and Adam Acosta '05, who signed with Real Salt Lake as a free agent in 2006.
"This is a tremendous honor for all of us here at the University of Redlands. We felt all along that once Richie got invited to the combine that he could show the MLS coaches his skills and talents, and today really exemplifies that he belongs in the MLS. We wish him all the best in succeeding in Philadelphia," Head Men's Soccer Coach Ralph Perez stated.
After shining at the 2014 MLS Player Combine last week, MLS coaches took notice of the Bulldog defender. Not only did he turn heads on the field during each of his team's three games at the combine, but he impressed in the off-field physical testing by ranking second overall in the Opta Jump (20.5") and fifth in the 30-meter sprint (3.96 seconds).
As a Bulldog student-athlete, Marquez left his mark on the field and solidified himself as one of the best central-defenders to ever patrol the backline for Redlands. During his senior campaign, he collected numerous awards, including a D3Soccer.com Third-Team All-America nod, the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Player of the Year award, and a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) First-Team All-West Region accolade. During his career at the U of R, Marquez was a First-Team All-SCIAC honoree in each of his first three years before garnering the player of the year award in 2013. Moreover, he was also a four-time NSCAA All-Region award-winner and a 2012 NSCAA Third-Team All-America honoree.
Outside of athletics, Marquez has been exemplary as a student at Redlands. This Communicative Disorders major has received numerous academic awards, highlighted by his recent NSCAA Scholar All-America and All-Region honors, and his College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America plaudit.
After finding out that he had been selected by the Philadelphia Union, Marquez sat down with the Sports Information Office to talk about his draft-day experience.
Watch the interview with Marquez.
For more information about the Philadelphia Union, please visit the team's official webpage.
For a complete listing of all of this year's selections, please visit the official MLS SuperDraft page.
