SLCC Student Gets Chance at Pros
Spencer Leatham
Issue date: 1/27/05 Section: News
|
"I was excited when I heard the message," said Braun, a freshman attending classes at the Redwood Road campus. Braun was nominated by his college coach after playing for SLCC last fall. Trying out for a pro sports team can definitely seem intimidating and intense, but Braun, who turns nineteen in February, seemed calm yet excited. "No, I'm not nervous," he said, the day of tryouts. "I'm just going to go have fun. It will be a good experience." Braun just loves to play soccer and fell in love with the game as a little boy.
Braun started playing soccer at the age of three. Early on, he played recreational soccer while his dad coached. When he turned ten, he took it a step further taking on competitive soccer, playing for such local clubs as, Firebirds, Impact, and Sparta Premiere. Later he played for Skyline High School.
With tryouts and other things, Real Salt Lake is continuing to stay busy. They picked up Nicolas Besagno with its first-round draft pick a week ago. The sixteen year old defender is the second youngest player in the history of the Major League Soccer to be drafted. Freddy Adu last year was just fourteen. RSL hopes that Besagno and superstars Clint Mathis and Jason Kreis will help them compete in their first year of existence. Real also chose Luke Kreamalmeyer and Jamie Watson in the draft. "They have some good players," Braun commented. "I think they are going to be pretty good."
As for now, RSL will play its home games in Rice-Eccles stadium where the University of Utah hosts its football games. RSL plans to build a 22,000 seat stadium specifically built for its soccer team. Two sites are up for consideration, one in downtown Salt Lake City and one in Murray, just a few blocks east of the Redwood Road campus. Real hopes to build the stadium downtown but since the Murray property is a lot cheaper, the team might end up there.
