FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution selected University of San Francisco defender Joshua Smith in the fourth and final round (75th overall) of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft this afternoon. Smith joins Vermont forward Brian Wright and Kentucky midfielder Napo Matsoso, who were selected in the first and second rounds, respectively, in New England’s 2017 SuperDraft class.
Smith, 24, was a four-year starter at the University of San Francisco. The defender was one of two Dons to start all 16 games in 2016, while his three goals and two assists helped earn him second-team All-WCC honors. The Kaiserslautern, Germany native played two matches prior to missing the remainder of the 2015 season with an injury, but earned Premier Development League All-Western Conference honors while playing with Burlingame Dragons in the offseason.
As a junior, Smith made 16 appearances, all starts, and posted a pair of goals. The American international contributed to five clean sheets over the course of the season. He also earned consecutive All-West Coast Conference Honorable Mention nods after helping anchor USF’s defense during his sophomore and freshman campaigns, when he made a combined 36 starts.
Prior to joining the Dons, Smith spent time with the United States U-17 Men’s National Team. He also competed in the Bundesliga with the Karlsruher SC Academy’s U-17 and U-19 squads. Smith, who was born in Fort Polk, La., grew up in Germany while his father served in the U.S. Army.
TRANSACTION: New England Revolution selected defender Joshua Smith in the fourth round (75th overall) of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft on Jan. 17, 2017.
