FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Lifetime southerner Jordan McCrary landed in New England for the first time late last week to kick off preseason prep with the New England Revolution.
Turns out he’s going to be staying for a while.
McCrary, the 10th overall pick in this year’s MLS SuperDraft, officially signed his first professional contract on Monday afternoon and has been added to the Revolution’s roster for the 2016 campaign.
The 22-year-old is a self-described “defense-first” outside back capable of playing on both the right and left sides of the backline, and there’s a sense that the rookie could push veterans Darrius Barnes and London Woodberry for starting minutes right out of the gate.
“I really like his versatility,” said Jay Heaps, noting that he followed McCrary’s progress since his freshman year at the University of North Carolina. “As we got closer and watched him play senior year into the Combine, we just felt like he was as ready as a college kid could be to make the jump into MLS.”
Heaps said McCrary will be a “very important piece” for the Revs, who’ll head to Casa Grande, Arizona, on Tuesday morning to begin a 10-day training trip to the Grand Canyon State. There the young defender will have plenty of opportunities to prove he’s capable of making a quick transition to MLS.
Although somewhat slight for a defender – 5-foot-9 – McCrary’s athletic ability has the Revolution excited about his potential to contribute in the upcoming season.
“He uses both feet and he can jump and he’s physical,” said Heaps. “He’s as quick as anyone we have and that’s what we really like about him. He’s a one-on-one, lockdown defender.”
