(Photo courtesy: UNC Athletic Communications)
Throughout the 2015 MLS SuperDraft on Thursday, Boyd and Willie Okwuonu looked at each other with a prophetic sense. The University of North Carolina defender was aware that any of the 20 MLS clubs could at any point select him. However, he and his brother knew that he would wind up with Real Salt Lake.
So when Todd Durbin announced his name with the 27th selection, Boyd Okwuonu hugged his brother and smiled a grin that wouldn’t soon leave his face. In the serendipitous selection, Willie Okwuonu, a former safety on the Weber State University football team, had just taken a job in Salt Lake City and he was scheduled to move there from Ogden next week. Now, he has a ready-made roommate with his younger brother joining him in town with RSL.
“I’m so excited to be with my brother out there in Utah. We’ve been talking about this for two or three years,” Okwuonu said. “It’s amazing for me to be able to live with him and do what I love and play for the team I love. I’m glad to join another family. I’m excited.”
Okwuonu had been to Utah twice before to play in MLS Reserve League matches with FC Dallas, where he played in the club’s Academy during his senior year of high school. And while that created a level of familiarity with Real Salt Lake, he had been following RSL for a different reason. During his youth days playing with the U.S. Youth National Teams he grew to be close with RSL midfielder Luis Gil.
Although Gil won’t be there in Sandy to greet his new teammate when he arrives for the start of training camp next week because Gil is at the U.S. National Team’s January camp, the two should have plenty of time to reform their bond next month.
“One of my best friends is Luis Gil. I know he’s going to call me right when I get back,” Okwuonu beamed. “He told me about the team and how he loves it so much. It’s the vibe in the locker room and that’s something I want to be a part of.”
On the field, Okwuonu stands to fit in well with RSL’s defensive core. As a right back, he can provide competition and cover for Tony Beltran while also giving additional options for Head Coach Jeff Cassar at the center back position. At five-foot-nine, he may be undersized but makes up for it with his speed, compact strength and tenacity on the defensive side. At the MLS Combine last week, he ranked fourth in the 30-meter dash (3.91 seconds) and fifth in the vertical jump (31 inches).
It’s not by chance that he was named the ACC Defender of the Year during his junior season in 2013.
“He’s a good athletic player that’s versatile. He can play wide and is also comfortable in the middle,” said RSL Technical Director Craig Waibel. “He is a connecting player that plays the style of soccer that we like. He keeps the ball on the deck and connects the majority of his passes. He’s got a simple pass selection process and that’s what drew us to him.”
Added Okwuonu, “I’m a simple defender, but I know I’m going to work harder than you are. I use that engine of mine to get up and down the field and it’s hard, in my opinion, to match it.”
Okwuonu is expected to join the club when it opens training camp next week.
