INDIANAPOLIS, IND. -- Butler senior Brandon Fricke knew there was a chance, but still was pleasantly surprised when the Colorado Rapids called his name in the fourth round of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. The Bulldogs' captain and standout defender was selected with the 83rd overall pick as the draft was completed on Tuesday (Jan. 20).
Fricke was the second Butler player taken in this year's draft. Earlier, teammate Zach Steinberger became the first Butler player drafted since 2011, when he was taken in the first round by the Houston Dynamo. It's the first time Butler has had two players drafted by the MLS in the same year.
"I was surprised and excited. I had no idea that this was going to happen," said Fricke of his selection. "I had gone to Colorado's invite down in Charlotte in December, and I thought it went well. I talked to the coach of Charlotte who had coached me in the PDL, and he said (Colorado) liked me. But I had no real indication that they were thinking about making the pick."
A four-year starter for the Bulldogs, Fricke excelled on and off the field. He played in 71 career matches at Butler and recorded six goals and four assists, while anchoring Butler's back line. This past season, he helped Butler record seven shutouts, including victories over #7 Marquette and #11 Providence. He was named to the All-Tournament Team at the 2014 Bert and Iris Wolstein Classic, won by the Bulldogs.
In the classroom, the Grimes, Iowa, native compiled high honors as an Economics/Mechanical Engineering major. He was named to the Capital One Academic All-America Team in 2013 and 2014, and he was chosen to the Capital One Academic All-District V Team three times. He was named to the BIG EAST Academic All-Conference Team in 2013-14 and the Atlantic 10 Conference All-Academic Team in 2012-13.
Fricke's date to join the Rapids is still up in the air. The Butler senior is currently recovering from an injury suffered during a post-season workout.
"I'm rehabbing an MCL injury that I got while I was attending a trial in Columbus at the end of December," said Fricke. "Ideally, (Colorado) wanted me to come out today (Wednesday, Jan. 21) and start working out tomorrow. But I'm scheduled to have a follow-up MRI at the end of this week to see how everything is going. So we're kind of in a day-by-day situation."
In addition to Fricke, the Rapids selected Axel Sjoberg of Marquette, Joe Greenspan of U. S. Naval Academy, Dominique Badji of Boston University and Matt Jeffery of Monmouth in this year's SuperDraft. The Rapids will open their preseason schedule on Feb. 15 against San Jose in Las Vegas.
