Sounders FC first-round pick Cristian Roldan and Homegrown signing Darwin Jones led the Washington Huskies to their best finish in program history in 2013. The only thing that kept them from reaching the Final Four that year was the New Mexico Lobos, namely midfielder Oniel Fisher.
During the NCAA quarterfinal at Husky Soccer Stadium in Seattle, Fisher played in a precise cross on an icy pitch that was finished at the back post by a New Mexico teammate. It was the only goal in the Lobos’ 1-0 victory that eliminated the No. 2 ranked Huskies.
Now a bit more than a year later, Fisher is headed back to Seattle and will team up with Roldan and Jones at the professional level.
After selecting Roldan with the No. 16 pick, Sounders FC picked up Fisher and goalkeeper Tyler Miller in the second round of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft on Thursday. Fisher has experience playing in the midfield and at right back, a position the Sounders needed to address because of the departure of DeAndre Yedlin.
“I thought he was probably the best outside back at the combine,” Sounders FC Head Coach Sigi Schmid said. “A couple of guys got picked ahead of him, and maybe him being an international hurt him a little bit, but we liked him a lot. We think he’s a guy who will be able to contribute for our club going forward.”
Fisher, 23, is a native of Jamaica and first played for his country’s senior national team in 2010.
Miller, meanwhile, is a 6-foot-4 product of Northwestern University. He is the school’s all-time leader with 36 shutouts. A four-year starter, Miller was named an All-American and Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year in his senior season. He was also named the first NSCAA Academic All-American in school history, making the senior goalkeeper the only player in the nation to earn both All-American and Scholar All-American honors.
Sounders FC had two open roster spots at the keeper position after Marcus Hahnemann retired and Josh Ford was taken in the Expansion Draft. The club picked up veteran Troy Perkins earlier this week, and General Manager Garth Lagerwey believes drafting Miller will also pay dividends.
“Tyler is the goalkeeper we rated most highly,” Lagerwey said. “He’s in Germany right now, so we’ll see if he comes back. Given the need for a third keeper, it was a worthwhile risk to take.”
