Okoli Sent to Revs as Future Considerations for 33rd Pick
- Updated: January 15, 2015
The Seattle Sounders sent Homegrown Player Sean Okoli to the New England Revolution to complete a draft-day deal that involved the 33rd overall pick at Thursday’s SuperDraft, per a report.
Sounders sent the rights to homegrown Sean Okoli to New England in moving up to get goalkeeper Tyler Miller who they had as top GK in draft.
— Don Ruiz (@donruiztnt) January 15, 2015
Okoli, 21, played in three games with the Sounders last season, all as a substitute. He was signed by the club to a Homegrown Player contract prior to the start of the 2014 season.
The addition of Okoli gives the Revolution much-needed depth up top, where Charlie Davis listed was the lone forward on the roster. Striker Jerry Bengtson was loaned to Belgrano (Argentina) last summer, while Patrick Mullins (expansion draft), Tony Taylor (expansion draft), Dimitry Imbongo (trade) and Geoffrey Castillion (trade) all departed last month.
Okoli is a pure forward, and has the size (6-1, 182lbs.) of a target striker. He scored a team-best nine goals during his junior year at Wake Forest in 2013, and finished his NCAA career with 24 goals.
The Homegrown product spent much of the season with the Sounders Reserves, where he wasn’t shy to showcase moments of brilliance. He scored twice and added an assist in a 5-1 rout of USL-PRO side Arizona United SC on Aug. 25, 2014.
However, Okoli is remains largely unproven at the top-flight level after only seeing a total of 19 minutes with the Sounders last season. Okoli subsequently had his option declined at the end of the season.
With Okoli in the fold, the Revolution roster stands at 20.
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About Brian O'Connell
peter
January 16, 2015 at 7:03 am
I am wondering why the revs are picking up all these players from other teams that are raw and are not proven player okoli will b sent to the rhinos isn’t it a waste of money paying these guys? in stead of picking up an American acadmey why don’t they pic up acdemey player from another country were the standards of play is higher than in america and they mayb a better chance of the revs keeping him rather than sending him packing @ the end of the season
Brian O'Connell
January 16, 2015 at 8:26 am
Hi Peter, It’s a classic low-risk, high-reward move. If you think about it, the Revs acquired a player who would’ve been a first round pick last year for a second round pick this year. That’s not a bad move if you ask me. Now, is it the kind of acquisition that’s going to put the Revs over the top? No way. But it is a move that helps them. They needed depth at forward, and considering that players in the 2nd round of this year’s draft were probably the very definition of raw, this seems like a win for the Revs. And let’s not forget: the Revs actually invested a pretty hefty sum for a player from a prestigious Academy last summer when they signed Geoffrey Castillion, formerly of the Ajax Academy, and we both know how that turned out. You just never know.
peter
January 16, 2015 at 10:47 am
But none of players are working out why not draft a non american draft pick we may have more luck with them instead of shipping them out @ the end of the season only ???only 10% of draft pick have worked out through the seasons so the brain trust of heaps and burns is not working out??????
Brett
January 16, 2015 at 12:35 pm
That’s a false statement Peter. First, the Heaps-Burns combo hasn’t been around all that long and in the last few years we’ve gotten Neumann, Mullins, Farrell, and Rowe. Four players who have contributed a ton to the Revs (out of maybe 10 picks total). Pretty good odds there, especially considering that more and more talent is coming through Homegrown signings and Academies.
If anything – aside from Goncalves – the Revs international signings have turned out sub-par….
peter
January 16, 2015 at 1:11 pm
It is not a false statement the percentage rate 4 a draft pick to b on the roster is still very low how many one in ????
peter
January 16, 2015 at 4:12 pm
Draft picks and picking up international player accusation is very poor with the revolution as was said previous goncalves is the only decent international players that is still on the roster all the rest soccer player accusation have been crap even in the Steve Nichole era the soccer player they picked were also crap mayb its because Mr kraft is always looking 4 a home town discount and we always get a soccer player that nobody has ever heard of?????
peter
January 17, 2015 at 6:08 pm
As said on a bent musket interview heaps and burns seem to b doing 100% of the scouting 4 the revs ? The. Revs defiantly should hire a fulltime scout ?