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Germanese ’04 Selected in SuperDraft

Joe Germanese '04 has been selected in the MLS SuperDraft by the New England Revolution. The 2003 St. Louis Post-Dispatch Player of the Year, who was a member of SLUH's state championship team that season before spending time at both Vanderbilt and Duke, went to New England in the second round, 27th overall in the recent draft.

Germanese was driving back to Duke for the second semester when he heard he'd been drafted from some friends on the phone.

"My initial reaction was shock and excitement," Germanese said via e-mail. "I was pumped because one of my best friends from Duke, Mike Videira, got drafted to New England with an earlier pick (18th overall), and later in the day my roomamate, Spencer Wadsworth, went to New England in the fourth round (55th overall)."

Germanese will join fellow St. Louisan Steve Ralston and fellow Jr. Bill Taylor Twellman '98 with the Revs, MLS runners-up for the past three years.

"It's great to go to New England," Germanese said. "Since St. Louis doesn’t have a team, I have adopted New England as the team that I have followed over the years because of the St. Louis players and Duke players on the roster.

"It will be fun playing alongside Taylor," Germanese added. "I remember watching him play a bit when I was growing up, and he is obviously one of the best players in the country."

Until a short time ago, Germanese did not expect to be drafted at all, let alone in the second round.

"I really wasn’t planning to play post-college until I got invited to the (MLS) combine and decided I had to give MLS a shot," he said.

At the combine, MLS coaches and scouts evaluate college seniors and a few other players, just days ahead of the draft.

"I played well (at the combine)," Germanese said, "and this type of event helps players get their names out and boost their draft stock."

Germanese was a great soccer player even in his early days.

SLUH assistant coach Charlie Clark, who has developed a close relationship with Germaense, said, "Since I've been coaching here (2002 season), he's the most dynamic player we’ve had in the program. We've had a lot of great players, a lot of really good players, but I think Joey has the ability and the pace to be able to play at that next level.

"That’s what's different from a lot of great players with Joey is the pace of his play and how strong he is, and I think, if given a chance, he can make it," Clark said.

"(Germanese) was probably, of all the players I’ve had, more in love with the game of soccer than anybody I knew," Coach Charlie Martel said. "He just loved to play. It was never work for him."

Germanese appreciated his coaches as much as they appreciated him.

"The thing I remember most about playing for SLUH was the pride and work ethic that Coach(es) Martel and Clark preached to (the) team," Germanese said. "From them I learned that if you want to be successful, you have to work at it, and you have to constantly push yourself to get better. I have found this to be a very useful lesson that can be applied to any aspect of life."

In his freshman and sophomore years at Vanderbilt, Germanese won all sorts of honors, including SEC Freshman of the Year. He was also a freshman All-American.

After transferring to Duke for his junior and senior years, Germanese enjoyed immediate success with the Blue Devils, who were ACC regular-season and tournament champions. The 2006 Blue Devils reached the Elite Eight and were the No. 1-ranked team in every major publication at the end of the season. Individually, he earned his third and fourth Academic All-American honors while at Duke.

Germanese is focused on the short term with his soccer career. "I hope to find a spot on the Revs and contribute in some way during my rookie season…I'll know more about my future in soccer as my rookie year progresses," he said.

"It feels good (to be drafted)," he said, "but I see this more as a beginning rather than an end. Most guys who get drafted don't make it, and I don’t want getting drafted to be the highlight of my experience with New England and MLS…I'm going to have to be in the best fitness and form that I have ever been if I am going to contribute to the team this summer."

By Dan Everson
Prep News

Published: February 08, 2008 | By: Dan Everson '08 | Categories: News Section, Sports, Parents, Alumni, Homepage
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