Sporting Kansas City selected midfielder Konrad Warzycha in the 3rd round of Thursday's SuperDraft. Warzycha, son of Columbus Crew coach and former MLS player Robert, starred at Ohio State, Roger Espinoza's former college.
Warzycha, the 21-year-old son of Columbus Crew coach Robert Warzycha, is from Dublin, Ohio and attended nearby Ohio State University from 2007-2010, alma mater of Sporting Kansas City defender Roger Espinoza. Warzycha and Espinoza were teammates in 2007 when Ohio State finished as runners up for the NCAA Championship to Wake Forest.
After a Second Team All-Big Ten selection in 2009, Warzycha was a First Team All-Big Ten selection following his senior season when he led the Buckeyes in scoring with eight goals. In his four years at Ohio State, Warzycha compiled 13 goals and nine assists, primarily playing in the midfield throughout in his 75-game career.
Peter Vermes comments on adding Konrad Warzycha:
On the potential of Warzycha
Konrad obviously comes from a pretty good background with his dad being a player. He understands the game really well; he reads it very well. He’s got a really good shot from distance. We’ve seen him in college over the last couple of years. I think he needs to work on some parts of his game, but he could be a decent MLS player over time for sure. It will be interesting to see how he comes along, especially when we start him in pre-season. He’s got a little pressure on him, because obviously his dad was a big player in this League, and he’s got a lot to live up to. But we already drafted one guy like that, and he’s turned out pretty good so far. So hopefully, maybe we found a little sleeper in this guy.
On how he fits in on Sporting Kansas City's roster
I think he’s really going to turn into more of a defensive midfield type player. But the thing about him, is again, he has a real strong pop from distance. So that could be something that could be good for us, because we do create a lot of chances. And more importantly, we create shots from distance, so I think that could be a big help.
Konrad Warzycha – 46th Overall (3rd Round)
Position: Midfielder
Born: 02/14/1989
Height: 6-1
Weight: 190
College: Ohio State
Hometown: Dublin, Ohio
Citizenship: USA
