Matt Britner '07.5 is headed for Gillette Stadium while teammate Laurent Manuel '08 is off to Giants Stadium.
No, the Patriots and Giants aren't searching for clutch field goal kickers in Sunday's Super Bowl. Britner and Manuel were drafted by the teams that play the other kind of football in those stadiums: the New England Revolution and the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer, respectively. The two seniors who helped the men's soccer team to an Ivy League title are moving on to new playing fields.
"I was elated. It's where I wanted to be," Britner said after he got the call from the Revs in the third round of the Jan. 18 MLS Superdraft. Britner was taken 41st overall, and was the fourth player selected by the Revolution.
Britner had been hoping that he might be drafted ever since Brown's season ended. He attended the MLS combine on Jan. 12 and 13, where many coaches had a chance to see his talent, which solidified the Bears' backline all season.
Still, the experience was mostly a mystery for the Ivy League Player of the Year.
"I went down to the combine and I did all right. Not spectacular," he said. "I didn't have anyone behind the scenes to let me know."
Britner did not have an agent like some other players, though he did have some support from Brown Head Coach Mike Noonan.
"I have a role to promote them," Noonan said. "Matt was highly sought after. I had conversations with (Revolution Head Coach) Steve Nicol and other MLS coaches."
With such uncertainty, Britner, who lost two seasons of his collegiate career due to back-to-back ACL injuries on opposite knees, couldn't help but manage expectations.
"I put no pressure on myself, starting with the combine," he said. "I didn't want to try to do too much. I can't control what the coaches like. There probably would have been some disappointment (if it hadn't worked out)."
Britner thought he had a chance with the Revolution because since they are in the area, they had seen him play a few times. That is a strong factor in the MLS, where the scouting networks are not as strong or deep as they are in many of the other major sports leagues. He also felt he might have a shot with Toronto FC because he is a native Canadian.
When draft day rolled around, Britner sat in his Providence apartment on his couch, watching the first few rounds on television. But soon, he had to go out with his roommate and so he left with his mind wandering and wondering.
A few hours later, he got the call from Nicol, with his Scottish accent, telling him that he had been drafted by the Revs. Britner was especially excited because New England was where he really wanted to be.
"They are a class organization," Britner said. "(Robert) Kraft, who owns the Patriots, owns them. Jeff Larentowicz ('05) is on the team."
For now, Britner is still living in his off-campus apartment and making the 25-minute commute to Foxboro, Mass., for training, which began on Tuesday. Though he was ecstatic to be drafted, Britner was ready to get back down to the business of proving himself at the next level.
"We start fitness tomorrow," he said on Tuesday. "They say that the first week is just running. You don't even touch a ball."
Though the road ahead will not be easy, the thrill of being drafted still lingers with the former Bears' captain.
"Everyone's goal is to play professionally," he said. "I am getting an opportunity now many people don't get."
Manuel took a different path to draft day. Manuel, who missed the first five games of the Bears season for personal reasons and scored his first collegiate goal in overtime against Boston College this season, was not drafted in the MLS Superdraft like Britner. He went to a number of smaller combines and had tryouts in a number of places including Florida and as far away as Israel. "Laurent did a lot of legwork on his own by making contacts," Noonan said.
Noonan did what he could for Manuel, as well, by trying to get him nominated for the MLS Supplemental Draft, which is for players not taken in the Superdraft, on Jan. 24.
Manuel, who started just five games for Bruno but was often a spark off the bench and a phenomenal teammate, had to pay to go to the various workouts, and he expected to go to a showcase for players who weren't selected in either draft.
"I just got lucky," Manuel said. "Coach (Juan Carlos) Osorio saw me play and liked me. I thought they might invite me to training camp but I had no clue I'd be drafted."
In fact, Manuel missed the call from Red Bulls' technical director and former U.S. national team player Jeff Agoos informing him that he had been drafted because he was out training.
Manuel had a hard time expressing his happiness, still slightly in shock almost a full week after being drafted.
"The road has not been easy," he said. "The hard work has finally paid off, as cliché as it sounds. There's still a lot of work to do, but I'm just so happy."
He was drafted in the fourth round, 49th overall, in the Supplemental Draft, and he will have to work hard to make the Red Bulls, who drafted six players ahead of him in the Superdraft or Supplemental Draft.
Luckily, the Red Bulls are a good fit for the Brown midfielder because he will be able to return home to his native New York.
Though they leave College Hill, Britner and Manuel give something back to the University.
"Our job at Brown is to help people begin careers they are going to enjoy," Noonan said. "If it is a playing career, then that reflects just as well as getting students into medical school."
This year's draft day successes also help Bruno soccer, as it continues to promote its reputation by turning out solid players like Britner's new teammate Larentowicz, who worked his way up from the bottom of the Revolution organization to starter.
Britner and Manuel will try to continue that tradition, but to do so they will have to internalize the best piece of advice that Manuel has received about playing at the next level.
"Play like there is no tomorrow," he said.
