Reading United Feature -- www.readingunitedac.com
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
MONTREAL, Quebec – There’s not a whole lot that Andrew Wenger has faced that he hasn’t succeeded at. Wherever Wenger plays, accolades are sure to follow.
From high school to his sophomore campaign at Duke, he was named NSCAA National High School Player of the Year by the NSCAA, Pennsylvania State Player of the Year, ACC Freshman of the Year, and ACC Defensive Player of the Year. His work as a center back anchored a Blue Devil defense that advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament during his sophomore year.
Before his junior season, he was asked to shift from center back to forward for a Blue Devil offense lacking firepower. Wenger responded by leading the ACC with 17 goals and 42 points, ranked fourth nationally in total points and sixth in total goals. Along the way, he picked up the Hermann Trophy award, college soccer’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, as well as ACC Offensive Player of the Year.
And by the way, he was no slouch in the classroom, either. Wenger was only the second Blue Devil in program history to garner CoSIDA Academic All-America first team honors, plus spots on the All-ACC Academic Honor Roll and All-ACC Academic Team in all three seasons.
All of these awards led to yet another accolade in his young career: being selected as the number one overall pick by the Montreal Impact in the 2012 Major League Soccer SuperDraft.
“I was very excited and honored. But more importantly, I just wanted to make sure that I got my speech down correctly and didn’t screw up,” said Wenger. “I don’t really think about being the number one pick of anything. I just think that I got selected by the Montreal Impact, and that’s the team I play for. I just want to get on the field and help get some wins.”
He’ll fit right in with at least one of his new Impact teammates, United alumnus Zarek Valentin. “Actually, Zarek and I not only played against each other in high school (Valentin attended Manheim Township, while Wenger played for Warwick), but we played with each other on a club team growing up, then with the Reading United in 2009,” Wenger explained. “We’re actually very good friends and we plan on living together this season.”
Wenger credits Reading United for continuing his development between college seasons, and preparing him for his future career in soccer.
“It was really more just the professionalism of not only the organization, but also the players that had been recruited that year and the team that we had,” Wenger added. “I mean, if you look back at that team, the majority of those players that started are now in the MLS. It was a fantastic group and a very high level of competition.”
That 2010 Reading United team Wenger referenced included names such as reigning MLS Rookie of the Year and Sporting Kansas City forward C.J. Sapong, New York Red Bulls teammates Corey Hertzog and Jeremy Vuolo, 2012 FC Dallas first round pick Matt Hedges, Houston Dynamo winger Alex Dixon, Chicago Fire winger Evans Frimpong, and Philadelphia Union draft picks Levi Houapeu and Raymon Gaddis.
Wenger started all but one game that season, netting one goal with one assist, helping a shorthanded United squad win the PDL Eastern Conference and an appearance in the PDL Final Four in Portland, Ore.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Wenger is mentioned as a likely candidate to join the U.S. Olympic Team in London this summer, given his experience on that national stage at the U-17 and U-20 national level. Wenger explained that it’s “a really exciting opportunity” and that he “can’t wait to see where it goes”.
If he gets the call to the Olympic team, just chalk it up to the long list of accolades he’s already attained in the soccer world. Would it really be a surprise if he follows in United teammate C.J. Sapong’s footsteps as MLS Rookie of the Year? Judging from his past success, nobody should be shocked if it happens.