USL Feature
Saturday, April 21, 2012
ORLANDO, Fla. – Wilmington Hammerheads coach David Irving knew a little about Bryce Taylor before he got to see him at this year’s USL PRO Combine presented by Umbro. He knew about the former Mississippi Brilla player’s speed, and his willingness to take people on.
After getting the chance to see Taylor up close at IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla., Irving didn’t waste much time in trying to get the 23-year-old to come to Wilmington. Less than a week after the combine ended, Taylor had a contract offer from the Hammerheads, and was getting set to turn professional.
“Yeah, it definitely caught me off-guard,” Taylor said on Sunday after making his professional debut against Orlando City. “I knew going home that I was hopefully going to get a preseason offer to go in, so to get offered a straight contract, I was shocked, but it was great.”
Taylor was part of the Brilla side that reached the PDL’s Southern Conference Final in 2011, and learned from that experience. But the jump into the pro ranks is always a difficult one, with the increased tempo of the game, something that Taylor said he was still adjusting to.
For Irving, Taylor is a work in progress, but he sees the potential that lies within.
“He’s young, he hasn’t played at this level before so he’s a bit of a project, but he’s got some tools if he can figure out how to use them properly,” Irving said. “Obviously it’s a big step up from the PDL to this, and as I said it’s a work in progress. He came in and did well against the college teams and stuff, but it’s a little step up, USL PRO, and it’s a learning curve for him, but he’s learning and he does well. He’s a handful.”
Taylor admitted that he’d still got a lot to learn after his professional debut this past Sunday. The Hammerheads were given a tough task for their opening game of the season, travelling to face defending USL PRO champions Orlando City, but while the result didn’t go the Hammerheads’ way, having the chance to play in front of a big crowd and against a challenging opponent was a good experience overall in Taylor’s view.
“It was something I’ve never experienced,” Taylor said. “It was definitely cool, we knew it was going to be tough coming here, big crowd, defending champs, so we were ready for a battle. Unfortunately we came out second-best, but we knew where we are and we know what we need to pick up on.”
Taylor was also able to score his first professional goal, something he called ‘bittersweet’ because of the result of the game. His focus, along with the rest of the team, is now on Wilmington’s home opener this Saturday at Legion Stadium, where they host the Harrisburg City Islanders at 7:30 p.m.
“I just want to come down here and do my best and learn as much as I can,” he said. “Do well here and keep moving up, hopefully.”
Irving believes that if he continues to learn, and produce, as he has so far in his young career, the chance will be there for Taylor to do just that.
“If he absorbs what we’re telling him and he figures it out, how to play at the next level, and he figures it out to play it simple, a little quicker, gets used to the pace of the game physically and mentally, he’ll be fine,” Irving said. “When he’s on, he can be a handful, and he’s done very well so far. He wants to learn, he’s a willing learner, and hopefully he’ll continue in that vein.”