Mercer soccer standout Bagrou drafted by Sporting KC in 4th round

Mercer University soccer standout Will Bagrou is Kansas City-bound.

Bagrou was selected by Sporting Kansas City in the fourth round of the Major League Soccer SuperDraft on Sunday, becoming the first Mercer men’s soccer player to be selected in the SuperDraft.

The Bears forward was the 75th overall pick.

"For Will to be drafted is a testament to his hard work and determination to get better every day," Mercer Head Coach Brad Ruzzo said in a press release.

"This is certainly a special day for Will, our program, and Mercer University. He certainly deserves this opportunity as he will go down as one of the best attacking players in Southern Conference and Mercer Soccer history.

Bagrou was one of 60 soccer players, and the first Mercer player, invited to the Adidas MLS scouting combine in Orlando, Florida last week, where he placed in the top 10 in two of the three performance tests. His 3.93 30-meter dash was fourth overall and his 29.5 inch vertical jump was 10th.

Bagrou said last week that being drafted would be a dream come true, but was just a first step.

“Even if you do get drafted it doesn’t solidify your spot on the team,” he said. “It would be a great starting point for me, just having my name called, but the reality of things is I’m starting all over again, I’m the new guy on the block, and I would have a lot to prove.”

Bagrou ended his soccer career at Mercer with a host of accolades, including being named the 2017 SoCon Male Athlete of the Year.

Sporting Kansas City earned a spot in the MLS Cup playoffs after finishing the 2017 season with a 12-9-13 overall record., according to the Mercer press release. The team lost 1-0 to Houston Dynamo in the Western Conference Knockout Round.

This story was originally published January 22, 2018 at 1:10 AM with the headline "Mercer soccer standout Bagrou drafted by Sporting KC in 4th round."