Defender Ian Pilcher was selected in the first round by San Diego FC last week. Now, as training camp begins today, he will have every chance to make the team’s roster, head coach Mikey Varas said, when it opens the season in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 23.
Pilcher was the 24th overall selection from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
At 21 years old, Pilcher won back-to-back American Athletic Conference championships and earned first-team All-AAC honors last year. He scored a goal and helped lead a defense that led the nation in shutout percentage (.579) and 13th in scoring defense (.832).
“Ian has a full opportunity to make the roster and a lot of that will be up to him and how he competes during practices,” Varas said.
Two of SDFC’s other four selections – forwards Samy Kanaan and Donovan Sessoms – are with the team on trial basis with the intention that they will go back to college.
“It’s the right path for them,” Varas said. “We don’t have a second team right now so it’s important that they are in good environments, but they’re with us to start getting an idea of what we want to do.”
San Diego earned exclusive rights to each player they drafted and, by not giving them a professional contract, can allow them to go back to play at the collegiate level. None of the draft selections have yet signed a professional contract.
Kanaan came from the University of San Diego after he finished his junior year. He was a third-team All-American with the Toreros.
Sessoms was selected from Sacramento State University where he scored 10 goals in 18 appearances (16 starts) to earn all-Big West Conference first team honors.
Varas did not discuss the plans for first-overall selection forward Manu Duah and second-round pick defender Harrison Bertos.
The five SuperDraft selections were among 25 players who suited up for the team’s first on-field training session at the Sharp HealthCare Performance Center.
The only player under contract who was not at the team’s first training session was goalkeeper and San Diego-native Duran Ferree who was loaned to FC Nordsjælland in Denmark until June.
The first 30 minutes of training, which was done in front of the media, consisted of running drills and then fundamental drills on the new pitch at the SDFC training center.
Their first preseason match is set for Saturday, Jan. 25 behind closed doors against the USL Championship’s Phoenix Rising. They’ll play their first preseason match in front of fans in the Coachella Valley Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 8 against New York City FC.
The season begins on Sunday, Feb. 23 when they visit the reigning MLS champion LA Galaxy. They’ll host St. Louis CITY SC on Saturday, March 1, for their inaugural home match at Snapdragon Stadium.