Former William Tennent Grad Drafted by Union

“Two hours. Tops.”

That’s how much sleep Ryan Richter, a 2007 graduate of , managed nightly in the week leading up to last month’s Major League Soccer supplemental draft. Richter, 21, says he felt confident, and rightly so; as a senior at La Salle University, the star forward led his team to the Atlantic 10 title game, and also was the league’s top scorer, both in goals (14) and points (30). But there was still so much uncertainty – about when and by whom he’d be drafted, if, in fact, it happened at all.

“You imagine it’s going to be this happy time, and it is, but the reality of it is that it’s really nerve wracking,” said Richter. “I had heard from a few teams, so I didn’t know if I might end up in LA or Chicago or DC.”

Richter didn’t have to wait very long to discover his fate. He went off the boards early in the draft when the Philadelphia Union selected him with the fifth overall pick.

 “I love the area and didn’t want to go anywhere else, so being picked by the Union is the best thing that could’ve happened to me,” said Richter. “I went to five Union games last year, and I’m a huge fan of the team. It’s a great environment and it is wild to go from watching them from the stands, to being on the field with all these great players.”

Being selected by the Union capped an excellent senior season for Richter, who provided seven of his team’s nine game-winning goals en route to its championship showing. For his efforts he received a First Team Region selection by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and was named Offensive Player of the Year and Student Athlete of the Year by the Atlantic 10.

“He’s very driven, extremely hard working, and he takes instruction well,” said Pat Farrell, head coach of La Salle’s soccer squad. “From the time he got to La Salle, he always wanted to do extra work, finishing balls, quickening his release, and in doing that he positioned himself to get this opportunity.”

It might seem like a storybook ending for the Southampton native, but, as nice as it is to be drafted, Richter knows he still has work to do and so his excitement has been muted.

“You can’t enjoy it too much,” said Richter. “It was exciting to get drafted, but four days later, I was starting up training camp, and needed to refocus. It was a good three days. I got to be on top for a while, but now I’m back on the bottom.

“You take it a step at a time. In high school, my goal was to get a scholarship to college. I did that, and when I got to college, my goal was to get drafted. Now I have a new goal. Everything I’ve accomplished, all the accolades, the hard work, the excitement, it all means nothing now.”

According to Union Assistant coach Rob Vartughian, the draft selection doesn’t guarantee Richter a spot on the club’s roster, just a chance to prove himself in pre-season training camp.

“He scored a ton of goals at La Salle, and, at the end of the day, there’s a lot of value in that, but it’s always a little different when you jump to the next level,” said Vartughian. “The game’s faster, competition is better and you have to make decisions quicker. Obviously, at this point in camp, a lot of players have a nervous energy, so I think right now Ryan’s trying to settle in a bit. He clearly has something, and it’s his main goal to impress upon us that he can convert his skills to this level.”

In addition to proving himself in camp, Richter has committed himself to finishing his education at La Salle. An accounting major, Richter has a full load of classes. Luckily, his teachers are allowing him to finish his final semester online, thus allowing him to pursue his soccer career.

“Accounting is my back-up plan, but soccer is my number one priority right now, and I’m fortunate to have people around me who understand what I’m trying to accomplish,” said Richter. “La Salle does a great job with their student athletes in helping them to achieve—not just on the field, and not only while they’re playing. The support continues after our playing time is over, and I’m certainly benefiting from that.”

Richter finished his La Salle career with 28 goals and 69 points (both 5th all-time), as well as 13 assists (10th all-time). When the Union selected him in the supplemental draft he became just the second Explorer to be drafted by an MLS team after Cesidio Colasante, a 1997 selection by the New York/New Jersey MetroStars.

“That’s a cool thing to think about, and I hope my example can be an influence for future players at La Salle,” said Richter. ““I worked hard and it paid off, and I hope young recruiting classes see that and try to do the same thing for themselves.

“But, I’ve gotten pretty good at putting things in perspective. I haven’t proven anything to [the Union] yet. I’m proud of my accomplishments, but my goal is to make it as a professional soccer player. It can’t be about what I did. It’s got to be about what I’m going to do.”

The Philadelphia Union’s season kicks off March 19 in Houston.