Bermuda’s Zeiko Lewis was chosen by the New York Red Bulls as the 17th overall pick at the 2017 MLS SuperDraft…
Zeiko Lewis is now a New York Red Bulls player. (pic credit: @Diallo_Rabain)
Bermudian international Zeiko Lewis was acquired by the New York Red Bulls (RBNY) with the 17th overall pick of the MLS SuperDraft on Friday.
The 22-year-old was signed by MLS from Boston College on 4 January, a few days before the Player Combine kicked off at LA Galaxy’s StubHub Centre.
Named after the Brazilian icon Zico, Lewis impressed for ‘Team Control’ at the Player Combine: three goals in two trial matches, including a double against ‘Team Tango’.
He’s a diminutive player who can operate out wide, typically as an inverted winger cutting in on his favoured left foot, or in behind the frontman. He possesses good speed, balance and dribbling ability. A possible weakness might be Lewis’ physical build, as he’s a small player who lacks height.
For a short period of time on Friday, ‘Zeiko Lewis’ was a worldwide trend on Twitter. Why? Every player who gets picked has to make a speech on stage, and Lewis’ was a rather memorable one.
“First off, I’d like to thank New York Red Bulls for drafting me. I’m glad they have faith in me, at least somebody at this draft does. Being selected this late isn’t the end of the world…I’m going to prove you guys wrong for drafting me this late.”
Zeiko Lewis’ memorable speech at the MLS SuperDraft in Los Angeles. Video credit: Major League Soccer.
After the SuperDraft, he told American journalist Will Parchman: “I didn’t feel dissed by any club that didn’t pick me. I’m not going to lose sleep over it at the end of the day. But it’s definitely encouraging for me to see other clubs pass up on me, because then when I play them, they’re going to look at the scoreboard, and they’ll know they made the wrong decision.”
He’s certainly not short on self-confidence, admitting that he has a chip on his shoulder and a point to prove to those clubs who might have underestimated him at the Player Combine.
RBNY manager Jesse Marsch is seemingly happy with the club’s selection: “When you look at his overall athleticism along with his soccer package, his ability to run, his ability to close things down, it naturally fits into the style that we play. We ranked him in the top 10 in the draft and to get him at 17 we feel very fortunate.”
If Lewis appears in MLS, he will become the fourth Bermudian to play in the league following Freddy Hall, Reggie Lambe (both Toronto FC) and Khano Smith (New England Revolution, RBNY).
By Nathan Carr
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Thank you for reading! How do you see Zeiko Lewis doing at the New York Red Bulls? What did you make of his SuperDraft speech? Feel free to leave any constructive feedback in the comments box below. Meanwhile, you can get in touch with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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