Four seniors from the North Carolina men’s soccer team parlayed their run to the NCAA semifinals into professional careers Thursday in Baltimore.
Defenders Jalil Anibaba and Eddie Ababio were selected in the first round of the three-round MLS SuperDraft, while midfielders Stephen McCarthy and Michael Farfan were selected in the second.
Anibaba, an All-America defender who transferred from Santa Clara before his senior season, was the first Tar Heel selected. Though many pundits believed he would be taken with one of the top five selections, Anibaba slipped to ninth, where he was scooped up by the rebuilding Chicago Fire. There, he’ll be teammates with former Tar Heel Logan Pause.
Anibaba said he was happy he transferred to UNC for his senior season because the stiffer competition he faced, both in games and in practice, made him a better player.
“When you’re playing with the best players in the country, it makes you better even when you don’t think you’re getting better because when you’re on the best, you have to be at your best at all times,” Anibaba said. “If that’s true on the practice field, then it’s definitely true when you step out on game nights.”
Ababio was selected with the final pick of the first round, going 18th overall to the defending champion Colorado Rapids. The team captain was the only Tar Heel selected who played his entire career at UNC and became the ninth first-round selection in program history.
The early selection was something of a surprise for Ababio, a redshirt senior who watched the draft on television at home and thought he would be selected in the late second round or early third round. Ababio’s professional career will begin after a long journey at UNC in which he played in 89 games in five seasons and spent time shuttling between forward and defender.
“I feel like my hard work has paid off and my coaches’ vision of me playing at the next level at a defensive position looks like it’s paid off,” Ababio said.
“It’s been an honor to play for Carolina. I love UNC with all my heart. Moving on is really hard for me.”
Farfan and McCarthy, who transferred from Cal State Fullerton and Santa Clara, respectively, were selected back-to-back in the second round. Farfan was selected 23rd overall by the Philadelphia Union. The Union is also the home of Sheanon Williams, who played for UNC in 2008.
McCarthy was taken with the next pick by the New England Revolution. With the results of today’s draft, UNC is now tied with Indiana for the fourth-most MLS draft selections all-time with 33.
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
