ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Former Lobo men’s soccer player Nick Miele has signed with Seattle Sounders FC S2 of the USL, becoming the fifth player from UNM’s 2014 squad to sign a professional contract.
“It has been an incredible experience the past three weeks through the trial period,” said Miele. “I am ecstatic to be with the Sounders. The fans have been incredible and just seeing the support the First Team gets, I can’t wait to get the season started.”
Despite going undrafted in January’s MLS SuperDraft, Miele’s play for the Lobos and in the offseason caught the eye of several MLS clubs, including Seattle.
“We saw Nick at our combine and kept an eye on him for quite a while. He has done really well for us in preseason so far,” said S2 Head Coach Ezra Hendrickson. “We think he is a player that could develop really well for us and be a great centerback for our organization in the future.”
Miele played every minute of every game for the Lobos last season and was named Second Team All-Conference USA as well earning a pair of academic honors: Conference USA All-Academic and CoSIDA Academic All-District. For his career he played 4,304 minutes in 55 matches and scored his lone career goal against Drexel on Sept. 19 last season.
“I’m really excited for Nick,” UNM head coach Jeremy Fishbein said. “He’s a guy that I thought was going to get drafted by an MLS team, but he got a little bit overlooked. He’s going to work his way back up, but I think he’s capable of playing at a very high level. He’s an excellent player, was a leader for us, and I’m excited to see him get this opportunity.”
Miele helped the Lobos post eight shutouts in 2014 and hold opponents to just 0.88 goals per game. He joins Oniel Fisher, who recently made a start for the first team, in Seattle’s organization. Other Lobos from last season’s team that are playing for MLS organizations include James Rogers for Sporting KC, Ben McKendry for Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and Riley McGovern, who is playing for Real Salt Lake’s USL team with another former Lobo in Victor Rodriguez.