Villanova's Christopher Bared Ready For MLS Opportunity

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Major League Soccer SuperDraft wrapped up earlier this month and a Villanova Wildcat was one of the players selected.

Outside back Christopher Bared was taken in third round (68th overall) by Seattle Sounders FC.

"Actually I wasn't expecting it to quite turn out the way it did," Bared tells KYW Newsradio. "I was following the draft not as tightly. One of my friends actually texted me a picture of the tweet by the Seattle Sounders of me getting drafted and said 'Congrats.' Then [I] started to freak out because I wasn't paying attention to the draft at that moment."

But he says he quickly took stock of where he was headed.

"When I saw the Sounders name, I know it is an amazing club so I was very, very excited," he says.

Bared had an outstanding career with the Wildcats, starting all four years he was on campus. In 17 games as a senior, he had a goal and and an assist. He says his time on the Main Line helped getting ready for the challenge of Major League Soccer.

"Starting with freshman year," he says, "just getting those first few starts, getting that confidence as an outside back and realizing I can definitely play at this level, that was definitely huge. Then I would say junior year, when we got to go to the NCAA Tournament and play some big teams, played Boston College in the beginning of the season and finishing the season with Akron definitely gave me that boost of confidence I needed I think to compare myself to bigger players that are at this next level where I'm at now."

Bared is currently in San Diego for preseason training with the Sounders.