Nathan Aune’s timing was just slightly off.
The Seattle University men’s soccer star was on a 6-mile run Monday morning near his home in Arlington, and his plan was to get home by 10 a.m. so he could watch the start of the second day of the MLS SuperDraft.
But Aune was a couple minutes behind schedule, and as a result he missed his moment.
Not that he’s complaining.
The Arlington High School graduate is getting his shot at professional soccer after being selected by the San Jose Earthquakes in the third round of the MLS SuperDraft. Aune was the the second player selected on Monday’s second day, being picked 50th overall. The draft had four rounds total.
“It’s a funny story, because as I was running back up the hill toward my house my iWatch started buzzing with congratulations texts,” Aune said. “So I ran harder, got to my house and my dad and brother were outside chanting, ‘San Jose, San Jose!’
“It feels fantastic,” Aune added. “It’s a dream come true for me.”
Aune, a 6-foot-4 central defender, just completed his senior season at Seattle U. This season Aune appeared in 17 of the Redhawks’ 20 games, scoring two goals. He was named first-team All-Western Athletic Conference for a Seattle U team that finished 13-6-1.
However, it was anything but a smooth senior season for Aune. Before the season began Aune was one of 31 players short-listed for the Hermann Trophy as college soccer’s top player. But Aune suffered a dislocated shoulder in Seattle U’s fourth game of the season, a 2-1 victory over Akron. He sat out two games, and when he returned he was never back to full strength. He wasn’t one of the 72 players invited to participate in the MLS Player Combine held Jan. 3-9 in Orlando, Florida.
“I came into the year as a guy with a lot of hype and draft stock, where they were talking about the first or second round before the season,” Aune said. “The injury did not help that in a positive way, and after the season I didn’t get a lot of attention at all, so that brought a lot of stress and unknown. But I ended up getting drafted ahead of some guys who went to the combine, and that’s thanks to the San Jose staff scouting me before the combine and knowing what I can do.”
Aune was one of two Redhawks drafted by the Earthquakes. San Jose selected Seattle U midfielder Sergio Rivas, Aune’s fellow team captain, in the second round. Rivas and Aune were the fifth and sixth players, respectively, ever drafted out of Seattle U. Among the Redhawks’ previous selections was Glacier Peak High School product Kyle Bjornethun, who was taken in the fourth round in 2017 by Seattle Sounders FC.
San Jose’s preparations for the upcoming season begin Monday. Aune, who said his shoulder is now fully healed, heads to San Jose on Saturday, and he’s thrilled to be joining the Earthquakes.
“I’ve said many times that if I could choose to go to a team, San Jose would be the place, so I’m stoked,” Aune said. “I have family and friends in San Jose, and I’ve always liked northern California. I chose a local school, so I’m ready to go somewhere else. I feel like there’s a lot of opportunity in San Jose, with a new coach (Matias Almeyda) they’re looking to change things up a bit.
“The plan is to go in and try my best,” Aune added. “They have an affiliate team in Reno, so I could end up there if they deem it’s the best fit, or I could battle for a first-team spot.”
San Jose finished dead last in MLS last season, going 4-21-9 for 21 points, which was seven points below the second-worst team. As of Wednesday San Jose had 11 defenders under contract for 2019 — Aune was not one of them. MLS teams are allowed to carry 30 players during the season: 20 senior players, four supplemental players and six reserve players.
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