Everyone in the PODs had a different agenda. Some students were writing papers. Others were studying for midterms.
Graham Munro was watching a soccer draft.
But this wasn’t just any online soccer draft, and it certainly had nothing to do with creating a fantasy team. Munro was watching the Major Indoor Soccer League draft. Good thing, too, because in the second round his named flashed across the computer screen.
“I’m watching the draft in the PODs, and everyone is doing their homework and it’s really quiet,” Munro said. “I’m watching this page refresh every 30 seconds to see if my name comes up, and eventually it did.”
The Baltimore Blast selected the senior from Inverness, Scotland, on March 8, and the great news couldn’t have come at a better time.
Just last month, Munro wasn’t sure if he’d be allowed to stay in the country. With the expiration date on his student visa approaching, he began applying for jobs, searching for paid internships and asking for letters of recommendation. He also applied for an Optional Practical Training (OPT) visa, which would allow him to work in a field related to his major (English) for one year, but the extension wasn’t guaranteed.
”I was worried because the day I graduate is the day my current visa runs out,” Munro said. “If I didn’t get a job and didn’t get this visa, then I would have had to leave the country.”
Munro’s lucked changed the night before the draft when he received word from Binghamton head coach Paul Marco that Baltimore was interested in selecting him. But that didn’t mean the following day was without its tense moments.
The MISL amateur draft is just four rounds long, excluding the first territorial selection. Baltimore went with a forward in the first round and traded away its third pick. Despite being in the comfort of the cozy PODs, Munro was pretty nervous before he was selected. If his name didn’t come up in the second round, his fate would rest on Baltimore’s final pick.
“To play in the indoor league is the best I could have hoped for right now,” Munro said. “I’m just focused on playing for Baltimore and playing as well as I can.”
Munro is going to meet general manager Kevin Healey on Friday to negotiate a contract and figure out other details, such as where he will be living and when to report to training camp.
While Munro is excited about the opportunity to play professionally, he knows he has a lot of adjustments to make. In indoor soccer, the ball never leaves the field unless it is punted over the walls, so the games are very intense and fast-paced. If a player hits a shot that is wide of the goal, instead of going out of bounds, the ball hits the board and comes back into the box.
Munro would love to someday play in Major League Soccer, but this whole experience has been a dream come true. Considering the restrictions placed on the number of international players each MLS team can have on their roster, Munro couldn’t be any happier with the position he is in.
So after becoming the first Binghamton soccer player to turn pro, how did he celebrate?
“I studied for my English 310 midterm,” Munro said. “Now I can’t wait to get out of school. I just want to finish up and get down there.”