FLASHBACK: Late Bloomer: Braun keeps climbing U.S. soccer latter
ON THE MARK: Freddie Braun’s soccer career has steadily progressed since his playing days at Rochester High. The talented midfielder helped the Portland Timbers U-23 side win the USL Premier Developmental League national championship this summer and he eyeing a potential career in the near future. Courtesy Photo | Portland Timbers-David Jacobson
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
PORTLAND, Oregon — Freddie Braun might be a late bloomer when it comes to success on the soccer pitch.
At each level of his career, it has taken him some time to rise to the top. Each time, nevertheless, he has been able to reach a high level of play and success.
Now 22 years old, Braun, a 2006 graduate of Rochester (Mich.) High School, is a national champion and is eyeing a potential professional career in Major League Soccer, or at the very least, a contract in the US First Division with the hopes of making it to the top rung of U.S. Soccer in the next couple of years.
Braun, a lifetime midfielder, helped his Portland Timbers U23 team capture the U.S.L.-Premier Developmental League national title. A first-team all-division player in the PDL, Braun was part of a team that finished 16-0-0 in the regular season and 4-0 in the 16-team PDL national tournament.
“It was an incredible season,” said Braun, who is now 6-foot and 165 pounds. “We had a great regular season, but that doesn’t always mean you are going to win it (the national championship). We were able to keep it going (in the postseason).”
Braun did not start out a dominant player in high school. But he ended up having a fine career at his alma mater Rochester during one of its best stretches in program history.
Braun remembers watching Rochester High win the Division 1 boys soccer state championship in 2002, when Braun was a freshman at the school. He was a member of the junior varsity that season.
Not being on the championship squad lit a fire underneath the young aspiring player, who has really made a name for himself over the years. Since graduating from Rochester in 2006, Braun has gradually climbed the latter of success.
“I wasn’t that good when I was a freshman (in high school),” laughed Braun. “Our (varsity) was very good. I was kind of small and not skilled enough to play varsity. I made it the next year.”
Braun chose to work hard and eventually became a three-year starter at Rochester as a midfielder — his teams were usually found in the top 10 rankings throughout his prep career — and he eventually wound up garnered All-State First team honors in the fall of 2005. He helped his team capture its fourth straight OAA Division I title and a district championship as a senior.
“I think I really grew up between my freshman and sophomore year,” said Braun. “I just decided to work a lot harder. I was all-state by the time I was a senior.”
Even with high accolades coming out of high school, Braun took a different path to college stardom. Braun had some offers to play in college, but opted to be a walk-on at the Division I college level. He ended up at Louisville and, much like at Rochester High, had to work his way up the ranks.
By the time he was a senior at Louisville, the two-year starter helped the Cardinals to their best record in program history, as the team finished 13-3-4 and reached the NCAA tournament. He scored eight goals and drew four assists as a senior at Louisville.
“We had a great season (last year) at Louisville,” said Braun. “We were ranked 14th in the nation after the tournament.”
Later in the 2009-10 school year, Braun was one of 62 collegiate players invited to participate in the 2010 Major League Soccer Player Combine. That landed him a spot with the PDL franchise in Portland, which will be bringing in an MLS team for the 2011 season.
That has Braun thinking big.
Braun is currently residing in Portland, and although he doesn’t have a contract or agent, is still training with Portland and hopes to land an official tryout for the new MLS side and eventually make his way onto the roster. Braun is training with Portland’s First Division team.
Besides playing with a national champ in 2010, Braun almost helped another PDL team take home glory last season. He was a starter for the Chicago Fire side that reached the PDL national finals. He played part-time for the Michigan bucks in 2007 and 2008, but never really found a solid spot until joining Chicago.
Braun said he has long term goals of going into sales as a profession after his soccer career is over. For the time being, he is busy marketing himself and selling his talents to the MLS.
“Playing soccer has been a big part of my life since I was little,” offered Braun. “Right now, my goal is try to make it to the next level. I am going to keep training and hopefully get my chance next year.”
The way is career has progressed up to this point, he’ll likely get that chance.
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