The dream of a lifetime was fulfilled for a select group of young men Thursday at the Major League Soccer SuperDraft in St. Louis, Missouri’s America’s Center Convention Complex.

But before they became college stars and graced the stage wearing the apparel of their new MLS teams, they honed their skills in the club system, a training ground that helped serve as the catalyst for their professional careers.

Wake Forest standout midfielder Sam Cronin was selected second overall, just after TopDrawerSoccer.com College Player of the Year and Akron forward Steve Zakuani, who was taken first by the expansion Seattle Sounders FC.

And after shaking hands and posing for pictures with the brass of his new team, Toronto FC, it didn’t take long for Cronin to harken back to where it all started.  
    
“Greensboro Soccer Club,” he said, with a smile that featured ten stitches in his upper lip - a souvenir from the final day of the Adidas player combine Tuesday. “I played for Carl Fleming, before he took over the (Texans FC Houston). “That’s where I really became serious about the game and realized what it would take. There was a lot of hard work there over the years. We weren’t always the best team out there but I was invited to some regional teams and the club really did a great job preparing us for the next level.”  

Like many players, Cronin started out with a dream but it didn’t truly begin to materialize until he got a taste of elite competition on a regular basis at the club level.

The same goes for Notre Dame’s Matt Besler, who grew up watching professional games in his hometown of Overland Park, Kansas. Besler was selected eighth by the Kansas City Wizards and said he owes a lot to those who coached him during his formative years at KCFC Alliance.

“I loved coach Gareth Hughes - he really knows about getting guys to college,” said Besler, a versatile 6-foot defender. “I feel like some of what I learned (early) is the reason I can play a lot of positions. “It was just a great environment and a great youth program. I would say I got really serious about things in the eighth grade; that’s when you start having to narrow your sports and focus on one. I enjoyed it (at KCFC) and I still keep in touch with a lot of the people from the program.”

For some, the adjustment of living in a new city away form their comfort zone may be a big one. But some have already traveled down that road a time or two.

“I left home at 14 for the residency program with the Rockford Raptors (in Rockford, Illinois),” said Michigan forward Peri Marosevic after being chosen fifth overall by FC Dallas. “I had never been away from home, and it was rough being away from my family at first. But it put me in a position to grow and show what I could do. Training every day with the best players was great. I can’t say enough about what it means.”

And now a new learning process will begin for these rookies.

Omar Gonzalez, the 6-foot-5 defender from the NCAA champion Maryland Terrapins, was taken third by the Los Angeles Galaxy, and said he’s excited about joining veteran stars David Beckham and Landon Donovan - although his MLS future is in doubt - and learning from them.

Toronto FC took Connecticut forward O’Brian White fourth overall, and snagged top collegiate California goalkeeper Stefan Frei with the 13th pick; one of the surprises of the draft as he was projected to be taken higher.

D.C. United grabbed Maryland midfielder Rodney Wallace, and UC Santa Barbara striker Chris Pontius, sixth and seventh respectively.

Wake Forest midfielder Michael Lahoud went ninth to Chivas USA, followed by Indiana defender Kevin Alston (New England Revolution), Maryland’s Jeremy Hall (New York Red Bulls) and Jean Alexandre (Real Salt Lake).

Midfielder George John, of Washington, was taken 14th by FC Dallas and New England ended the first round by selecting University of Tampa forward Ryan Maxwell.

Zakuani was the headliner coming in and going out. He was excited about joining a team new to the MLS, even though having come to the US in 2007 by way of London, England, all he new about Seattle is that the “weather isn’t great.”

In time he’ll learn more, just as all these players have learned lessons coming through the ranks, none more important than the one Besler spoke of.

“I learned to enjoy the game,” he said. “If you’re going to play soccer professionally you have to love this game.”