Maryland soccer’s Chris Odoi-Atsem will play for DC United

Former Maryland soccer defender Chris Odoi-Atsem was selected by DC United in the first round of Friday’s MLS SuperDraft.

Here’s the video of his selection at No. 12 overall (with reaction from Terps coach Sasho Cirovski, who was an analyst at the draft):

And here’s Odoi-Atsem’s post-selection interview:

The defender was a First Team All-Big Ten selection in the fall. He scored one goal on five shots and added six assists. The Diamondback’s Kyle Melnick profiled him in October.

Odoi-Atsem is as local as it gets for DC United: he was born in raised in Maryland, played four years at DeMatha and another four in College Park. He’ll join another former Terp, Taylor Kemp, on the club’s back line. Odoi-Atsem signed an MLS contract before the draft, which means United won’t have to negotiate with him separately.

The Terps had a veteran team in 2016 that will send multiple players to the pros. Alex Crognale signed a homegrown contract with the Columbus Crew in December, while Cody Niedermeier is still waiting to find out his next stop. The third and fourth rounds of the SuperDraft will take place Tuesday.

In other news

Maryland men’s and women’s basketball picked up wins over the weekend. Both are alone atop the Big Ten.

Maryland football lost its commitment from Dazz Newsome during Saturday’s basketball game.

Also, the Gaddy defensive tackle twins are *thinking* about flipping to Florida.

Here’s a cool video with Maryland athletes in it:

Here’s a thing you can vote for:

Only two Terps remain in the NFL playoffs, and both—wideout Darrius Heyward-Bey and safety Sean Davis—are Pittsburgh Steelers. Surely, some of you are conflicted about this.

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Enjoy your holiday.