Men's soccer player Dan Keat '10 participated in the 2011 Major League Soccer Superdraft on Thursday in Baltimore, Md., following a five-day showcase tryout that included 53 other college seniors and 36 Division I athletes. The tryout the 2011 Major League Soccer Combine preceeded the Superdraft, which took place in Baltimore, Md., and included the first three rounds of the MLS draft.
Despite high expectations, Keat was not selected in the Superdraft and will now have to wait until the MLS supplemental draft on Tuesday for a team to select him.
"Keat represented Dartmouth really well, kept a positive outlook and appears to be a top-tier prospect," Dartmouth head coach Jeff Cook, who accompanied Keat at the combine, said before the draft. "Nine or 10 MLS clubs have expressed interest in him and it is being said he will be drafted somewhere between 15th and 25th."
Cook was not alone in predicting success for Keat, as some analysts had also incorrectly forecasted that he would be selected early in the draft.
Simon Borg, senior content producer for the MLS website, predicted that the Colorado Rapids last year's MLS champions would draft Keat as their first round pick.
"[Rapids head coach] Gary Smith won't make too many changes to his championship side," Borg wrote on the MLS website. "Keat could be the option off the bench to bring ideas and energy on days the team's not clicking in attack."
In December, Cook and assistant coach Johan Cedergren created a training program for Keat that anticipated the harsh New Hampshire winter weather and attempted to keep Keat fresh for the combine.
"It was tough to prepare as I had to train mainly indoors in Leverone Field House or out in the snow, with one of the Dartmouth coaches, a couple of people or largely by myself," Keat said in an e-mail to The Dartmouth.
While playing with the Big Green, co-captain Andrew Olsen '11 complemented Keat's technical style of play, unique all-around ability and means of controlling the game from the central midfield.
"Keat is a special player who is both world-class and probably one of the best to ever come through Dartmouth," Olsen said. "Over the years, he has become more versatile and developed the ability to include other people. For this, he has helped the team to progress."
Although Keat experienced difficulty in matching the pace of the game and the hot Florida conditions, he said Cook and Cedegren helped prepare him for these factors. Other mentors such as his New Zealand national team teammate and former MLS player Simon Elliott have assisted in guiding him.
"[Elliott] has been great with advice about how I should approach things from all aspects and of the transition to being a [professional]," Keat said.
Ryan Nelson, the New Zealand captain, also served as a role model for Keat, who was recruited to play for the College beginning in Fall 2006.
"He showed that New Zealand players can come through the United States college system and still make a great professional career," Keat said.
Keat, who has played on various soccer teams throughout his career, said he has experienced a number of tryout environments.
"My experiences have all been very different and great in different ways," he said. "With the [Under-20] National Team, we were the first New Zealand team to go to the U-20 World Cup and I captained the team on a couple of occasions in front of huge crowds which was pretty special."
Keat helped New Zealand qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics the first time New Zealand has been able to compete in an Olympic soccer tournament but injured his anterior cruciate ligament prior to the tournament and was unable to play.
Although Keat said he would play any position if drafted to an MLS team, he said that he would likely play in the midfield a position he filled while at Dartmouth if recruited at the professional level.
"Keat has the perspective and work ethic to make it in the MLS," Olsen said. "He is one of the most humble people you will ever meet and always the first to defer all of the accomplishments of his career to the team. He is a true team player."
Keat tallied 53 points during his Dartmouth career sixth overall in the team's history with 20 goals and 13 assists. In his senior season alone, Keat scored four goals, had five assists and was named First Team All-Ivy and First Team All-New England.
Despite a knee injury that caused him to redshirt his junior season, Keat still managed to earn four All-Ivy honors in his time with the Big Green. He was a National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-American in 2009.
"My favorite memories of Dartmouth soccer have to be winning games and scoring at Burnham Field," he said. "The crowd and the environment make the place so special, especially at night."
Although the Big Green has a lot of talented young players returning next year, Keat will be missed.
"He has an unbelievable drive, ability to cover a lot of ground and is an excellent leader that brings confidence to the team," Cook said. "He has outstanding gamesmanship not often seen at this level."
Cook said that regardless of the results of Tuesday's draft, Keat will have benefited from his time spent at Dartmouth.
"The great part about being a student-athlete at a place like Dartmouth is that Keat will get the best of both worlds," he said. "First, he will have the opportunity to be a full-time professional soccer player and after that, he can use his degree to go in a new direction."
