Wangia waits for Revolution

By John Vellante  |  January 11, 2009

Now all Jamie Wangia (above) can do is wait for a phone call that may or may not come.

The University of Massachusetts at Lowell soccer star (inset) had his "by invitation only" tryout with the New England Revolution early last week. And, although he was encouraged by his performance, he had no idea if he left a lasting impression - one that could result in being drafted in Thursday's MLS Super Draft.

Revolution officials didn't offer any clues, either, basically giving each of the hopefuls the same message: "Don't call us, we'll call you."

"They said wait until draft day or just after," said Wangia, a native of Kenya, who this past season earned All-Northeast-10 Conference and All-East honors. "They said if they were interested, they'd be in touch. If they weren't, they wouldn't. So, right now, there's nothing for me to do but wait and hope."

UMass-Lowell coach Ted Priestly said Wangia "offers a rare combination of size (6 feet 3 inches), athleticism, technical ability, and technical intelligence.

"He is simply a ball winner, a total soccer player who thinks and plays his way into the game. He could do very well in the tryout. I like his chances."

Wangia gave Priestly no reason to alter his thinking. In two 6-on-6 games, Wangia had a total of five shots and scored a goal.

"I was nervous at first, there were a lot of Division 1 players there and just a few like me from Division 2," said Wangia, "but once we got started, I settled down. I was fortunate in that a lot of the formations and patterns they used were similar to things we had done in practice during the season. I got more confident as the tryout went along.

"Overall, I think I did OK. I'm not sure exactly what they wanted or were looking for in the players, but I was happy with what I did. It was tiring playing in the 6-on-6 games, and they had me playing forward. I'm a midfielder."

However, Revolution coach Steve Nicol said that Wangia "showed well, was energetic, and showed some good touches."

Wangia earned the tryout invitation from the Revolution after a season in which he had eight goals - most off headers and set pieces - and six assists. UMass-Lowell advanced to the NCAA East region final before losing to Dowling, 1-0, in the final minute of double overtime.

"He was clearly our best player," said Priestly, "and as far as I'm concerned was the most dominant player in the NE-10 this past season."

If the Revolution draft Wangia, it would be a dream come true. If he isn't drafted, he'd consider playing in the United Soccer League, which serves as a feeder system to the MLS. He said he hasn't given any consideration to playing overseas.

"I'll just wait, keep my fingers crossed, and see what happens," he said. "Obviously, playing with the Revolution would be my first choice. I hope I showed them enough."

There were a number of record performances by area athletes at last weekend's Auerbach Freshman-Sophomore large school meet at the Reggie Lewis Center. Woburn High sophomore Craig Langes was named the meet's Outstanding Athlete after a record-setting leap of 21 feet, 6 inches in the long jump and a win in the 55 meter dash (6.78 seconds). Andover's Moira Cronin had a shot at the girls' 5-6 high jump mark, but instead cleared the bar at a school record 5-4. Cronin also had third-place finishes in the 55 hurdles and ran a leg on Andover's 1,600 relay team. She was named Outstanding Field athlete. Other winners: Neil Olson (Acton-Boxborough, 300), Simon Voorees (Andover, 2-mile) and Hailey Brunette (Methuen, shot put). Small school winners: David Taranto (Burlington, 1,000), Joe Hoffman (Burlington, shot put), Mimi Narbonne (Bromfield, 1,000), and Burlington's 1,600-relay team of Kristin Humphreys, Caroline Peterson, Jennifer Hamvas, and Kierstin Merlino. Freshman Susie Boretti of Westford won the 200 freestyle and 100 breaststroke to help Bentley College beat Plymouth State, 141-127, in a dual swim meet. . . . Freshman Heather Landry of Lexington scored the game's lone goal in Princeton's 1-0 win over Harvard in Ivy League women's hockey. . . . Meghan Thomann continues to impress in her collegiate career. The Bentley freshman guard came off the bench to score 11 points, including three 3-pointers, in a 64-59 loss to nationally-ranked Stonehill. . . . Northeastern University has landed St. John's Prep baseball player Chris Carmain of Methuen. The right-handed pitcher, who gained national exposure last summer playing in the East Cobb League in Georgia, has signed a letter of intent with coach Neil McPhee and the Huskies. . . . The honors keep pouring in for Dracut quarterback Matt Grimard. He's been nominated for the Old Spice Red Zone Player of the Year, which will be announced next month and featured in USA Today. Grimard led Dracut to an 11-2 season, the Division 1A Super Bowl title, and is the Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year.

Sports Notebook ideas or information may be sent to johnpvel@aol.com.