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Change Provided Turning Point for Steel’s Roberts

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 01/09/17, 4:13PM EST

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2016 All-League defender went from scoring goals to denying them in college


Photo courtesy Bethlehem Steel FC

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – As he prepared for his sophomore season at George Mason University, Hugh Roberts was posed a question by Patriots Head Coach Greg Andrulis.

Instead of trying to find the back of the net, Andrulis asked if Roberts could make the move to the team’s back line. With only three defenders at his disposal in spring practice, the move was one of necessity.

As it turned out, it proved an ideal move for the recent signing for Bethlehem Steel FC. A mainstay for the Richmond Kickers over the past three seasons, Roberts rose to the ranks of the top defenders in the USL last year, earning All-League First Team honors for the first time.

“The transition was challenging at first,” Roberts told BethlehemSteelFC.com’s Thomas Via recently. “Having to understand positioning, playing out of the back and all the little things that I had to adjust to since they weren’t as natural to me as it may have been for others playing as a defender their whole life.”

Roberts’ acclimation to his new role was helped by his play for the Baltimore Bohemians, for whom he made 27 appearances over two seasons. Roberts was a PDL All-Eastern Conference selection in the 2013 season as the Bohemians finished second in the Mid Atlantic Division, highlighting the progression his game had made ahead of his senior season for the Patriots.

Despite that, the chance to show MLS scouts what he was capable of didn’t arrive. With no invite to the MLS Combine the following January, Roberts looked to the USL for his break. After workout out for the Rochester Rhinos and Harrisburg City Islanders, something closer to Mason’s Fairfax, Va. location came through as Roberts impressed the Kickers.

“I was nervous before the tryouts but I was just looking to get my foot in the door somehow,” Roberts told Via. “I was lucky enough that the coaches saw something in me and that I was able to earn a professional contract.”

Seventy-four regular-season appearances later, including every minute of every game of the 2016 USL season, and Roberts has risen to prominence in the league. Helping the Kickers to the USL Cup Playoffs in each season as well, he headed to the Steel this offseason to continue his pursuit of a chance at a place in MLS. With fellow center backs Richie Marquez and Ken Tribbett having taken a similar path for the Union, the opportunity is clearly there for the 24-year-old.

“The whole organization from the top to the players welcomed me in and made me feel like a part of the family immediately,” Roberts told Via. “From [Union Sporting Director] Earnie Stewart to [Steel] Coach [Brendan] Burke, it’s a family and its little things that make you feel welcome. I’m excited for what I have to offer the club and for what possibilities could come.”


Photo courtesy James Loving / Richmond Kickers

Would Roberts have reached this point as a forward? It’s a fair question given the drive he’s shown so far in his career. For Roberts, though, the switch he made at Andrulis’ request has made a big difference in his path through the professional ranks.

“I think switching positions caused me to work even harder because some things weren't natural at first I had to develop them but that drive is what got me here,” Roberts told Via. “Everything happens for a reason and I'm thankful for the way things turned out.”

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