If anything has typified Bryan Meredith's career until now it has been his ability to ascend seamlessly to the next level of competition. From becoming the first freshman to start at goalie at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, to leading the nation in lowest goals against average at Monmouth University, Meredith has conquered every challenge in his path.
Having just completed his final year of college eligibility, Meredith now faces a gargantuan leap in upward mobility: a professional career. Meredith was one of only five college goalies chosen to the Major League Soccer Combine: a showcase for MLS prospects prior to the league's draft.
The initial player list of 54 college seniors was chosen by a panel of Division I college coaches, representing all conferences, who nominated and voted for players in conjunction with MLS coaches. The players, plus those from the Generation Adidas Program, Division II and III schools, and NAIA schools, will be added in the coming weeks and will participate in the 2011 Adidas MLS Player Combine at Central Broward Regional Park in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Jan. 7-11. The Combine will separate all players into four teams and feature two games per day on Jan. 8, 10 and 11.
Although he did not play at one of the marquee names in NCAA soccer, Meredith had some of his finest efforts against teams like UConn, West Virginia and Seton Hall and never lost to a Big East team during his career.
"It's always a plus to have a good record against teams from powerhouse conferences, especially when we are from a small league like the Northeast Conference," said Meredith, who led Monmouth to a 14-2-4 record this season and a top-20 ranking.
His college coach, Rob McCourt, a former professional player, is confident that the 6'2" 175-pound Meredith, who had 11 shutouts this season and 36 for his career, has the proper combination of talent and intelligence to ascend to the highest level.
"Bryan has the perfect size for a keeper and he is extremely quick," McCourt said. "He also anticipates what the opponent wants to do and works very well with his defense." McCourt added that perhaps Meredith's finest skill is his overall soccer ability.
"Bryan was used in the field in high school and that is quite apparent when you see how accurate he is with his punts or goal kicks and how well he handles pass backs," he said. "Many of our best counterattacks over the last three years were started by Bryan."
Meredith's high school coach, Tom Breznitsky, said he felt torn between moving Meredith out of a position he dominated to supplying the Raiders with needed offense.
"Bryan was so good with his feet and such an offensive threat that in certain games we thought he could help us more on offense," Breznitsky said. "I had another good keeper and Bryan's attitude and ability made the move easy."
Breznitsky said he became aware of Meredith's potential in middle school. "We had seen him play some club games, and we had no experienced returning goalies, so it was an easy decision to move him in as a freshman" he recalled.
Breznitsky never started a freshman in the high-pressure goalie position. But Meredith responded immediately. He did not allow a goal until his eighth game and took command of a veteran team, leading the Raiders to what would be the first of three straight section crowns. He was a four time selection to all county and was all state his senior year.
"He is the best goalie we have ever had at Scotch Plains," Breznitsky said. "We have had many good ones, but Bryan was great for four years."
At Monmouth, Meredith made some saves "that had to be seen to be believed," McCourt said. Perhaps most memorably, he stopped All-American Mike Pezza, of UConn, in a penalty-kick shootout in 2009.
"I am confident Bryan has everything needed to make it at the next level and will outwork everyone like he always has," McCourt said. "He wants to totally master his position."
For Meredith, a superb athlete who eschewed other sports for soccer while in high school, the invite to the combine is the culmination of a lifelong dream fashioned from countless hours of practice with club and school soccer teams. A good student who will graduate with a communications degree, Meredith said he has no immediate plans to work a normal 9-to-5 occupation.
"It has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid to play professional soccer," he said, "so I am going to try everything I can to play professional soccer."
