Houston Dynamo FC selected three players in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas, on Thursday afternoon.
Houston selected Generation adidas defender
Ethan Bartlow
from the University of Washington with the sixth overall pick in the draft. The Dynamo selected forward
Kristo Strickler
from Virginia Tech University with the No. 30 selection in the draft. Houston used the 57th overall selection on defender
Brandon Terwege
from Southern Methodist University.
“We’re very happy with how today’s draft went,” said Senior Vice President and General Manager Matt Jordan. “When the opportunity presented itself today to trade the number three pick for assets that would enable us to add a player like Derrick Jones who strengthens our midfield right away and still have a top-six pick, we felt we needed to move quickly. We are very pleased to add Ethan Bartlow, who we had as the top-rated defender in the draft, with the sixth pick. Kristo Strickler has proven to be a consistent goal scorer in a tough conference and Brandon Terwege is a strong defender who our staff know well.”
The Club began the day with two trades to acquire midfielder Derrick Jones from Nashville SC in a trade for $250,000 in General Allocation Money. Additionally, Houston swapped first-round picks with the Colorado Rapids for the sixth overall selection while also receiving $200,000 of General Allocation money and $50,000 of conditional Allocation Money. With this pick acquired from Colorado in today’s SuperDraft the Club then selected Bartlow.
Bartlow signed a Generation adidas contract on Jan. 19 and the defender joins Houston after two seasons with the University of Washington Huskies. The Woodinville, Wash. native earned Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors during the 2019 season, a first for the program. Bartlow also earned All-Pac-12 First Team and Second Team All-American honors in 2019. He finished his career with 38 starts, while anchoring a back line that posted 22 shutouts for one of the best defenses in the country. He also added six goals and three assists in his career with the Huskies.
Bartlow also served as captain for the Huskies, leading the team to a 17-4 record with 12 shutouts in 2019. The Huskies backline posted the ninth-lowest Goals-Against Average in the NCAA that season with 0.66. The 20-year-old earned three caps with the U.S. U-17 Boy’s National Team in 2016.
“We are excited to have selected Ethan Bartlow, who was the best central defender in the draft. His precise passing, work rate and leadership makes our backline immediately more competitive and we can’t wait to see him here battling,” Dynamo head coach Tab Ramossaid. “Additionally, Kristo Strickler’s intense desire to do whatever it takes to score goals makes him extremely dangerous and Brandon Terwege had an excellent college career and has youth international experience.”
Strickler scored 27 goals and tallied nine assists in 67 appearances for Virginia Tech. The forward led the Hokies with 11 goals in 2019 and finished with two game-winning goals. Strickler finished his collegiate career with back-to-back seasons with 10 or more goals and led Virginia Tech to three appearances in the NCAA Men’s Soccer tournament from 2017-2019. He also earned Second Team All-ACC honors in 2018 after the Hokies finished with a 11-7-3 record.
Terwege was selected after one season at Southern Methodist University. The defender joined the Mustangs after two seasons at UCLA where he started in 35 contests at center back and outside back. As a freshman he started in 16 matches and helped the Bruins post four shutouts. He followed up his freshman season with 19 starts in 2018 and was named to the Pac-12 All-Academic Team. The defender finished the 2019 season with two goals and three assists in 19 games with SMU and helped the backline that finished with 11 shutouts, the most in the American Athletic Conference. The Highland Village, Texas native was previously coached by Ramos at the U-20 U.S. Men’s National Team and represented his country at the U-19 level.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic which delayed the typical fall season for many college programs, Strickler and Terwege each have the option to finish their collegiate careers this spring. Bartlow signed a Generation adidas contract with Major League Soccer on January 19 and will be eligible to join the Club at the beginning of preseason.
