Zavaleta drafted by Seattle Sounders

INDIANAPOLIS — Summoned to the stage at 1:11 p.m. by the conduit of Seattle Sounders F.C., Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber offered the standard handshake and posed for a picture with Eriq Zavaleta, the 10th overall pick at the 2013 MLS SuperDraft on Thursday at the Indianapolis Convention Center.

The Westfield, Ind., native became the 40th Hoosier drafted into the MLS since the league’s inception in 1996. He is also the highest-chosen Hoosier since the New England Revolution selected Kevin Alston 10th overall in 2009.

The Sounders traded up from the sixteenth pick to select Zavaleta, a Generation adidas signee, who can play centerback or forward.

“That’ll be a conversation between Coach (Sigi Schmid) and I,” Zavaleta said. “I think that Seattle has a plan for me, whatever that may be. I’m ready to get to that position, work hard and hone my craft.”

Schmid said now is not the time to make that decision.

“It’s a situation of we’re going to train a little bit and look at it,” Schmid said. “He and I talked about it before the draft when we were considering him. He feels very comfortable in the back as a defender. Maybe that’s where his true future lies. We have to see.

At the end of the day, if I had to pick, I’d probably lean towards him playing a little more as a defender to sort of reach his ultimate goals.”

Zavaleta entered the day projected to be picked in the top eight of the draft, according to multiple mock drafts. Though he was picked at the No. 10 slot, IU Coach Todd Yeagley said Zavaleta’s draft slot will become trivial.

“People soon forget what number you are,” Yeagley said. “Any team that drafts you certainly wants you. As soon as the buzz of the draft’s over and you’re going into a team, you want to have an opportunity to compete, and you want to be in a good organization that is competing for championships. Check every box for Seattle.”

Zavaleta has family ties to the game. His father, Carlos, is a former player for the El Salvador national team, and his uncle, Greg Vanney, is a former U.S. national team player.

“As I was growing up, I was always around the game of soccer,” Zavaleta said. “I learned a lot from my family, from my dad and my uncle, about the game of soccer and how it should be played. Instincts come to you because of your younger years.

“They’ve really helped me throughout this whole process. It’s not a process that’s easy to handle for anybody. To be able to have them in my corner helped me along the way, just assuring me that everything’s going to be okay and I’ll land in a good situation.”

Zavaleta landed at a club where he will be the only former Hoosier on the roster. Yeagley said he is not concerned about Zavaleta and his adjustment to the professional ranks.

“Most importantly, the staff. Sigi Schmid’s an excellent coach,” Yeagley said. “He’s been at UCLA winning championships. He was very familiar with our program, very familiar with our staff. He’s got several on his staff that we’re close to. He tracks our players. I think he has a lot of respect for what comes out of Indiana.

“Eriq’s going to have good support there. Eriq is extremely mature and can adapt in a new locker room very quickly. He’s got a great way about him. He’ll be able to mesh with a team that he doesn’t have any necessary preexisting relationships.”

Zavaleta is joining the MLS at a time when the league is thriving. In 2004, the league consisted of 10 teams. As of 2013, there are 19 clubs in the MLS.

“Soccer’s something that’s going to continue to evolve and has evolved so much,” he said. “This league’s only been around for so many years but has continued to get better and better. I’m really excited to be a part of it at a time like now.”

As Zavaleta leaves Indiana and the college for which he won a national title, he said the players he left behind will always be in his heart.

“The guys that are going to make the jump to the next level, maybe next year or in the years to come ... I’ll always try to be the guy to help them and to tell them what to expect and how to make that transition easier,” he said.