ORLANDO, Fla ā Penn State men's soccer student-athlete Brandon Hackenberg was selected 22nd overall by Orlando City SC in the first round of the 2021 Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft Thursday.
"I'm super thankful and blessed for the opportunity," said Hackenberg. "It is honestly one of the best moments of my life. A huge thanks goes out to all my teammates and the staff for pushing me during my time at Penn State ā I wouldn't be in this position without them. There's still work to be done here but I'm very excited for this opportunity."
š With the 22nd overall pick, @OrlandoCitySC selects...@bhackenberg3 ā¼ļø
ā Penn State Men's Soccer (@PennStateMSOC) January 21, 2021
Hackenberg plans to still play for Penn State this spring.#WeAre pic.twitter.com/U27aJB7gmk
The defender from Palmyra, Virginia is the 16th Nittany Lion to be drafted by MLS and the third-highest draftee in program history. He is the second consecutive Penn State player to be drafted in the first round after former teammate Aaron Molloy was picked 16th overall in 2020, also marking the first time in program history that players have been taken in the first round in back-to-back years.
"We are very proud of Brandon and are so pleased to see his name called in this year's Major League Soccer SuperDraft," said head coach Jeff Cook. "This opportunity provides him with a clear pathway to the professional level with Orlando City after he finishes his Penn State soccer career. Our program prides itself on our player development, and Brandon has taken full advantage of all the resources available to him and has worked tremendously hard on every aspect of his game."
At #22 overall, @OrlandoCitySC opt for defender Brandon Hackenberg from @PennStateMSOC. #SuperDraft pic.twitter.com/91sskFS2BT
ā Major League Soccer (@MLS) January 21, 2021
To date, Hackenberg has played in 45 career games for the Nittany Lions, starting 36 on the backline. He has contributed to 12 shutouts and has scored two career goals. During the 2019 season, he helped lead the team back to the NCAA Tournament and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors and third-team All-North Region honors from the United Soccer Coaches. He is also a four-time Academic All-Big Ten recipient and a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.
Hackenberg will still play in the 2020-21 spring season with Penn State as a team captain as the Nittany Lions are set to begin the postponed season on Feb. 19 against Maryland.
See the full list of 2021 MLS SuperDraft selections here.
Penn State All-Time MLS Draftees:
Brandon Hackenberg ā 2021, 1st round (22nd overall), Orlando City SC
Aaron Molloy ā 2020, 1st round (16th overall), Portland Timbers
Connor Maloney ā 2017, 3rd round (49th overall), Columbus Crew
Robby Sagel ā 2017, 4th round (70th overall), Houston Dynamo
Brian James ā 2016, 4th round (80th overall), Toronto FC
Andrew Wolverton ā 2015, 4th round (82nd overall), L.A. Galaxy
John Gallagher ā 2013, 4th round (68th overall), Chicago Fire
Mark Fetrow ā 2012, 4th round (59th overall in Supplemental Draft), Vancouver Whitecaps
Corey Hertzog ā 2011, 1st round (13th overall), NY Red Bulls
Drew Cost ā 2011, 2nd round (32nd overall in Supplemental Draft), Real Salt Lake
Jason Yeisley ā 2010, 3rd round (38th overall), FC Dallas
Simon Omekanda ā 2007, 4th round (47th overall), Chicago Fire
Brian Devlin ā 2006, 4th round (31st overall in Supplemental Draft), New York/New Jersey MetroStars
Derek Potteiger ā 2002, 4th round (41st overall), New England Revolution
Ricardo Villar ā 2002, 5th round (55th overall), Dallas Burn
Ted Gillen ā 1996, 6th round (59th overall), New York/New Jersey MetroStars