Quincy’s Reis among college players eligible to be selected in upcoming MLS SuperDraft

QUINCY — Waking up Friday morning to a text message from Quincy University assistant men’s soccer coach Taylor Reis really didn’t catch Aubrey Reis by surprise.

What he read amazed him.

The former Hawks midfielder and four-time All-Great Lakes Valley Conference selection saw his name had been added to the roster of eligible players for the Major League Soccer SuperDraft taking place next week via teleconference from the MLS offices in New York City.

“I was kind of in a daze,” Reis said. “I was kind of confused and excited at the same time. Then I kind of processed it and was like, ‘Huh, this is pretty nice.’”

A graduate of both Quincy Notre Dame and Quincy University, Reis is one of 174 players on the draft roster with 89 players to be selected over three rounds. The draft begins at 2 p.m. Tuesday and will be streamed live at MLSsoccer.com.

“I’ll be locked in,” Reis said. “I’ll be watching it. I’ll have it up on a screen no matter what I’m doing.”

The possibility exists he could be the first Quincyan ever selected in the MLS SuperDraft.

“I couldn’t even imagine this,” Reis said. “It never even came to my mind. Before today, if you had asked me when the SuperDraft was, I couldn’t tell you. I might have said it was next month. This is, of course, a really good feeling. Anything beyond this would be unbelievable.”

Reis isn’t sure how this came about.

He completed his final season with the Hawks last fall, earning third-team All-GLVC honors as he scored four goals and added three assists. It capped a stellar career in which he led the GLVC in scoring as a sophomore with 15 goals and collected 37 goals and 13 assists in 83 career games.

He was a first-team All-GLVC pick in 2018 and the 2021 spring season, while earning second-team honors in 2019.

It was enough for someone involved with the MLS to take note.

“I have no idea,” Reis said when asked how his name ended up on the draft list. “I don’t even want to try to explain the process because I don’t know exactly how it comes about. I didn’t apply for this. It’s just something that happened.”

It may be what opens the door to a professional opportunity outside the MLS if he doesn’t get selected. Reis plans to explore all of his options, although it’s unclear what all of those may be.

“Nothing has really come to the surface yet,” Reis said. “I’m kind of shooting in the dark. I’m trying, that’s for sure. I don’t want to be done playing.”

Being on the draft board shows he shouldn’t give up. 

“I’ve been working hard over the years at the field, sometimes alone, sometimes with my best friends and my best teammates,” Reis said. “This is good recognition. It feels nice. It just feels good to be acknowledged.”

It may be the start of something remarkable — in the MLS or somewhere abroad.

“I’ll take my chances where I can get them,” Reis said.