Danny Deakin was Orlando City’s third round draft pick in the MLS SuperDraft. He’s originally from Sheffield, England, but played his college career at the University of South Carolina. Deakin joined the team for their first week of preseason, and so far he’s liking what he sees.

Deakin’s draft experience wasn’t exactly typical. “I was actually at home in England and I was trying to get the stream up online and I was having problems with my internet,” Deakin said, laughing. “And next thing I know, I look down at my phone and my phone is blowing up with notifications. It was a great surprise.”

Deakin said he was happy to end up in Orlando, both because of the reputation of the organization and because of the sunshine. “Obviously I know about Orlando; it’s a great organization, great group of guys. And it’s a great place to be, obviously, in Florida, nice sunny weather,” Deakin said. “So yeah, I was very happy when I heard it was Orlando.”

Deakin is getting straight to work, joining his teammates for the first week of training. Head Coach Jason Kreis said that this week is about focusing on maintaining fitness and tactics. Deakin said that the style of play has impressed him.

“It’s very good,” Deakin said. “I knew it was gonna be a lot better than college. The speed of play is very high and everyone’s very consistent on the ball. But yeah, I’m enjoying it. I think I’ve adapted pretty well to it. But yeah, it’s good and I’m enjoying my time here.”

Deakin doesn’t have a lot of goals for his rookie season. He’s focused on contributing to his team and getting as much time on the pitch as he can. “I’d like to play. I’d like to start games and show what I can do,” Deakin said. “I’d like to be involved in the first team and be around things. But you just never know, I’m just gonna do what I can and see where it takes me.”

“I’ve just been out here trying to impress and do my thing,” Deakin continued. “And hopefully they like what they see.