When Brendan McSorley, ºüÀêÊÓƵ City SC’s third-round pick in the 2024 Major League Soccer draft, got off to a slow start scoring for City2 in MLS Next Pro, he didn’t have to look far for guidance.
He turned to another struggling forward in the same building, City SC’s Klauss.
“He’s the best,†McSorley said. “I’ve talked to him a decent amount because we were going through the same thing at the same time. He’s probably been the closest guy on the first team, and he’s really taken me under his wing, which I appreciate a lot. He’s been really great for me.â€
The advice Klauss gave McSorley was the same thing he was telling himself: Be patient. Stay positive.
“It’s just like support him and try to keep him positive,†Klauss said. “It’s just talk to him. Sometimes you get upset because you don’t score or you miss a chance, but I try to explain: That’s normal. That’s going happen now or later. So you just have to stay positive.â€
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And now look where both of them are.
After going without a goal in the run of play for more than 1,000 minutes dating to late last season, Klauss has scored in two games in a row. McSorley didn’t score in his first three games with City2, including one game in which he had six shots. Then it looked as if McSorley had run his goal-scoring streak to three games in a row last week against Austin, but a very late offside flag negated a goal. Still, he has two goals in the past three games.
“I’m just so happy that he started to score,†said Klauss, who at 27 is only five years older than McSorley. “I mean, he’s a great boy, and he deserves the success that he is having now. He works hard, and I’m happy and also proud of him. I just wanted him to have success.â€
The encouragement goes both ways. After Klauss had seven shots without a goal against Dallas, he got a text from McSorley: “When are these keepers going to stop making crazy saves on you?â€
The two got to know each other in training camps in Florida and California, where draft picks Hosei Kijima and McSorley came along with the first team.
“In preseason, we played poker every night,†McSorley said. “We played ‘Mafia,’ and I guess he liked me and saw something in me and I appreciate that because I know how much of an icon he is of ºüÀêÊÓƵ. That was really important for me, and it gave me a ton of confidence.
“Preseason, I remember like the first day or two, he yelled at me for missing a pass, and I let it get to me so much. It showed the next week when he was bringing me up, I felt like that and my performances changed. I thank him a lot for that stuff.â€
It’s a situation that City SC coach Bradley Carnell loves to see happen. The team practices what he calls “strategic overlap,†in which the teams will be in the building at the same time, often passing in the hallway as one team goes in and the other goes out to facilitate interaction.
“It’s very intentional,†Carnell said. “We had Brendan with us through preseason, getting him ingrained in the principles, and then obviously I think there’s a fully connected staff and players who support each other. You see on City2 game days, you see the first team watching them play and you see us training in certain ways and bringing a different dynamic and trying to get all on the same page. And I’ve seen that, and that does help play a progression on player pathways.
“So it’s encouraging to see (McSorley) being rewarded for all his hard work because he works his socks off there in the 9 position and gets himself into some good spots, and I think it’s a matter of time before he starts consistently scoring goals. And he’s got two now in two games, which has been great.â€
“I think he’s done well,†City2 coach Bobby Murphy said. “I think tactically, there’s still a lot of room for growth, appreciating and understanding the importance of moments and recognizing situations and when to press and when not too. I think against the ball there will be lots of improvement, but his work rate and effort make up for a lot and when we can put it all together he’ll be a force for sure.â€
City SC selected McSorley in the third round, with the 79th pick overall. The New Jersey native played four seasons at Providence College, with 23 goals and five assists in 62 matches. As a senior, he had 11 goals and one assist in 17 games.
One big difference between college and MLS Next Pro for McSorley is the caliber of his teammates, which is one of the reasons his slow start in scoring goals was disappointing to him.
“I’m coming from college where I’d get one chance a game,†he said, “and now I’m getting a ton, and that’s due to the guys I’m playing with of course. I don’t want to let them down.â€
Kijima has already earned first-team minutes. McSorley is a longer project; he signed a two-year Next Pro contract, with an option for another year, 2027.
“McSorley is a wonderful guy,†Klauss said. “He’s just fantastic the way that he arrived, the way he integrated into the group. In the training facility sometimes we meet each other. I always give him a hug and a few words. I like him so much. We had this great time together in preseason. I hope he can make for the first team and be with us.â€