Brett St. Martin: Homecoming

Photography by Cody Cervenka.

University of Maryland alum Brett St. Martin was drafted 50th overall by Sporting Kansas City in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft. After a short preseason with SKC, Brett completed a move to Charleston Battery of USL, where he’s been finding his way as a professional. It’s been a busy year for Brett, and on his return to the DMV to play against Loudoun United, we had the chance to catch up with him. From the whole experience of the draft to having lunch with Graham Zusi and moving to Charleston, this is what he had to say about his year.

How did you feel when you got drafted and what was that experience like for you? 

It was a waiting game. I think the first round took maybe two and a half hours. I was just sitting there with my family watching the screen, and it did get kind of boring. After a while, I just started playing ping pong with my brother to pass the time. 

But I actually found out I got drafted by SKC through Twitter. When it’s the second round, they just post the draft, so I saw it when someone retweeted it. Five minutes later, the actual website with the names refreshed, and I saw my name on the draft board. I was just sitting there thinking, ‘is this real?’ 

Were you nervous at any point? Seeing all the names going by in the first round?

A little bit, but not really. I just wanted an opportunity. Even if you go in the second or third round, it really doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, you have to show yourself in preseason and perform. It’s pretty cutthroat regardless of what spot you have in the draft. 

Did the experience meet your expectations of what people told you beforehand?

It was kind of underwhelming, to be honest, since I just saw it through Twitter first. After I saw it officially on the draft board, that’s when I told my family. They congratulated me, and everything, so that was nice. But the most important part was just knowing that there was a lot of work ahead. Within 48 hours, I was always on a flight to Kansas City. It was surprising to have to go there so quickly.

What was that time at SKC like?

The intensity was at another level. The pressure is always there, and the game is a lot quicker. Having only one week to show yourself was also a challenge, but I learned a lot. 

I also like how when you go to Maryland, you have a whole family for the rest of your life. Everyone looks after each other, and it’s such a great culture. I called Chase Gasper when I got drafted to ask for advice and to give me the rundown on what I was gonna have to go through. He was super helpful, and a lot of other players connected to Maryland helped me out too. 

The first day I came to Kansas City, Graham Zusi sat down and had lunch with me. He asked about Ben [Bender] and the current atmosphere at Maryland. It was great of him to just come up on my first day and take the time to have lunch together. He gave me great advice and was still super interested about how things are at Maryland. It’s such a strong family connection and family that we build at UMD. 

What’s it been like moving to Charleston?

It’s a very nice city. Definitely better than Kansas in terms of what you can do in your free time. 

I’ve really enjoyed my time here. I’ve been going fishing, playing golf, and living the life. 

How did you feel when you were in Kansas, and you heard you would be going to Charleston?

I had talked to my agent about a couple of different places that I wanted to go to. Charleston being such a historic city also played a huge part in my decision to go there. Those were the two factors I was considering when making the move. I just wanted to get to play soccer, and also do it in a beautiful city where I could also enjoy life outside of the field too. 

Obviously, moving to Charleston meant you would be playing USL. What has been your take on the league overall?

The playing level is really good, and I think it’s definitely a higher standard than what people might think. I remember the first day I got here, we played a friendly against the Columbus Crew. It was literally the very first day I was there. It was difficult playing against an MLS team, and I didn’t even know anyone’s names, but we ended up getting a tie. It was crazy to just get thrown into that and be expected to hit the ground running, but it worked out. 

How do you feel, personally, about your move to USL?

I think the draft has been historically not the greatest thing for a lot of players. You just get one week of preseason with a team, and then they make a decision about you. That’s not enough to define somebody as a soccer player. Even Messi struggled to adapt to PSG, and it took him longer than a week to adjust to the style of play. I think the draft is very much something that players just get thrown into, and it’s a very American way of doing things, but it kind of puts you at a disadvantage to be thrust into a new system and expected to prove yourself so quickly. 

But I’ve taken this whole experience as a challenge to see how far I can go. I want to develop as a player in USL and hopefully get to bigger leagues, bigger teams, and keep progressing. 

Speaking of future goals, is there a specific team you’d like to play for or anything in particular you’d like to accomplish this year and in the long term?

Right now, I don’t have anything concrete in terms of other teams. I just have that as a dream to keep in the back of my mind for motivation to play at the highest level I can. It’s all about having good performances on the day-to-day, and hopefully, that will help me progress little by little. I also know individual success is tied to team success, so I’m doing my best to help Charleston and the group.

How is the team composed in terms of age?

I think the oldest player we have is Matt Sheldon. He’s very famous on Youtube, and everyone recognizes him wherever we go. He’s the oldest guy we have, but I think we have a very good locker room dynamic. Off the field, we’re a very tight-knit group of guys. 

Back in Kansas, you mentioned you had a couple of veteran players take you under their wing. Has it been similar here?

I wouldn’t say it’s too similar since a lot of us are young and around the same age. It’s more of a ‘we’re all in the same boat’ kind of thing. It’s been good to bond with a lot of people that are going through the same. 

What about life off the field? You mentioned some time ago that you were getting into real estate.

I’m working at a golf course once a week, so I can golf for free. I can’t complain about that. I do that quite a lot, so life off the field is pretty fun. I take my teammates out to play too, and they get discounts, so we take advantage of that. 

But I haven't really done too much with real estate. When we visited Birmingham, I took the day to hang out with Eli Crognale – a former teammate at Maryland – and he showed me what he did with real estate and mentored me during those brief couple of hours that we had. I’m just learning the ins and outs right now, but I haven’t done much with it. 

You recently played a game against Loudoun. You guys scored a 95th-minute equalizer, and you got the assist. Everyone went crazy, but I remember you were literally the only one that didn’t. You jogged over to the ball and tried to get everybody to restart quickly. I just wanted to know why?

I’m a big Spurs fan, so I remembered that game against Leicester where Bergwijn leveled right at the end, and the whole team ran back to put the ball at the halfway line. They restarted quickly and got a winner on the next play, and that was a changing point in their season. With everything going our way in those last 20 minutes, I just felt like we could push for a winner. I wanted that big team mentality and go for the win. 

Speaking of your game against Loudoun, it was your first game back in the DMV playing professionally. What did it mean to have your friends and family there to watch you play?

It was amazing. It reminded me of my Maryland days when I had my family in the stands supporting me. My friends came up too, so it was good to see them for the first time in a while. I also went home after the game to stay for my brother’s high school graduation. It was a very special weekend and one that definitely stood out this year. That’s also why I went to get the ball from the net. I wanted to win in front of my family and in front of my friends.

Do you think that’s a mentality that was mainly there because of having your family, or is that something that’s always been with you? Where do you think that comes from?

I think it was a bit of both. It brought me back to that Maryland soccer ideology. I was fortunate to play for UMD and constantly have that expectation that we should win a game, even if we don’t play our best. We went into every game thinking that we were the bigger team and would get the three points. We would never settle for a draw or a loss, and being down on yourself was never an option. That level of expectation stays with you, and it’s definitely shaped my mindset for the better whenever I play. That’s what was going through my head too when I went to grab the ball. 

So you’ve been in Charleston for a few months. What’s some stuff you’d recommend anyone to do there?

There’s so much to do in Charleston, but you definitely need to go to the beach. Outer Banks was shot here, so it’s beautiful. There are rooftop bars over the water, and you can see the boats going along. It’s a really scenic, beautiful place. The food is amazing, there are a lot of golf courses and excellent restaurants. 

You went through the whole draft process and saw how it all really works.  What’s some advice you’d give someone who might be about to experience that?

I think I would advise them to know the environment they’re going to go into. Do your research about the environment you’re about to step into. If you get drafted to a team, you should research and see what the coach is looking for, play styles, and how he’s been in the past. Since you’re thrown into that environment, there’s not much you can do, but having that knowledge beforehand will be super helpful. You also have to be prepared to adapt as much as possible. You need to perform during that first week because they’ll make a snap decision about you based on one day or one practice. Always bring your A-game and always be your hardest critic. If that’s the case, then whatever the coach says is second to what you’re telling yourself. 

Is there anything you would change about your experience?

Not really. I think seeing the environment at Sporting KC helped me a lot. It let me see how professionals act and take care of themselves. It was really cool and valuable to see that side from a professional standpoint. It was awesome to talk to Graham Zusi and all the guys up there that have been in the league for so long. They took the time to give me the ins and outs, and what they do on a daily basis to prepare and stay ready throughout a long season. That was an invaluable experience that I’ll definitely take from my time there. 

Photography by Cody Cervenka.