Word of mouth leads highly sought after transfer to UCF soccer

The UCF Knights men’s soccer team brought in a highly sought after transfer earlier this year and did so with the aid of the Orlando City Soccer Club.

When the coach who recruited Anton Sealey to North Carolina left the program to take a position at Creighton, Sealey was faced with a choice.

“I could have gone to Nebraska or go play in Florida,” Sealey said. “I knew a lot of the guys playing with Orlando City because they were [from] around my boarding school in Austin, [Texas]. I called them, they told me about how great the program [at UCF] was doing, so I decided to come here.”

With that, the defending champions of the USL PRO league and MLS-expansion hopeful Lions helped the already talented men’s soccer program at UCF bring in another talented player. Originally from Nassau, Bahamas, Sealey took his future soccer career into account when he relocated to Austin and attended St. Stephen’s Episcopal High School. Following his senior season he became one of the nation’s “100 Freshmen to Keep an Eye On,” as rated by College Soccer News.

In 2007, the now-redshirt sophomore defender was the youngest member of the Bahamas National Olympic Team and made the 2008 Bahamas National Team for the 2010 World Cup. Additionally, Sealey brings familiarity with being a part of a championship program to UCF. Sealey was a member of the 2011 national championship team for North Carolina, although injuries prevented him from playing.

Still, being a part of and around a program that experienced that much success, left an impression on him.

“It was good to be around it,” Sealey said. “I started off playing and I got hurt, so it was kind of disappointing to not be able to join in.”

Sealey is ready for a fresh start with UCF and to prepare he is currently playing for Orlando City’s U23 team.

“It’s good training. Good cardio, ball work and conditioning,” Sealey said. “I’m getting good practice games because I hadn’t played for a while due to my injuries.”

Putting the injuries behind him, Sealey is excited to join a squad that is talented and experienced. The Knights advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship for the second consecutive year last season, and many of those players are returning in 2012.

“I’ll hopefully contribute to the big picture,” Sealey said. “We already have a good team and good coaches, and I feel like with my ability and leadership skills I can help us do better than we did last year.”