Union officially sign first-round draft pick in goalkeeper Holden Trent

The 23-year-old college product has agreed to a deal that has this year guaranteed and team options through 2026.

Holden Trent was the Union's first first-round college draft pick since 2018.Read moreMajor League Soccer

Updated Feb. 16, 2023, 4:26 p.m. ET

Published Feb. 16, 2023, 11:43 a.m. ET

The Union announced Thursday that they’ve signed goalkeeper Holden Trent, their first-round pick in the recent college draft.

A 23-year-old from High Point University in North Carolina, Trent agreed to a deal that has this year guaranteed and team options through 2026. He goes on to the first team’s roster and likely will be No. 3 on the depth chart behind Joe Bendik and three-time MLS goalkeeper of the year Andre Blake.

“Holden’s collegiate performances showed he is a talented goalkeeper, and we have been impressed with his ability to learn how we expect our goalkeepers to play in order to support our aggressive style,” Union sporting director Ernst Tanner said in a statement. “We believe his athleticism and mentality will give us one of the top goalkeeper units in MLS once again this season.”

Trent grew up in Greensboro, N.C., not far from where he went to college. When the Union drafted him, it was the first time the team made a selection in MLS’ college draft since 2018 — and the first time it used a first-round pick since 2016.

“Every kid’s pathway is a little bit unique and different, and Holden has really earned this opportunity,” Union manager Jim Curtin said.

Usually in MLS, drafting a player doesn’t guarantee being signed unless the player signed a contract with the league before the draft.

The Union likely will resume its tradition of not making first-round draft picks next year. They traded their natural 2024 first-round pick to Inter Miami in the deal that brought Damion Lowe here last month.