Sunderland has plucked a player from American college soccer.
University of Wisconsin defender Sam Brotherton has agreed to forego his final years of college eligibility and link up with the Black Cats on a professional contract through the 2018-19 season.
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Brotherton, 20, has six caps for New Zealand. PST profiled him before the All Whites took on the USMNT and Mexico in 2016.
He will join the U-23 side with the hope of impressing enough to get a look with David Moyes‘ First Team. Given the struggles of the shorthanded Black Cats, it’s not absurd to think we could see him on a Premier League pitch soon.