Rawlings native thrives against top soccer competition

Dec. 30—RAWLINGS — While Western Maryland soccer fans didn't see Rawlings native Drake Lechliter grace the area's pitches this fall, that doesn't mean Lechliter isn't doing his part to raise the region's soccer profile.

The 17-year-old Lechliter has spent the last three seasons playing for the U-19 team for Bethesda SC, a MLS Next team located in Bethesda. MLS Next is a developmental organization that provides the opportunity to play against some of the top soccer players in North America as well as exposure for those pursuing collegiate soccer careers.

"It's very important to me," Lechliter said of helping Western Maryland soccer. "I try to support the Allegany boys as much as I can, they're all my friends still. I like to practice with them and show them what I learned in Bethesda. Take what I'm learning and share with everyone around me."

"Drake's an ideal young soccer player," Bethesda SC head coach Derek Biss said. "Character wise, he's everything you possibly want to look for. We train roughly two hours each way from where he lives. I can count the number of sessions he's missed on one hand. Even though he has some obstacles other players don't, he's one of, if not the most committed guys we got."

Lechliter joined Bethesda in 2020 after playing in Morgantown, West Virginia, for FC Alliance.

"I've always known about them since I was little because of their high quality," Lechliter said. "I really wanted to challenge myself in playing, so I decided to move to Bethesda."

Lechliter recently played in the MLS Next Fest. It featured over 300 teams from the United States and Canada who met at Empire Polo Ground in Indio, California, earlier this month.

"That was a very good experience, very high level," Lechliter said. "We played FC Dallas, they're the number one ranked team for our age group. It was definitely a pleasure playing under that much pressure."

Bethesda played in three games at the showcase and went 0-1-1. Lechliter was the captain in Bethesda's game against the FC Boston Bolts. He played all 90 minutes of Bethesda's game against FC Dallas.

"We had to defend large portions of the game," Biss said of the FC Dallas game. "It's easy to succumb to that pressure and have a bad day. He didn't do that. Until the 70th minute it was 2-1, we were able to stay in the game in large part due to Drake's contributions."

In Lechliter's last six games, he has an 82% average pass accuracy and averages 44 passes per 90 minutes. He averages nine defensive challenges, six interceptions and nine ball recoveries per 90 minutes.

Bethesda is currently 3-1-1 in five matches and is in second place in the U19 Mid-Atlantic Division. Their season will resume in March with 12 regular season games.

With Bethesda, Lechliter has played alongside several notable players including Georgetown's Miles Avery and Maryland's Max Riley. They are a year older than Lechliter who was teammates with both of them during the 2021 season.

"I looked up to them, they're very high-level players," Lechliter said. "They were always telling me what to do and trying to make me a better player. They really liked to push the team to the best of their ability."

Before joining Bethesda, Lechliter played for Allegany while his father Mark was head coach. Lechliter left the Campers to join Bethesda since MLS Next requires players to forgo playing traditional high school games.

Playing for a high level such as Bethesda requires sacrifices. MLS Next plays year-round from August 1 to June 30. In order to practice, Lechliter drives two hours both ways to Bethesda four days a week.

"It definitely gets to me, but it's worth it," Lechliter said. "I get to spend time with my parents and family members. It's a commitment, I definitely sacrifice a lot to do it but it's worth it."

Biss complimented Lechliter's consistency and timeliness despite the amount of travel involved.

"He's there all the time," Biss said. "He's early, that's something some guys who live five to 10 minutes away aren't able to accomplish. He's able to do everything necessary. He's able to communicate with the colleges he's interested in. He has good grades so it's not only doing well athletically but doing well academically."

Lechliter said he wants to play at the next level. In the last 20 years, Bethesda has sent over 500 players to Division I universities and several others to Division II and Division III schools. While Lechliter has talked with some colleges, he is waiting for his first offer.

"I think the opportunity is going to be there for him to play at the Division I level," Biss said. "He's received significant attention from some of the best Division III programs in the country. If he doesn't make a Division I team, it's not because he's not good enough. It's because he's chosen to play at a program that's not Division I."

Jordan Kendall is a Sports Writer for the Cumberland Times-News. Follow him on Twitter @JKendallCTN.