Washington Standout Selected As 6th Overall MLS Pick

Short story from a former UW Student-Athlete

With his mom and brother by his side, Ethan Bartlow sat anxiously on the zoom call for the 2021 Major League Soccer draft. With a long three minutes in between each draft pick, Ethan anticipates his name to be called, as he was one of five players offered the Adidas Generational and was predicted to be within the top five draft picks.

From Woodinville, Washington, Ethan Bartlow committed to the University of Washington in April of 2017 with the intention to eventually play professional soccer and to “give [himself] the best chance to achieve [his] dreams”. Bartlow was named a 4-star recruit on Top Drawer Soccer rankings and was called up for the U-17 U.S. Men’s National Camp in preparation for the U-17 World Cup. Jamie Clark, UW head men’s soccer coach, says “[Ethan] will be ready to play against any of the top attacking players he faces this fall” after seeing him handle some of the top ranking players in the world.

Bartlow’s true freshman career started in 2018, leading to his success on and off the field. With 18-match starts, Ethan collected the most minutes of any Husky while earning All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention. With a strong first season under his belt, Ethan continued his success when he entered his sophomore year in 2019 by helping the Huskies earn their first Pac-12 men's soccer title since 2013. After appearing in 20 matches, helping the Huskies record 12 shutouts, Ethan was the first Washington player to earn the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. In addition, he was named the All-Pac-12 First Team, and All-American Second Team. Although Bartlow’s true position is a center-defender, he contributed to his team’s offensive success, scoring five goals and adding an assist to the team’s 2019 season.

Now, over a year later, Ethan awaits the news he has been working so hard for. As the 6th overall pick, Ethan was selected to the Houston Dynamo FC. Ethan was quickly embraced by his family and friends as they all witnessed him achieve his dream.

Although Ethan is not sure what to expect when he arrives in Dallas, he is eager to learn from a recently traded center-defender, Tim Parker. As MLS hopes to start off the season on April 3rd, Bartlow has already packed up his bags and headed out to Dallas to begin his new career as a professional soccer player, just as he always dreamed.