Soccer: Mtn. Pointe boys retire MLS pro's jersey

If Mountain Pointe continues the tradition Brad Evans hopes it does the Pride are going to run out of jersey numbers.

But for now, Evans joins former Pride athletes Reid Priddy and Nicole Powell as the only Mountain Pointe alumni to have their jersey numbers retired.

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"It's an honor to join those guys," Evans said after a ceremony to retire his No. 3 from the Pride boys soccer team Wednesday night. "They are tremendous athletes. Now we'll have to see if we can come up with more every few years."

Powell, who graduated in 2000 after a multiple sport career, went on to be named an All-American three times at Stanford University and was a member of the Women's Professional Basketball Association champion Sacramento Monarchs.

Priddy, a 1996 graduate, was a member of the United States mens volleyball team that won the gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games in China.

When Evans graduated in 2003 his 54 goals and 21 assists were a school record that held up until 2007 when Spencer Thompson moved to the top of the list and followed Evans to the University of California-Irvine.

Evans went on to become Irvine's all-time leader in total points (73) and goals scored (31) over a four-year career.

He was the 15th pick of the Major Soccer League 2007 draft by the Columbus Crew and was a member of the crew when they won the MSL championship this year.

Evans will be playing a little closer to home next season. He will be a member of the expansion Seattle Sounders when they open the season in March and could be wearing his familiar No. 3 again.

Evans made a trip back to the Phoenix area his first season when the Crew played an exhibition game at Grand Canyon University. But he was injured and wasn't able to play.'

"It was a tale of two seasons," Evans said. "That first year it was a season for injuries for me and last year we won it all."

Putting more soccer jerseys in the rafters at Mountain Pointe isn't out of the question, Evans explained.

"The one thing I noticed is that the talent here is no different than in California," Evans said. "It's just that fact that there are no Division I colleges so these guys don't get an opportunity. They have to go out of state. They can compete with anyone, it's just a matter of playing beyond high school that's the challenge."

Evans feels that Thompson could be the next Pride player to have his jersey in the Mountain Pointe trophy case.

"He's a beast," Evans said with a grin. "Spencer is going to be so good. He has the raw talent and is being well coached right now, so he could be the next one."

Then there is another Evans coming up through the soccer ranks, but Nick, 14, is a freshman at rival Desert Vista.

"My parents moved closer to Desert Vista after I started as a freshman at Mountain Pointe," Evans explained. "But I had a great group of friends and a great team, so I decided to stay (at Mountain Pointe)."

He was standing on familiar ground when his jersey was retired.

"It's weird to come back," Evans said. "These guys are six years younger than I am, but it all seems like yesterday."