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Tyler Miller was once considered one of the top goalkeepers available in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. But the Northwestern product made it known that he intended to at least try his luck in Europe, causing his stock to fall considerably.
Still, the Seattle Sounders took a bit of a gamble and traded up to grab Miller with the No. 33 overall pick. It appears to have now paid off, giving the Sounders a somewhat impressive haul of five players from their last SuperDraft.
The Sounders announced on Thursday that Miller had signed with S2. Miller has been training with the Sounders for about a month, joining them after his contract with German fourth-division club Zweibrücken ran out and he finished up his stint with the United States U23 team.
"Tyler is a very talented young keeper who we were impressed with at the draft," S2 Head Coach Ezra Hendrickson said in a team release. "We are happy he is back with us now and excited about what he brings to the club and the position."
Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid went as far as calling Miller and current No. 3 goalkeeper Charlie Lyon "the two best young goalkeepers we've had."
Miller was coming off a senior season in which he was the unanimous choice for the Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year and posted 36 shutouts during his four years as a starter. That impressive record was a big reason why he chose to skip the MLS Combine and to test the waters in Europe.
His European adventure did not go quite as planned. Zweibrücken was already struggling when he arrived and Miller wasn't do much to keep them from finishing at the bottom of the 18-team table. His stock was still high enough that he was named to the U23 team and even registered a shutout in the Toulon Tournament against Qatar.
Miller actually sounded a bit disenchanted with his time there.
"It was tough. It's not as glamorous as you see on TV," Miller told the assembled media following Thursday's training session. "Playing in a smaller division in Germany was difficult. You get thrown into an environment where you don't know the language. You have to learn quickly. If you don't, you're not going to survive."
Now, he could be getting a look almost immediately with S2, who will be without Charlie Lyon for at least this week. Lyon is expected to be serving as Troy Perkins' backup for the Sounders in Saturday's game against the Chicago Fire. Miller could get his S2 debut as soon as Sunday at home against Arizona United.