Peachtree City Sign Memphis Midfielder Chris Mikus

At long last, the 2018 PDL League Year is underway, and with that comes the first step in the championship process: signing players. Coming into their third season, Peachtree City MOBA will be craving some success after accruing just five wins in twenty-eight matches, and that all starts with signing the right talent. Under the leadership of manager Omar Jarun and assistant Nicholas Addlery, MOBA should be the perfect place for talent to thrive in 2018, and now the first name can finally be written into the roster.

Chris Mikus - Midfielder - University of Memphis

While the Memphis Tigers did not have the greatest 2017 season, finishing just 4-8-4 on the season, they did get their first taste of highly-ranked prospect midfielder Chris Mikus. A Cumming-native out of South Forsyth High School, Mikus developed his talents in a elite atmosphere following his freshman season. A member of the USSF Development Academy during high school, Mikus was incredibly successful. With international training experience in Chile and Portugal, Mikus shined during his secondary years and was ranked as the best player in the South Atlantic region by TopDrawer Soccer.

Redshirting his freshman year, Mikus received significant playing time during his second season with the Tigers, playing 602 minutes over twelve matches with five starts. Making his first appearance for Memphis in a shutout draw against Belmont as a second-half sub, Mikus caught everybody's eye a month later when the Tigers hit the road to face Cincinnati. Conceding the first goal after fifty-three minutes, head coach Richard Mulrooney decided to bring on Mikus in the fifty-sixth minute to try to get things going, and that they did. Just two minutes after Mikus came on, Ben Roberts scored the equalizer for the Tigers off a corner kick from David Zalzman. With momentum clearly in their favor, Mikus took full advantage, and just two minutes later he found himself inside the eighteen with the ball at his feet and gave the Tigers the lead with his first-ever collegiate goal. Memphis would add a third shortly thereafter, and the game would finish 3-1 to the visitors. For his performance in the match, Mikus would receive AAC Rookie of the Week honors for the first time. Due to his efforts, Mikus earned the trust of his head coach and started five of his next nine appearances going down the home stretch of the season. While he played more of a defensive role, he was an integral part of the Tigers' late season success. Academically, Mikus made the Dean's List for the Fall 2016 and Spring 2017 semesters as a member of the Tiger 3.0 Club.

This being Chris' first season in the Premier Development League, look for him to make an immediate impact as a young talent for Omar Jarun. A very skilled midfielder that will do what he needs to be successful, Mikus could be a very important part of both the offensive and defensive efforts. Both of those areas have been struggles for MOBA over their two seasons, and 2018 will have to be different if they hope to reverse their fortunes. A lot of questions still remain about who else will make the roster and how they will be used, but the addition of Chris Mikus could likely do wonders for Peachtree City.

#MOBAProud
Photo Courtesy: University of Memphis

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