New York Red Bulls first-round draft pick Zeiko Lewis made waves with his podium speech at the 2017 MLS SuperDraft
"I'm glad the Red Bulls have faith in me. At least somebody does," Lewis said after getting selected No. 17 overall by New York. "I'm just going to have to prove [the rest of Major League Soccer] wrong for drafting me this late."
Lewis, a Bermudian, left the island as a teenager to come to the United States and attend high school.
"I definitely have a chip on my shoulder," Lewis said in an interview on the New York Red Bulls Facebook page. "If I didn't have a chip on my shoulder, trying to prove to the world I can do anything, then I shouldn't be playing sports at all."
Ethan Kutler, picked at No. 39 overall, was not in attendance at the SuperDraft, but participated in the Player Combine.
"I was in shock," Kutler said when he heard his name called. "It was shocking, but it was also a relief at the same time, that my goals and my dreams have finally come to fruition."
Kutler said he considers himself an aggressive, quick and confident player with the ball, and also said he has a chip on his shoulder.
"That's kind of the way I play," Kutler said. "I'm kind of an all-out player, so I just try to attack as much as possible."
Kutler said he's aware of the New York Red Bulls style of play and that it fits the way he plays the game: constantly attacking. Lewis echoed his fellow draft pick's statements when speaking to the media: "I want to attack and score goals."
