Proactive sweeps the Top 5 in MLS Draft

Aspiring soccer agents take note: the Washington, D.C. (they also have an office in Laguna Niguel, CA)-based Proactive Sports Management USA represented each of the first five players selected in the MLS draft last month: the No. 1 pick Chance Myers (pictured), selected by the Kansas City Wizards; No. 2 pick Brek Shea, chosen by FC Dallas; No. 3 pick Tony Beltran, picked by Real Salt Lake; No. 4 pick Sean Franklin, chosen by the Los Angeles Galaxy; and the No. 5 pick Ciaran O’Brien, chosen by the Colorado Rapids.

Proactive USA is the sister company of Manchester, England–based Proactive Sports Management UK, which manages many elite European and English Premier League players such as Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney and Fulham forward Clint Dempsey. Both the U.S. and British soccer representation firms are owned by the Formation Group, a publicly traded and Manchester-based sports marketing and management group.

“With this draft, Proactive shows its strength as a group representing players in MLS as well as Europe,” said Mike Gartlan, director of North America representation. “We are constantly looking to represent the top players in the U.S. and abroad.”

Gartlan’s rise within the company is an especially noteworthy one for those interested in the business of soccer. Prior to joining Proactive, Gartlan spent time as the Director for the Pateadores Soccer Club, a major youth club in the US that has supplied the top college, professional and US National teams with players. The experience provided Gartlan with a slew of contacts and networks that presumably have helped make Proactive Sports the leader in soccer player management in the U.S.