Former Charlotte 49ers standout Donnie Smith gets start for New England Revolution in season opener

Feb 23, 2013; Tucson, AZ, USA; New England Revolution midfielder Donnie Smith (46) defends New York Red Bulls defender Kosuke Kimura (27) during the second half at Kino Sports Complex. New England beat New York 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Former Charlotte 49ers midfielder Donnie Smith didn’t just appear in the New England Revolution season opener against the Chicago Fire–he received the start.

Smith, the 21st pick overall in the MLS SuperDraft, was part of the starting 11 as New England took the field. He was replaced by Kelyn Rowe in the 57th minute–still, it was great to see the former Niner see some time right away at the next level. He joins Mac Cozier, Floyd Franks and current San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper Jon Busch as the only Niners to record an appearance with a Major League Soccer club.

We reached out to The Bent Musket, SBNation’s New England Revolution blog, for some comments on Smith’s play, and they were pretty positive:

@pickaxedigest His preseason was great. Had one really, really, REALLY good game then, too. Today, he’s had good flashes.

— The Bent Musket (@TheBentMusket) March 10, 2013

@pickaxedigest Pace and crossing ability obvious, now just needs to make sure he’s not ball-watching sometimes.

— The Bent Musket (@TheBentMusket) March 10, 2013

We’ll obviously continue to keep an eye on Donnie and how he’s progressing as the season wears on. Speaking of Busch, he and San Jose will host the New York Red Bulls tomorrow night at 10 on ESPN2.

By the way, if you haven’t already, check out out Niners in MLS section as we keep tabs on every former player that’s drafted by/makes an appearance with an MLS club.  And check out our sister site, The American Pitch, for the latest on MLS and US National Team soccer.