For years now, Logan Gdula has followed a well-thought out plan.

Every decision, every move made with his ultimate dream in mind.

He never seriously considered a career path other than soccer.

Gdula recently achieved his goal, being selected by FC Cincinnati, an expansion team, as the No. 13 pick overall in the 2019 Major League Soccer SuperDraft.

He graduated from Wake Forest in December so he'd be ready for the next step in his soccer career. Communications was his major, but soccer his plan A, B and C.

"I don't have time to do any internships or anything," Gdula said. "I just focused on soccer and that was my main goal. It might not have been the smartest thing but I believed in myself and my abilities and so far it's gotten me to a good spot that I think I can keep going forward with."

Gdula is a lifelong southeastern Connecticut resident. He was born in Norwich, lived in Montville and eventually landed in Colchester during his early elementary school years. He attended Bacon Academy, graduating in 2014. His family has resided in East Lyme for about three years.

His early formative soccer years were spent in Colchester, playing for a travel team. Kostas Anastasiou, his coach for about four years starting at the age of eight, had a big impact on Gdula's game.

"He knew a lot about soccer," Gdula said. "He changed my perspective about soccer and how I looked at the game and how I read the game. He was probably one of my first and one my biggest influences in Connecticut as far as soccer goes."

Anastasiou has followed Gdula's career. He saw something special in Gdula from an early age.

"Even when he showed up as a little boy, you could tell he was very talented and he would go far," Anastasiou said. "His body had to grow. He had the will and he loved the game. He was very, very fast. Another good thing about him, he's down to earth. He's such a good boy and he's respectful. It's a coach's dream to have players like him on his team.

"Even right now, his (FC Cincinnati) coach is going to love this kid. He was easy to teach because he wanted to learn. He had his eyes wide open every time you talked to him. ... It's nice to see my kids do that good. It gives me a big satisfaction and pleasure."

Gdula made sacrifices along the way while pursuing his dream.

When his skills developed to an advanced level, Gdula made the difficult decision to leave the Bacon Academy soccer program after his freshman season to play for Oakwood, a prestigious soccer academy located in Portland.

"I decided on the academy just because of the chance to be seen by more coaches in the showcases," Gdula said. "I just knew that was a better path to play college soccer.

"It was hard because high school soccer is fun and you're with all your buddies. The games are exciting. I just knew that I wanted to play soccer at the next level and I just knew that was the best decision for me. I just had to take that risk. I didn't go to some homecomings and missed a lot of stuff for it. But I knew it was worth it in the end."

At Oakwood, Gdula met Ian Gordona, his first coach there. Gordona had a "huge influence" on Gdula, helping further his development and fuel his passion for the game.

During his sophomore year at Bacon, Gdula committed to Army. But he eventually changed his mind and de-committed.

Kevin Bacher, an Oakwood coach, suggested Wake Forest where he knew the head coach, Bobby Muuss. The pair once worked together on the UConn men's soccer staff.

Gdula called it an easy decision.

At Wake Forest, the coaching staff converted Gdula from a forward to an outside defender. While a tough transition, he embraced the change.

The Demon Deacons' attacking style suited him.

"I didn't mind it because I just wanted to play," Gdula said. "But it definitely was a tough transition at first because I hadn't ever defended in my life and it was such a high level. Freshmen year was just a learning experience but it helped in the end, for sure.

"Just the way Wake plays, I was playing a lot of offense so it didn't bother me much. I was on the ball a lot and got to show my offensive skill set."

Gdula went on to have a stellar career. A three-year starter, he played in 77 career games. He contributed two goals and 18 assists to the highly-successful program that went 73-11-7 in his four years.

What Gdula lacked in physical size, the 5-foot-11, 160-pound outside back made up for in skill, heart and hustle.

"I'm scrappy and I have that type of personality," Gdula said. "I'm smaller than most people, but it's not always about your size. If you're playing hard and you're scrappy and you're just doing the right things, you'll just be successful."

Gdula was of 60 college seniors invited to the MLS pre-draft combine, a four-day event in Orlando, Fla. He played well in the games, scoring a goal.

It was there that Gdula connected with FC Cincinnati, one of several teams to interview him.

"They just seemed really positive about me and how I could fit into their playing style," Gdula said. "It definitely was a team on my list of teams that I would like to go to or fall to in the draft. But you never know what is going to happen when draft day comes. I definitely felt a good connection there with the coaching staff."

At the SuperDraft in Chicago on Jan. 11, Gdula sat with Muuss, his college coach, and mother, Jami, during the selection process. His stepfather, Justin, and younger brother, Quinten, a freshman at East Lyme High School, as well as a few friends also attended the event.

It was a nerve-racking experience for Gdula.

"You're anxious to hear your name called," Gdula said. "Once your name is called, it's the best feeling that you can think of."

Gdula flew to Cincinnati earlier this week for preseason camp. FC Cincinnati will be training in Florida and South Carolina. The MLS club makes its debut on March 2 at the Seattle Sounders.

Gdula is excited about what the future holds. So far, just about everything has gone according to his plan.

"Everything is going well right now," Gdula said. "Obviously, there was ups and downs to get there. But everything is going the way I planned. It feels good knowing that I graduated and have a degree to fall back on and that I'm also being able to live out my dream.

"... It's definitely exciting because it's a dream come true. Everyone wants to play at the highest level. When you're a kid, you dream about it. But definitely anxious to start playing but also nervous to see where I fit in and how the level is going to be. I know it's going to be different, faster and going to take a lot more energy.

"It's a job. But I know it's still soccer at the end of the day and that's what I like to do and that's what I know how to do so I'm not that nervous. I'll feel comfortable once I get into the environment."

g.keefe@theday.com