Raised in Louisville and Peru, Farrell Takes His Game to New England Andrew Farrell was hardly a surprise as the top pick in Major League Soccer's Superdraft in January: he was one of the most dominant players in the country during the 2012 N.C.A.A season with the University of Louisville. A versatile player, Farrell excelled in central defense, right back and defensive midfield, and he is expected to be in the starting lineup for the New England Revolution when they open at Chicago next weekend. The history of No. 1 picks in M.L.S. has been uneven. Some, like Maurice Edu, have gone on to success in Europe and the World Cup. A few, like Chance Myers, have been stalwarts in M.L.S. But as in every sport, there have been top picks who are barely footnotes in league history. Perhaps aware of that, Farrell, 20, said he was entering his rookie season with a humble approach despite the heightened expectations of being the top pick. Like other rookies, he was assigned lowly team tasks such as carrying the team equipment bags during preseason training. You think that there is pressure being No. 1," Farrell said. But there is pressure on everyone here to perform well and get the team back to its winning ways. Once I got here, I'm just another rookie. It's not only if you went first; everyone who is drafted wants to make an impact. Last month, the Revolution acquired the top pick from Toronto F.C. in order to land Farrell, and now team management is desperately hoping he will develop into an integral part of a young group of players that can help the team return to prominence. After making three consecutive trips to the M.L.S Cup final from 2005 to 2007, the Revolution has been in a steady decline. In 2008 and 2009, the club was bounced from the playoffs in the opening round. Since then, it has failed to even qualify for the postseason. To help rebuild, the Revolution will hope to blend experienced veterans with a large core of young players. Farrell is just the most high profile one. "I think that there are a lot of veteran guys here who are really good on this team," Farrell said."For the first couple of months I want to learn from them and see what they can teach me.We're ready to win some games and make the playoffs." The journey that brought Farrell to New England has been unique when compared with other young American players. Born in Louisville, Farrell moved to Peru at age 5 with his parents, who were missionaries. Farrell learned the game in Peru with an emphasis on technical ability. When he returned to the United States in his teens to play at Louisville's Atherton High School, he was a dynamic player who had a rare combination of size, athleticism and skill. He immediately became known as one of the best players in Kentucky. "When I lived in Peru, they stressed a lot of technical ability, so I think that where I developed that," Farrell said."But I like dribbling forward out of the back or going up the flank when I'm at fullback." Here's Farrell talking about his background and his game before the draft: It was at Atherton where he attracted the interest of Ken Lola, the coach at Louisville, which was quickly establishing itself as one of the nation's top college programs. "Initially when we saw him play, he was very athletic," Lola said."The area where we also think he had a unique difference was his flair. Growing up in Peru, he had a good feel for the game. His technique was good. He was a little undisciplined in his play but that's where he's grown the most and become a real student of the game. He's more disciplined now. He's a fast learner. The success of Louisville's program in recent years can easily be seen with the number of quality players it has sent to M.L.S. Last year the two best rookies were former Cardinals: Nick DeLeon and Austin Berry. This year Lola lost Farrell, a junior, and the senior midfielder Paolo DelPiccolo, who signed with Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany. Lola said he had little doubt that Farrell, who was last season's Big East Conference defender of the year and a first-team All-American, would succeed at the professional level. "I think he's athletic enough where he can jump in and play right away," Lola said."He'll adjust to the speed of play because he's got a very good mind. He's handled everything tremendously to this point. He's filled with humility. He understands that he has to earn his spot no matter where he was drafted. His technical ability is good and adding the discipline both from the defensive and attacking standpoint is probably the last piece for him where he has to continue to grow, but he's developed so much already.  For Farrell, all eyes will be on him on March 9, when New England opens the season in Chicago against the Fire. "It's important to be mentally tough," Farrell said."Everyone is trying to get a spot on the team. Louisville definitely prepared me well. There are a couple of college programs that run their programs like a professional team. Louisville is one of them. Every day they got me to work harder. Coach Lola is doing a great job with nine guys going professional in the past few years. The coaching staff really tells you what it's going to be like at the next level. Follow Brian Sciaretta on Twitter.