The Youth Soccer Insider asked the top picks in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft for memories of their early years — such as players they admired — for our latest edition of “When They WereChildren.”
By Mike Woitalla
Andre Blake, the first goalkeeper to go No. 1 in an MLS draft, became enchanted with the position when he,his five brothers and his father would go to a school field near their home in May Pen — a southern Jamaican town of 60,000 — for kickarounds.
“I found myself standing in thegoal,” said Blake, who was picked by the Philadelphia Union out of UConn. “Catching the ball was something I liked. It came a little bit easy for me so I thought maybe it was something Iwas blessed with, a gift.”
He also played in the field throughout his teens. The players he idolized were Manchester United and Netherlands goalkeeper Edwin Van derSaar, and Donovan Ricketts, whom Blake is on course to succeed in goal for the Jamaican national team.
Steve Birnbaum, the No. 2 pick out ofCal, started playing soccer in Southern California AYSO. At age 9 he decided to try out for the Irvine Strikers, the club where his sister played goalkeeper.
“I remember everythingabout that tryout — the field, the coaches, the stress, kind of like today,” he said with a chuckle after he got drafted by D.C. United. “I really wanted to make the gold team.”
He succeeded and after playing for years with the Strikers moved to Pateadores. Birnbaum also played basketball, football, baseball, volleyball and lacrosse, but started focusing on soccer athigh school age.
“I’m a Chelsea fan so I liked John Terry,” he said. “He’s a great center back and I tried to emulate my game after him abit. Now I like Omar Gonzalez. He’s a great MLS center back and I think I play like him.”
Christian Dean, a backline partner ofBirnbaum’s at Cal, was picked No. 3, by the Vancouver Whitecaps. He starred for Northern California club De Anza Force.
“I like watching Manchester City’sVincent Kompany. Great player. Positionally smart. I’m an Arsenal fan so I like Laurent Koscielny.
“When I was younger I was a forward and myrole model was Thierry Henry. I’d love the opportunity to play against him.”
Steve Neumann, headed New England as the No. 4 pick, has been anArsenal supporter since the “Invincibles” years when the Gunners won the 2003-04 season without a loss, but his role model is a Liverpool star.
“StevenGerrard was always my favorite even though I was an Arsenal fan,” said Neuman. “I tried to emulate his playing style.”
He played for Pennsylvannia’sYardley Makefield Xplosion and the pro career he dreamed of while a young child started to feel within reach while he excelled at Georgetown.
“Especially when we had the College Cuprun my junior year, I started believing I had a chance,” said Neumann, who was named the top offensive player at the 2012 College Cup. “I started following MLS more closely and becoming astudent of the game.”
Eric Miller, the No. 5 pick by FC Dallas, had planned to play T-ball, but never got a call back from the coach of the team he was supposed tojoin.
“So I signed up for soccer,” said Miller, who played for the Minnesota Thunder Academy and Bangu Tsunami.
Miller, who believed correctly that Creightonwould provide a springboard to the pros, admired Manchester City midfielder Paul Scholes: “Because he kept it simple.”
Damion Lowe, pickedNo. 8 out of Hartford, says he always wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, Jamaican international Onandi Lowe.
“He was always there for me,”Damion said of his dad, “during the ups and downs, giving me advice. … I saw him play in the World Cup. I saw him play in England. I saw him play in MLS.”
Damion, adefender, also admired Italian World Cup winner Giorgio Chiellini of Juventus and Brazilian Lucio.
“He grew up watching me play, but I didn’ttutor him,” said Onandi. “I went to his games since he was a toddler, and maybe gave him a couple pointers, but not too much. … We juggled together.”
Damionplayed lots of pick up ball while growing up in Jamaica.
“It was very competitive, kids of all ages,” he remembered. “There were 3-v-3 games, the first team to scorewon. The winning team stayed on while other groups of three waited their turn. Sometimes there’d be 30 kids there. You’d juggle and pass around until it was your team’s turn and thenyou tried hard to win so you could play another game right away.
Asked if he thinks Damion can become a better player than he was, Onandi smiled and said, “Why not? Why not? He hasall the qualities that his dad does to excel and express himself.”
Previous editions of the Youth Soccer Insider’s “When They WereChildren” series:
Clint Dempsey