FIGHTING FOR IMPACT ROLE
Jackson-Hamel wants to play
If Anthony Jackson-Hamel wore skates instead of soccer cleats, perhaps he would have received more adulation after scoring the winning goal for the Impact last Saturday.
Instead, he returned home with some friends, watched a replay of the goal, and returned to the anonymity that comes from being a substitute player for Montreal’s soccer team in a city obsessed with hockey.
“No change at all. Same thing. Same habits. I’m still the same person,” Jackson-Hamel said Tuesday as the Impact returned to practice at Centre Nutrilait for the first time after Saturday’s thrilling 2-1 victory against Atlanta United.
It was Jackson-Hamel, a 23-year-old native of Quebec City, who scored the winning goal in stoppage time by redirecting Hernan Bernardello’s low shot from outside the area with the heel of his right foot. The victory was Montreal’s first of the Major League Soccer season, coming in the team’s sixth game.
Jackson-Hamel entered the match as a late substitute for Dominic Oduro and, although his shot was emblematic of a play made famous by former Impact designated player Didier Drogba, it wasn’t choreographed and didn’t come off a set piece. Instead, it was one final attempt to avoid a draw by a frantic side that carried the play throughout the second half against the 10-man expansion club.
“The way the ball was coming, I don’t know what else I could have done,” said the 6-foot-1, 180-pound forward. “It was improvisation and instinctive.”
It had been a somewhat stressful week for Jackson-Hamel after there was speculation on social media, days earlier, that the seldom-used player was about to be released. The report was subsequently retracted following Saturday’s game.
Jackson-Hamel admitted he heard about the speculation from a third party, but put little stock in the report. Nonetheless, Montreal goalkeeper Evan Bush said the Quebecer deserved full credit for not losing his focus.
“I told Jackson after the game, with the stuff that was in the media this week ... that can affect a young guy,” Bush said Saturday. “That can get in their head and not be focused on the game. He came in and was focused and made a difference for sure.”
Before replacing Oduro, Jackson-Hamel had been limited to one minute this season. In August 2014, he became the seventh Impact Academy product to sign an MLS pro deal with the team, but it has been a constant battle to get on the pitch. Jackson-Hamel played seven regular season games last season — including one start — totalling 171 minutes, scoring his first goal in a 3-0 victory against the New York Red Bulls on March 13.
And with the recent emergence of Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla, the electrifying forward who just turned 18, Jackson-Hamel figures to struggle even more in his quest to become more of a contributing factor. When head coach Mauro Biello made his first significant change on Saturday, Tabla was his first option, replacing Calum Mallace in the 62nd minute.
“Sometimes when you’re not playing, it’s hard to feel a part of it. That’s the reality of pro sports,” Biello said. “It’s opportunities, moments, timing. These are all factors that come into effect for a young player. Being able to take his moment and put the work in every day.
“That’s the big challenge for them, to convince us to use them. That’s what it comes down to. When I played, it was the same thing. It wasn’t here’s the door and you’re going to play because you’re talented. You have to prove and merit the minutes you get.
“We’re very happy for him. He’s a big part of the success of the team. He helped the team win.”
Jackson-Hamel has represented Canada at the youth level and was a part of the team that played at the 2013 under-20 championship. He received his first call-up to the national team last October for a pair of friendlies in Morocco, making his debut as a substitute in the 69th minute against Mauritania. And Jackson-Hamel met with national team coach Octavio Zambrano in Montreal last weekend.
But for now, he’s obviously more concerned with impressing Biello.
“When you get minutes on the pitch, it’s to make the staff’s opinion change. It’s to work hard and deserve your minutes. That’s what I’m trying to do,” Jackson-Hamel said. “I deserve to play. I’m working hard. It’s all I want.”
Notes: Goalkeeper Bush is expected to return to training Wednesday. He returned to Ohio Sunday for a family funeral, Biello said ... Defender Victor Cabrera, who suffered an ankle injury against Atlanta, was to have an MRI Tuesday, while Laurent Ciman, Ignacio Piatti and Marco Donadel had a therapy day.