TABLA’S ‘ADVENTURE’ OFF TO BLAZING START
Impact rookie plays with intelligence and confidence far beyond his years
In September, Ballou Tabla posted on his Twitter account: “God makes you wait, so prepare to receive more than you asked.”
A month later, at age 17, Tabla became the youngest player to sign an MLS contract with the Impact, which prompted this tweet from team captain Patrice Bernier: “Welcome to the MLS team little brother Ballou. The start of a beautiful adventure.” So far, it’s been exactly that. Last weekend, Tabla scored the only goal in the Impact’s 1-0 victory over D.C. United in Washington and it was a thing of beauty. The 18-year-old midfielder stole the ball from D.C. United’s Jared Jeffrey near midfield and then galloped alone to the top of the 18-yard box before cutting to his right and belting a low, right-footed shot in the opposite direction past diving goalkeeper Travis Worra.
It was the second goal of the season for Tabla, who is expected to be in the Impact starting lineup for the third straight game Saturday when the Columbus Crew visits Saputo Stadium (5 p.m., TVA Sports, TSN Radio 690).
It became obvious at a young age that Tabla, who was born in Ivory Coast but grew up in Montreal, is a very special player. He played minor soccer with the Pointe-aux-Trembles Jets and Montreal amateur club CS Panellinios before joining the Impact Academy. The 5-foot9, 154-pounder was named Canada’s U17 player of the year when he was only 15, and two years later, was Canada’s top U20 player.
“He’s a very nice kid who listens a lot,” veteran Impact defender Hassoun Camara, who is 33, said about Tabla before practice Friday morning at Centre Nutrilait. “He deserves everything he has today because he has worked very hard. He doesn’t talk much … he just expresses himself on the field through his quality, which is a very good thing.”
One of the things that impresses Camara most about Tabla is the teenager’s ability to play without overthinking.
“The way he goes to the goal ... he just plays like he can and he doesn’t disrupt himself by thinking or hesitating to do something,” Camara said. “He’s just free to play and this is what we like.”
The Impact is trying to shelter Tabla from the media spotlight, but the teenager’s play speaks for itself. Tabla’s two goals this season are one behind team leaders Ignacio Piatti and Anthony Jackson-Hamel, and the arrival of designated player Blerim Dzemaili, who will make his Impact debut Saturday, should give the offence a boost.
“He’s going to bring some attention and, for sure, when you bring attention others are freed up,” Impact coach Mauro Biello said about midfielder Dzemaili, who comes to Montreal from Italian Serie A team Bologna FC. “He’s a very intelligent player, and when he has the ball, he’ll know when to speed it up or when to slow it down. He’s a guy that could score from midfield, which is something we haven’t had in the last years … a midfielder who could put up numbers. It’s not the main thing that we’re looking for him to do, but it’s something that he has.”
Last season, Tabla got a chance to train with former Impact designated player Didier Drogba, who is also from the Ivory Coast, and now the teenager can watch and learn from Dzemaili, a member of the Swiss national team.
Biello remembers watching video of Tabla in action at the U16 and U18 levels and how much he stood out.
“He had a total impact on the game and you could see how he was separated from the rest,” Biello said. “He just had personality at that age. It was like, give me the ball and I’m going to make something happen. His confidence doesn’t waver and he’s brought that here at this level, which is phenomenal.”
Tabla’s early success in MLS will give a boost to the Impact Academy and other young players in the feeder system with dreams of one day playing at the pro level.
“If he continues like this, you’ve developed not only a player for your first team, but a starter and an important player, and that’s the plan,” Biello said. “To have players from our academy come up and play real minutes and become heroes in their own town.”
But the coach also issued a warning: “He’s still young ... you don’t want to go too fast with him.”
Sometimes you have to wait. But, so far, the Impact have received more than they could have asked for from Tabla.
He’s a very intelligent player, and when he has the ball, he’ll know when to speed it up or when to slow it down.