Persistence and desire have Onyewu primed for MLS debut
CHESTER >> When Oguchi Onyewu declares that it’s not his first rodeo, it’s difficult to tell what the veteran defender is referring to.
He’s made debuts before, as he stands to with the Philadelphia Union in Sunday’s season-opener in Vancouver. He’s also been asked many times, in the 25 months since his last league game, if the emotions change, if there’s a denting of his resilience in the face of injuries and a resulting change in objectives from the team to something more self-centered when he hits the field.
Either way, the answer appears applicable.
“Though it’s my first time playing in America, it’s not my first time playing on the field,” Onyewu said Tuesday after Union training. “Every game I approach the same way, whether it be here in America or in Europe or anywhere. It’s to compete and to show my best.”
That’s been Onyewu’s lodestar for two years since he last suited up for English League One side Charlton Athletic, through trials — of the tryout and tribulation varieties — that landed him in Philadelphia. When the Union open the 2017 season, the veteran of 69 U.S. national team caps and over 200 European league and continental matches is likely to be on the field for his club debut.
The preseason has held particular change for Onyewu, who arrived in Chester in January with the club swearing he was there just to train and stay fit. Yet he impressed sufficiently that the Union brass wouldn’t let him escape their clutches, convinced that his nagging injuries were behind him thanks to over a year of rehabilitation. With the club needing a veteran defender and Onyewu displaying some significant portion of size and snarl that characterized his peak years, the match was consummated.
The stakes rose two weeks later when Josh Yaro fell in training, separating his right shoulder and requiring surgery that will shelve him for three to four months. Manager Jim Curtin wasted no time anointing Onyewu the starter next to Richie Marquez, a vote of confidence that Onyewu appreciates but doesn’t lean too heavily on.
“It’s always good to know that your coach is backing you,” Onyewu said. “Unfortunate injury for Josh, and we all hope for his speedy recovery. But like I said when I signed, I’m just going to play my role and every time I’m on the field, give 100 percent for the team. I’m just going to try to live up to the vote of confidence the coach has in me and the team has in me and try to get good results every time.”
Part of Onyewu’s lure to the Union was the chip the Washington D.C. native carries on his shoulder: He has more to give the game, more desire to continue striving than the slew of injuries has exacted from him.
He assembled a European career with few peers among his countrymen, playing in the top leagues of Belgium, England, Italy, Holland, Portugal and Spain (with lower-division stops in England and France sprinkled in). At long last, the former Clemson Tiger will add MLS to that distinguished list, which he acknowledged as a milestone.
But for journey he the arduous traversed, Onyewu isn’t lumping additional pressure onto the date with the Whitecaps. It’s just another game, another chance (albeit a first one with the Union) to keep the faith that sustained him in so many empty gyms and practice fields. “I think my persistence a testament to my love is for the game and my desire to play,” he said. “I think a lot of individuals that were in my position … they would’ve probably quit a long time ago. I definitely knew there was more to my game before hanging up my boots. I’m confident, I’m fit and I’m looking forward to the season.”