Rookie Abubakar piles up miles, waits to play

Lalas Abubakar knows the drive between Columbus and Pittsburgh better than most players on the Crew SC roster.

The rookie center back has spent much of his 2017 season training with the Crew. He has also made four appearances for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, the Crew’s United Soccer League affiliate.

“Getting games is really important and I’m really happy I went down there to get some minutes,” Abubakar said Monday. “It’s really good to test myself and it’s better than always training without playing any games.”

He doesn’t gripe about the back-andforth, instead seeing it as something he has to do in order to remain competitive as a professional. The three-hour trip can at times be less than ideal, however, as it was Sunday morning.

Abubakar, the fifth overall pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft out of Dayton, said the Riverhounds returned to Pittsburgh around 6 a.m. Sunday after playing Toronto FC II on Saturday. Abubakar then drove to Columbus in time for the Crew's Sunday morning training session. He spent Sunday doing regeneration and recovery work and had a light day of training Monday, with full training to follow Tuesday.

The rookie's return brings him back to Crew training in time for the club's U.S. Open Cup game at FC Cincinnati on Wednesday, an opportunity Abubakar is anticipating with excitement.

Crew coach Gregg Berhalter didn't tip his hand, asked if the Open Cup game will provide reserves such as Abubakar a chance to prove themselves.

"I would say the answer to that would be potentially. We take it as it comes. We take the games as they come," Berhalter said. "We look at who's fit, we look at our upcoming schedule and we make decisions based on that."

Abubakar has not made an appearance for the club that made him one of the highest draft picks in January, but he has taken away valuable lessons in patience. He said the early portion of his rookie season will be something upon which he can draw in his later years as a professional.

"As a rookie you have to work through challenges and I’m happy I’m going through all of these challenges. It’s helping me grow," Abubakar said. "If I come right away and start playing and later in my life I start facing challenges, I can’t handle it. So it’s good I’m facing (adversity) now and getting used to it."