TWO TEENAGERS ARE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHINE
Former teammates Tabla, Davies on opposing sides as Impact hosts Whitecaps
When Mauro Biello was 18 and attempting to launch a pro soccer career, he was busy scaling fences and jumping onto practice fields. He began his career with the Montreal Supra of the Canadian Soccer League before joining the Impact a year later, long before its Major League Soccer existence.
“When I played (the question was) is there going to be a team next year?” quipped Biello, the Impact’s head coach. “Development didn’t exist.”
Times and eras have changed. The Impact is firmly established in MLS, and its roster includes Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla, an attacking midfielder who turned 18 on March 31 and is in his initial season with the first team.
Whether it has been as a starter, twice, or coming off the bench, the 5-foot-9, 154-pounder has made things happen when on the pitch, changing the momentum of games.
“He’s a guy that has tremendous talent,” Biello said. “I’ve been here many years and have seen a lot of players. We haven’t seen one with that type of talent.”
Tabla won’t be the only teenager dressed Saturday (3 p.m., TVA Sports, CTV, TSN 690 Radio) when the Impact entertains the Vancouver Whitecaps at Saputo Stadium. The Caps lay claim to 16-year-old Alphonso Davies, the youngest active player in MLS. Davies, who made his MLS debut last season, has played in five games for Vancouver, starting four. He has yet to score in 13 league games. Tabla and Davies were teammates — and roommates — when representing Canada internationally in the past.
“I’m not against him. I’m his friend,” Tabla said. “It’s my team against his team.”
Tabla spent the majority of his first pro season playing in the USL with FC Montreal, recording five goals and five assists in 21 games. Although he was summoned to the Impact late in the year for training purposes, Tabla expected to return to the developmental squad this season.
Instead, he has continued to progress with the first team, gaining recognition with his crafty and inspired play. He has played in six of the Impact’s seven games, and scored a goal in his first start, against Chicago April 1, when he replaced injured star Ignacio Piatti. Two weeks ago, at home against Atlanta, Tabla came off the bench in the second half and immediately changed the atmosphere with his clever footwork and attacking style.
“I’m very happy for what’s happening right now. I’m very surprised,” Tabla said. “The key is work, every day. It’s not because you’re young that you can’t play. You just have to work.
“MLS is fast. The way the first team plays is very different. The intensity ... the fans ... it’s very different. There might be 30 people at a USL game.”
Biello said he believes Tabla’s close to cracking the starting 11, although he’ll continue battling another young player, 23-yearold Anthony Jackson-Hamel for playing time. Jackson-Hamel has scored three goals in 37 minutes during the last two games.
Biello said Tabla has passed every hurdle. “He continues to perform, do well and absorb everything and grow as a player,” the coach explained.
“We want to be careful because he’s still 18. At the same time, we want to give him all the tools he needs to express himself. In the end, you have to let that talent flourish. As long as we support him the right way and guide him, he’ll be allowed to express himself. Physically, he’s very strong. He has personality. These are key ingredients to let talent flourish.”
The Impact, in the midst of a three-game stretch against teams with losing records, will be seeking to improve on the club’s 1-2-4 mark. While the players deserve praise for rebounding from a three-goal deficit to tie Philadelphia last weekend, it nonetheless was another shoddy start against the only winless team in MLS.
Vancouver, 2-4-1, has yet to win in three road games this season after winning only four of 17 away from home last year. Although they outshot and outplayed the Timbers for much of the final half, the Whitecaps still lost 2-1 at Portland last week, the home team taking advantage of giveaways and poor defending to score the game’s opening two goals. But the Caps undoubtedly have some pieces, including Colombian striker Fredy Montero, who arrived on the eve of the regular season, and Christian Bolanos. Montero scored against Portland. The Impact will be without defenders Hassoun Camara, recovering from a concussion, and Victor Cabrera, who has a high ankle sprain, and there has been constant upheaval on Montreal’s back line.
“It’s not ideal to have a constant rotation on the back four, for rhythm and cohesion,” Biello said. “It’s important with the ball, but also understanding distances and how to close space, how to be connected to their teammates on the field. Sometimes it becomes a little bit difficult.”
We want to be careful because he’s still 18. At the same time, we want to give him all the tools he needs to express himself.