LONDONER ANTON
Poch told me to try a different life in the USA..I had to be brave
WalkerPeters at Tottenham’s academy, but when the time came to leave in search of regular football he made a bold decision. It was former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino (with Walkes, above) who persuaded him to move to MLS on loan. After a further loan spell back in England with Portsmouth (winning the Checkatrade trophy, inset), he could not wait to get back to the States. Walkes said: “It was something totally different, I had to leave my family and my comfort zone – it was such a big change. I realised I couldn’t sit and play reserve or Under-23s football any more. I was sitting in the dressing room one day, Mauricio Pochettino came over and asked me how I felt about the move.
“Pochettino said he knew the coaching staff and said I’d get more minutes and, after speaking to my family, it was definitely something I had to do.
“I’d always recommend coming here rather than dropping down the leagues in England. Some guys have been at academies since they were eight years old and to leave at 21 or 22, it’s a big wrench, but it’s definitely worth leaving your comfort zone.
“I’m a family man, my family means the world to me. Stepping away was always hard. But you have to realise there’s opportunities elsewhere, be brave and take it full steam ahead.”
And Walkes has told other potential movers they should not be afraid of the standard in the US because it is better than they might imagine.
“You’ll only see MLS get better and better,” he said. “A lot of people’s opinions have changed of late. The rate the league is going at, you’ll only see it get better. Younger players are coming here and it’s not a place if you’re older and just want to see out the last two or three years of your career. It’s way beyond that stage. I wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to try something different.”
Walkes had a different path into professional football as he was spotted by Tottenham at 14 playing for Dulwich Hamlet, signed as an apprentice and, after playing in the League Cup, left for the US and a loan spell at Atlanta.
They are now managed by Frank de Boer, their president is Darren Eales, who used to be at Spurs, and they have one of the biggest fanbases in America, plus a spectacular 71,000-seat stadium.
Walkes (posing for a selfie with fans, top) added: “The stadium is perfect and the atmosphere is incredible. They support you, sing their songs, and want to make you happy, which helps you enjoy the game so much more.
“I didn’t get many games in the Championship, but MLS is definitely on a par and some of the top teams could even go further. In the next few years you’ll see a crazy amount of top players coming to the league, and if you look again in 10 years’ time, it will be in a totally different place.”
‘I had to leave my comfort zone’