Reading United Feature -- www.readingunitedac.com
Thursday, March 15, 2012
SAN JOSE, Calif. – The life of an MLS Supplemental Draft pick is not what some assume. There is no guaranteed roster spot, but merely the opportunity to impress the coaching staff of the team that selected your rights. And sometimes, even impressing isn’t enough to crack the 30 man roster of MLS teams. In a world of Generation Adidas, trialists, player loans, and trades, sometimes the numbers just don’t work in your favor.
Case in point: Evans Frimpong. Frimpong, who graced the right side of the midfield for the Reading United for the past three seasons, found himself in a numbers crunch with the Chicago Fire. Selected ninth overall in the 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft by the Fire, Frimpong saw limited playing time in the preseason, notching some time on the pitch against D.C. United and Florida Gulf Coast University. Then the news hit.
“Later that night (after playing against FGCU), the coaches invited me to their room,” Frimpong explained. “I was hoping to hear good news, but the Fire had loads of returning players and had tight roster space. The Fire coaches were really nice about the situation and had good things to say about my play. It just wasn’t the place for me, I guess.”
And just like that, two weeks after crunching numbers working on a Sociology degree at University of Delaware, Frimpong found himself in a numbers crunch of a different kind.
In his three years with the United, he put up five goals and five assists in 24 games, translating to a monster senior campaign at Delaware. Frimpong was named second team NSCAA All-American, first team NSCAA All-South Atlantic Region, a Mac Hermann Trophy semifinalist, CAA Player of the Year and ECAC All-East first team. The Blue Hens finished the year ranked #23 in the nation, the highest ranking in school history.
“Reading’s one of the best amateur teams in the country. The level and standard is pretty much next to the MLS,” said Frimpong. “The training sessions and drills always brought the best out of you, and then you were able to translate those skills off the pitch while teaching at Reading United summer camps. Coaching little kids and sharing time with them makes you feel like a super star.”
Talent like Frimpong’s is never held down for long. A few days after being released by the Fire, his phone rang. It was the San Jose Earthquakes.
“The trial with the Earthquakes was only supposed to be five days, but the coaches were impressed with me, and decided to keep me longer,” said Frimpong. “I’ve been with San Jose for almost a month now, training with the first team every day.”
The Earthquakes recently filled their 29th and 30th spots on their roster last Friday, signing GK Evan Newton and D Josh Suggs to deals for the 2012 season. San Jose’s roster is filled, and he has put his college degree on hold to chase a dream of playing professional soccer. Despite the obstacles, they haven’t diminished Frimpong’s resolve to make the MLS in the slightest.
“I make sure my talent speaks for itself. I know I have something that cannot be taught by coaches, and that makes me special. I just keep working hard, and good things will happen.”