PDL Feature
Friday, February 8, 2013
BRADENTON, Fla. – As he prepared to make his debut in Major League Soccer, on the road against Chivas USA on national television, the Chicago Fire’s Austin Berry felt a sense of calm.
“I felt like I was ready,” Berry said recently. “I got a little injury in preseason, and that set me back a little bit, but it gave me some more time to sit back and watch and become acclimated. Just to be able to watch the guys in front of me like Arne [Friedrich] and Jalil [Anibaba] and Cory [Gibbs] especially, and by the time my name was called I was more eager rather than nervous, I was ready to be out there.”
Stepping into the center of a defense to replace the suspended Anibaba, Berry’s MLS career didn’t get off to the most auspicious start as he brought down Alejandro Moreno for a penalty that was converted by Juan Pablo Angel. Just two minutes later, though, Berry himself brought the Fire level, heading home a cross by Sebastián Grazzini for his first goal as a member of the Fire’s first team.
“It was nice,” Berry recalled. “On the day I was just really energetic and Seba played me a great ball. It just helped me settle into the game and kind of helped settle me into the team.”
The goal kick-started what turned into a memorable season for Berry, who finished the year having become a fixture at the center of the Fire’s defense while claiming MLS Rookie of the Year honors.
The goal wasn’t, however, Berry’s first for the Fire organization. Two years earlier, as a member of the club’s PDL team, Berry had found the back of the net as he spent the summer with the organization to help continue his development and progression toward the professional ranks. Appearing in all 16 games in the regular season, Berry was able to get a feel for the club, and allow the club’s first team management to get the chance to see him practice and play regularly throughout the summer.
“You know, it helps, because it’s real hard for them to see college games,” Berry said. “That way I was playing in front of them, one of the guys that got to play in front of them, so they got to see me on a daily basis, because we practiced next to the first team, so Frank [Klopas] and Mike [Matkovich] and a lot of the guys had already had a good look at me and they knew what they would be in for.”
That said, when he arrived at the 2012 MLS SuperDraft, Berry and many of the potential selections were in the dark as to where their professional futures lay. After a good meeting with the Fire at the MLS Combine, though, Berry had a feeling that when he was available when the Fire’s selection came, he would be headed back to Chicago.
“I wasn’t surprised when [the Fire] called my name, and I thought it was a good fit from the meeting,” Berry said. “I was excited.”
Berry was one of a record 11 former Fire PDL players selected that day, with his former teammate Ethan Finlay making 15 appearances for the Columbus Crew and fellow Fire PDL alum Tommy Meyer helping the Los Angeles Galaxy win a second consecutive MLS Cup, starting in the final. Berry still stays in touch with some of his former PDL teammates as they face one another throughout the season.
“When we play against each other, I’ll stay around and say hi to the guys that I’ve gotten to know,” Berry said, “and some of the guys I’ve gotten to know a little bit better because of PDL, so those are some of the main guys I’ve been in touch with in the league.”
Berry also shares ties, and friendships, with his former teammates from the University of Louisville, which now has a growing contingent of players in the league. In addition to Berry, the Cardinals saw Nick DeLeon, Colin Rolfe and Kenney Walker selected in the 2012 SuperDraft, and they were joined this year by No. 1 overall selection Andrew Farrell and Greg Cochrane, both of whom also previously played in the PDL.
“I think they’re both ready,” Berry said. “Ken [Lolla] does a great job in preparing guys for the next level, and we’ve been in contact with them. I’ve known Andrew, I’ve talked to Andrew a lot, and I’ve talked to Greg, I know Andrew’s talked to Nick [DeLeon] and Colin [Rolfe] and guys in the league, so they’ve got a different perspective from each of us and we’re able to give them a little bit of a lead into it, but I think they’re both great personalities, great characters, and I think they’ll both be fine.”
As for Berry, this preseason he’s remained rooted in the principles that got him to this point, building off a trip to Spain that saw he and Anibaba train with Atletico Madrid as he continues to improve technically. In addition, Berry is also trying to add new facets as he looks to take on more responsibility in his second season.
“I think the one big difference this year is to be a bigger leader on the back line, to be more communicative, to be more assertive in my leadership,” he said. “Not being a rookie anymore, I think there’s a little more that’s expected out of me, so I have to take that into account.”
After helping the Fire reach the Eastern Conference playoffs a season ago, Berry remains focused on moving forward personally, and helping the Fire claim their second MLS championship.
“I don’t want to get comfortable, I don’t want to get complacent,” Berry said. “I’ve got to work hard and win my position every day and do the best I can in the games, and like I said just keeping working on my little things and improve on the things I need to do and be a good teammate.”