Los Angeles Blues Feature -- www.bluessoccerclub.com
Friday, October 7, 2011
LOS ANGELES – With the 2011 Blues roster featuring no less than eight former MLS players, it’s easy to forget that one of them made topflight history just four years ago. By subbing on in a match against Chivas USA in September 2007, then 17-year-old Israel Sesay became the youngest player in Los Angeles Galaxy history to play in a game for the MLS standout club.
The honor is testament to Sesay’s tremendous talent, which also made him a mainstay in the Los Angeles Blues’ attack throughout the 2011 USL PRO campaign. With the former U.S. U-17 international finishing the campaign as the Blues’ appearances leader, along with defender Nelson Akwari, Los Angeles fans have every reason for excitement, as the club has already secured Sesay’s services for 2012.
In reflecting on the Blues’ inaugural campaign in USL PRO, the versatile attacker stressed the challenge of frequently having to play two road matches in a span of two or three days.
“The back-to-back games definitely stood out to me,” he said. “At this level, it’s not easy to play a match in hot and humid conditions and then travel all night to play again a day or two later. That’s extremely exhausting and it will take a toll on you no matter who you are, whether you’re young or old. That was really difficult for all of our players.
“I think having played back-to-back games for an entire season will help me next year, because I’ll be mentally ready for it and will know what to expect going into a trip. But it’s still not easy facing that. I don’t think anyone can really be prepared for it.”
Having spent time with the Galaxy, Sesay offered his comparison of MLS and USL PRO.
“To be honest, it’s not very different at all,” he said. “There’s a slight difference in the caliber of players, but the overall level of play is pretty similar. I feel like a lot of the guys in USL PRO could easily go up to MLS and compete.”
In a strong USL PRO, Sesay’s Blues enjoyed a successful 2011 campaign, making the playoffs in their first year in existence and losing by the closest of margins to hosts Harrisburg City Islanders in the National Division semifinals. The 3-2 defeat came in heartbreaking fashion, as Los Angeles was unable to find an equalizer despite playing with a man advantage for nearly half an hour following a 66th minute red card shown to Harrisburg’s Jason Pelletier.
Captain Josh Tudela had given the Blues the early lead in the game before an Andrew Welker brace put the City Islanders on top and Los Angeles defender Erlys Garcia tied things up in first-half stoppage time. The game-winning goal came off the foot of Brian Ombiji in the 52nd minute.
“We did what we were supposed to do and worked hard, but overall it was just a tough game,” Sesay said. “The conditions weren’t the best since the field was bumpy, which didn’t suit our style of play. Still, we came out and were the better team in the first half. We also managed to score two goals in the game, but Harrisburg did well to respond with some great attacking play. In the end, I felt like they were just a little more ready and had the field conditions to help them.”
While the Sierra Leone-born acknowledged that reaching the playoffs was a success for his first-year side, he stressed that players and staff had hopes of going even deeper and possibly winning the championship. The dream was abruptly ended in Harrisburg.
“Oh man, it was tough,” Sesay said. “With the caliber of players we had, I thought we should have at least made it to the championship game. After the loss, the atmosphere in the locker room reflected everyone’s disappointment. We were all a little surprised and just sitting around in disbelief.
“Of course, you also have to look at the positives. We made the playoffs as a first-year team, which isn’t bad. But given our roster, we thought we were the better team than Harrisburg. We played well in the game too – we just didn’t put away our chances. So the loss was really tough to swallow for everyone in the locker room, from the players to the coaches and the rest of the staff.”
The disappointment has only made the former Galaxy man more motivated for the upcoming USL PRO season.
“If we can assemble a similar team as we had this year, I think we’ll be fine and have a huge chance to win it all in 2012,” he offered. “We’ll just have to be a little more hungry and have that winning mentality. With the right guys and mindset, we can definitely win the championship.”
Mature despite his young age, Sesay is well aware of his responsibilities during the long offseason. For the 21-year-old, the 2012 USL PRO campaign isn’t far away.
“I can’t just sit around and do nothing, because otherwise I’d have a really steep hill to climb fitness-wise before the next season starts,” he said. “From what I’m hearing, we’re also likely to play some exhibition games in the coming months to evaluate players and start working on the roster for 2012. So I continue to do fitness work like jogging and push-ups, just to stay active and be ready for when I’m needed.”
That could be very soon, as Blues management is hoping to schedule a first international exhibition for November. If finalized, the match would present Sesay with a welcome opportunity to replace the running shoes with his much preferred cleats.
“I’m definitely looking forward to playing games during the offseason, especially because it sounds like we’re looking at some pretty big teams with a lot of great players,” he said. “Our preparations for next year start with the first exhibition match, so I’m sure whoever is on the field for us will take it very seriously and play to win.”