The young Canadian came on in the first half for injured Samuel Piette

Shamit Shome first joined the Montreal Impact when he was selected 41st overall in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft. The 20-year-old made his first appearance last season when he came on for Patrice Bernier in the former captain’s last career game, and came on as a late substitute again in the game against Orlando, in Florida, on June 23.

But against Sporting Kansas City, Shamit played his biggest game with the Bleu-blanc-noir as of yet, coming on for an injured Samuel Piette in the 38th minute, when the score was still 0-0.

“There’s a little less pressure when you replace an injured player because you’re not really thinking about it too much until you get subbed in,” said midfielder Shamit Shome. “Obviously with Sam coming off, it’s big shoes to fill, but Ken and Saphir did a good job of helping me quickly integrate into the game.”

Having lost such an important part of its midfield in Samuel Piette against the best team in the Western Conference, the Impact had to adjust quickly; Ken Krolicki fell into more of a defensive role, while Shamit came on and took on more offensive responsibilities.

“The job that both of them did is pretty spectacular, and very hard to do,” said defender Daniel Lovitz. “It speaks volumes to both of their characters and their quality as players. They both stepped up to the plate and did an excellent job. They were a huge part of our win.”

Getting playing time

Shamit Shome was loaned to Ottawa Fury FC in the beginning of the season, with the ultimate goal being for the young Canadian international to get some playing time under his belt. But unforeseen circumstances with the first team in Montreal forced an early return into the Bleu-blanc-noir’s group.

Then, Canada’s U21 team came calling. The group would be participating in the historic Toulon tournament for the first time ever, and Shome was invited to be a part of the team. He started all four games for the Canadian national team, and played an integral role in midfield.

“John [Herdman] and Mauro [Biello] were very good in helping me build my confidence,” added Shome. “Playing games consecutively was good for me to get my rhythm back. When I came back to Montreal, I came back with a lot of confidence. Rémi and the coaches spoke to me following my return and told me that I looked more comfortable on the ball and more aggressive, and I think Toulon was a big part of that.”

The confidence seems to have translated onto the playing field in MLS, where Shamit Shome put in a good performance on all fronts against one of the league’s better teams, and even came close to scoring one of his own in the second half. With seven games on the schedule in July, including two Canadian Championship games, another opportunity may be on the horizon for Shamit, sooner rather than later.

“It was a great feeling to get back into that rhythm, and it’s something that I missed a lot,” added Shome. “I didn’t even know how much I missed it until after the game, when I realized it had been a while. I just need to keep training and playing hard, and hopefully I’ll get more opportunities as we go.”