Matt Kremkau - Empire of Soccer

by RUSS McKENZIE



HANOVER, N.J. – A U.S. head coach once said “opportunities are born of great adversity.”

In 2015, those opportunities came very early for a certain young homegrown defender. Matt Miazga took the league by storm last year, filling in for the oft-injured Ronald Zubar and making his mark with the New York Red Bulls and the U.S. National Team.



With Miazga’s departure to Chelsea, there is once again opportunity to be had. But whom will take it?

One player that has a shot to step in to a more active role in head coach Jesse Marsch’s club is Karl Ouimette.

“For me, it’s a priority to get my spot on the field this year – be confident, be a leader out there, and get a lot of minutes this year,” Ouimette told EoS after training on Monday. “Matt established himself here, and I want to do the same.”

Ouimette was signed by Marsch as Montreal Impact’s first homegrown player in their inaugural season. When the chance came up to bring Ouimette into the fold in the run up to the 2015 season, Marsch grabbed the young defender.

Since then, Ouimette has been a fixture with the Canadian National team. This season presents a unique situation for the young Canadian defender. With injuries to Ronald Zubar and Damien Perrinelle, along with Miazga’s departure, Ouimette could earn a role on the Starting XI come March 6.

While that possibility exists, Ouimette is not looking that far ahead.

“I just like to think short term.,” he said. “I’m still young and I think I did some good things last year, but it’s all about competing.”

Another young defender has been looking to make an impression on his coaches: second round SuperDraft pick Zach Carroll. After most assumed he would be playing with New York’s USL side, he has suddenly found himself with an opportunity to crack the senior team as well.

“Camp has been very good. All the guys have been very open with me. It’s all about learning the system, and implementing what they want as fast as possible, (and) all about making it hard on the coaches to make a decision,” he said. “(The coaching staff) has been very engaged with me and helpful with me, letting me know what to do. It’s just a matter of me taking that every practice and using it to the best of my ability.”

Of course, options at centerback can change on a day-to-day basis. After all, various reports continue to connect defender Gideon Baah to the club — a sure-fire starting option if signed.

Nevertheless, the current state of flux at the heart of the defense is creating chances for outliers. And if we learned anything from Miazga, it’s the value of opportunity.