“I felt naked on top of the box, in the beginning of learning all this.”



Jeff Larentowicz was not describing your standard high school nightmare. The 35-year old central midfielder was describing the discomfort he felt while learning the important role he would play in Tata Martino’s possession-based formation.



“‘Jeff you’re standing at the top of the box,’” he said, channeling the coach. “‘Center backs are standing next to the box. The goalkeeper’s going to give you the ball with someone on your back.’ It was difficult.”



Larentowicz has proven that veterans can still acquire additional knowledge in spite of their age and experience in the league. But it took some getting used to.



“One of the things that Tata always said in Spanish was ‘it’s not important’ if you make mistakes,” Larentowicz said. “And we kind of thought, in the...