Langley-born Joel Waterman officially made history on Tuesday afternoon, as he became the first player to make the jump from the Canadian Premier League to Major League Soccer, joining the Montreal Impact for a fee reported to be in the $100k region. Waterman also became the first player sold by a CPL team for a transfer fee, giving us an example of how beneficial the new Canadian first division can be for young footballers in this country.

Despite being the only player to make the jump to MLS so far, Joel Waterman wasn’t necessarily considered one of the best players in the CanPL. In fact, OneSoccer ranked him just 43rd on their year-end list of the top 50 players in the league. Waterman has many strong qualities though, and if an MLS team was convinced by his quality, then maybe he was somebody we were overlooking all season long.

Let’s take an in-depth look at what Waterman does and doesn’t bring to the table for the Montreal Impact:

His versatility is very impressive, and is certainly one of the main reasons Montreal signed him.

Joel Waterman is a centre-back first and foremost, and while he can play other positions on the pitch, his versatility within the centre-back position on its own is rather impressive. As you know, there are multiple different formations used regularly in all levels of football, and pretty much all of those formations use either 2 centre-backs (a back 4) or 3 (a back 3). The roles played by centre-backs in these 2 formations vary quite a bit more than you’d expect, as do the areas of the pitch that they cover.

In 2019 with Cavalry, Waterman displayed his immense quality in multiple different centre-back roles, including as a right centre-back in a back 4, a left centre-back in a back 4, and a left centre-back in a back 3. This is a valuable trait for the Impact, as they can shift formations comfortably with him as an option in their team, and he will be able to fill in adequately at both left and right centre-back while maintaining the same level of play – this is something that not all centre-backs are capable of.

Along with being versatile as a centre-back by itself, Waterman also played in defensive midfield for Cavalry multiple times and even put in a strong display at right-back against FC Edmonton in June. The 23-year-old will certainly provide his new boss Thierry Henry with a versatile depth option over the course of the 2020 MLS season.

An illustration of the different positions Joel Waterman played for Cavalry in 2019.

Waterman is indeed a modern centre-back, with an exquisite passing range that also allows him to be efficient in midfield.

Ask any high-level football coach what they look for in a centre-back. I guarantee you that one of the absolute necessities they will bring up is: “good on the ball”.

Well, Joel Waterman is not good on the ball – he is superb. Despite being a defender, Waterman passes the football like a midfielder, always looking to find more advanced teammates between the lines with zipped passes that take the opposition by surprise. His eyes always seem to be locked up-field, and he isn’t afraid to take risks with his passing, which is a breath of fresh air at times.

Waterman can brush the ball along the ground with precision, hammer it across the field, and play delicate, nimble passes as well. He has it all in his locker, but it’s those long diagonal passes to the wingers that really stand out in his game. If you have a centre-back that can play these diagonals at a high level, then you add another dynamic to your transition play which is very difficult for the opposition to read, and even prevent.

Waterman’s diagonal passes can allow his team to transition to the final third in the blind of an eye, which can often take the entire opposition front 6 out of the play with a single pass.

Waterman is a right-footed player but isn’t afraid to pass with his left, which is why he is more suitable to the left centre-back position than most other right-footed defenders at this level.

As mentioned earlier, Waterman is capable of playing at the base of midfield, and while his passing range is one of the biggest reasons why, he has other traits that you will find in most midfielders, but rarely in centre-backs. When watching Waterman a bit closer, I was able to notice how often he scans the space around him. Normally, this is something you will see a bit more in midfielders, who must check their blindside often in order to utilize the space in their surrounding area, but Waterman has this quality no matter which position he plays. This makes him more comfortable in his position and allows him to command the space around him as well.

It's fantastic for #CanPL and a credit to both the player and his club that in one year, Joel Waterman has gone from the U-Sports Draft to playing under Thierry Henry. Versatile, a great athlete, and so, so confident with the ball at his feet. #IMFC pic.twitter.com/vTnYOjUVkF — Oliver Platt (@plattoli) January 13, 2020

Waterman might be 6’2, but he is a rather mobile player. In fact, he is far more mobile than any other centre-back Cavalry had in their ranks last season, and this allowed him to take on opponents deep in his own half with relative ease, which subsequently allowed him to step further up the field and play a killer pass – something he is quite good at.

Despite all of his strengths, Waterman has some work to do off the pitch if he wants to make an impact in MLS.

The gap between the CanPL and MLS certainly isn’t as large as we initially thought (we know this thanks to last season’s Canadian Championship), but that doesn’t mean that players are going to be able to make the step up easily. Waterman is going to have to get used to a new tactical system, and become accustomed to playing against players, who for the most part, are fitter, stronger, and faster.

If you take a look at Waterman, you’ll notice that he’s a bit leaner than a normal centre-back of his height (6’2). Even next to the other 3 centre-backs Cavalry used last season, Wheeldon, Zator, and Trafford, the new Impact signing had a smaller frame, despite being the same height as the latter 2 and taller than the former. While this allows him to maintain his speed and mobility, it could certainly hinder him in physical duels when he makes the step up to MLS.

Waterman should be looking to build up his physique a bit more to really take advantage of his tall frame, in order to keep up with the increased pace and physicality of the MLS game.

Overall, Thierry Henry is adding a versatile, talented player to his backline.

In my opinion, there is no doubt that the Montreal Impact are getting a strong player in Joel Waterman. The centre-back will be 24 by the time the 2020 MLS season comes around, and he has plenty of room to grow both on and off the pitch, as he looks to fight for a spot in the team with the likes of Rudy Camacho and Rod Fanni.

His range of passing is MLS-level, and his ability to play multiple roles in the backline and at the base of midfield makes him an excellent squad player.

Joel Waterman has now proved that MLS teams are indeed keeping an eye on CanPL talent. Hopefully this spurs our Canadian footballers to continue pushing themselves to the limit and mastering new talents in order to be spotted and scouted by the higher-ups. This move only increases the relevancy of the CanPL and Canadian soccer in general, and I am confident that we will continue to see players make a similar jump in the years to come.

You can find me on Twitter at @mahithgamage to keep track of all my latest work.

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Mahith Gamage Website An avid football fan right from his first experiences with the sport, Mahith Gamage has been dabbling in football journalism for a few years now, creating his own world football blog and podcast, freeflow football, whilst featuring frequently on many other football media outlets, covering European football. With the start of the Canadian Premier League in 2019, Mahith began coverage of his hometown club, Valour FC, through NSXI. He enjoys spreading his knowledge and opinions of the beautiful game to fellow football fanatics in Canada and throughout the world, using articles and tweets, thriving particularly on tactical analysis and player scouting. You can find him tweeting about world football day and night, at @mahithgamage.

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