Terrapin men’s soccer coach Sasho Cirovski likes to keep track of how his former players are performing in various professional leagues. This year’s crop of Major League Soccer rookies is no different.
Jason Garey, Marc Burch and Michael Dello-Russo, all members of last year’s national championship team, are back at square one as the new guys. Garey and Burch have started over as members of the Columbus Crew, while Dello-Russo has been playing with the FC Dallas development team.
All three players said the transition from senior leader to fresh-faced rookie has been unique.
“It’s a learning experience,” Burch said. “You get used to not having pull with the coaches and not playing as much.”
“It’s like going from high school to college again,” Dello-Russo said. “The guys are great here, but you really do go from the top-of-the-top to the bottom-of-the-bottom.”
Dello-Russo is the only of the three players who has yet to log any minutes with his team. He said he understands FC Dallas has a deep, talented team, and it may take him some time to break in.
“Dello-Russo I think is just following the progression of being a back, which in the MLS can take a little time,” Cirovski said. “He’s done very well with the reserve team, and the coaches are very happy with him.”
Dello-Russo said the positive encouragement from the coaching staff has helped him a lot.
For Garey and Burch, professional journeys have brought them together as teammates on the Columbus Crew.
“It’s been great,” Burch said. “Right now we’re just having fun.”
Burch began his season with the Los Angeles Galaxy, where he logged time in three games before being traded to Columbus. He appeared in four more games with the Crew before being moved to the development team.
“The development league has been good,” Burch said. “The competition has been one step up from college, so it’s been a good challenge.”
In addition to being reunited with Garey, the move to Columbus also brought Burch closer to his hometown of Cincinnati.
“Marc I think now is in the place he wanted to be all along in Columbus,” Cirovski said. “He’s from that area, and he’s very happy.”
Garey’s been with Columbus from the start. As the third overall pick in the 2006 MLS draft and the reigning national player of the year, Garey came into the season hoping to see some action.
“I was just trying to work into a spot,” Garey said. “I went high in the draft and the coaches had confidence in me.”
Garey has done that, starting in half of Columbus’ games so far this season. After dealing with a hamstring injury early in the season, Garey has since started to develop into a consistent player for Columbus. According to Cirovski, the Columbus coaching staff already refers to Garey as one of the leaders on the team. Cirovski also believes that, with time, Garey can become a top-flight scorer for Columbus like he was with the Terps.
“I have no doubt he will,” Cirovski said when asked about Garey’s chances. “Jason needs to be on a team that will provide good services in the penalty box. The Crew this year was ravaged by injuries and couldn’t get the same starting lineup in consistently. He’s been a victim of a team in transition. As that team gets better, Jason’s production will sky-rocket.”
Garey was more modest when he talked about his chances to become a top scorer. He said time will tell, but that things are much tougher at the professional level.
“In this environment you learn about taking care of your body and the other little things,” Garey said. “When you’re a pro it’s all about what you do on gameday.”
The jump in competition has shown statistically as Garey and Burch have seen their numbers drop from their senior years with the Terps. Garey has two goals in 20 games played, and Burch has one assist in four games.
All three players agreed the jump from college to the pros was difficult, perhaps more so than other sports.
“Yeah it is harder,” Burch said. “It takes a lot to develop as a player, and there aren’t as many pure athletes that can step right in.”
“The speed of the game when you move up is so much harder,” Garey said. “It does take a while to get used to.”
Cirovski believes the biggest cause for struggling rookies in the MLS is the timing of the season. The college season ends in December, the MLS draft is in January and the season kicks off right after.
“I think for a lot of rookies the first season is difficult because it becomes almost a 15-month grueling affair,” Cirovski said. “You see a lot of soccer rookies have great second years because they finally get a two or three month break and their bodies get a chance to recover.”
Cirovski said he has full confidence that all three former Terps will have successful careers as professional soccer players.
“The challenge is going to be how long they can deal with the low pay,” he said with a laugh.
Contact reporter Joey Whelan at whelandbk@gmail.com.
