Rookie's dream on hold for a little longer.
By: Bill Lankhof (Toronot Sun).
Toronto FC opens its season today in Columbus -- a moment No. 1 draft pick Julius James has waited for much of his life.
From the sun-pocked streets of his home in Maloney Gardens, Trinidad, he dreamed of turning professional, perhaps even with his favourite team, Manchester United. He was good enough to earn a scholarship to a U.S. school, spending four years at the University of Connecticut where he was a three-time winner of the Big East defensive player of the year. Then, this past January, Toronto FC picked him ninth overall in the MLS draft.
"This is everything I expected," he said. "I knew since I was a kid that I would have to leave home to do this. I miss it a lot. It's so beautiful. I get to go back only once a year around Christmas. I love it, but I love soccer, too. And, I've been dreaming about this for a long while."
James, however, will have to dream about his first game a little longer. When the team left for Columbus yesterday, James was left in Toronto. But, when a guy has waited 23 years, a dislocated shoulder is a mere pothole on a road that seems to be leading to the end of the rainbow.
"If Julius had stayed free of injury, he probably would have been in the game (today)," coach John Carver said yesterday. "He is recovering quickly and we hope to have him back certainly before the first home game."
The rookie central defender suffered his shoulder separation while battling for possession with Red Bulls striker Juan Pablo Angel during a pre-season game. Until then, if pre-season is any indication, James was earmarked as a likely starter despite his lack of experience in the pros.
"It's everything I expected, but you have to think a lot faster," James said of his initiation into professional football. He also says, in what sounds almost heretical, that the pro game "is a simpler game." But, it makes sense, as he explains:
Touch and gone
"There are (fewer) touches. You have to see the game before it actually happens. By the time you get the ball, it's only one or two touches and it's gone. At college and the lower levels, you get the ball and don't know what to do and you may have to dribble. You have to get the ball and then think about it. Here, guys like Robo (Carl Robinson), he will play one or two touches. That's it, because he knows where he is and where everyone else is going. As a defender, here you can't take any chances. If you get in trouble, just kick the ball out and don't try to dribble."
James has been playing between Jim Brennan and Tyrone Marshall and it seems, when he packed his bags in Trinidad, that he left behind any ego. He remains unimpressed at his No. 1 draft status.
"Where I'm drafted has nothing to do with how much I play," he said. "If I want to prove myself, I need to work very hard. Being a first-round draft pick isn't going to help me on the field. My effort and how well I play will have everything to do with how much I play."
At 6-foot, 180 pounds, James has broad shoulders, a muscular frame, with a leaping ability to win most aerial challenges. He knows how to organize a back four and run a defence, which he did all four seasons at UConn. But about the only thing he knew about Toronto was that it was the hometown of teammate O'Brian White and that the Reds didn't win much. He's hoping to help change the latter.
That boyhood dream of playing for Manchester United? Pressed, he admits Europe still beckons in his heart.
"There's no lie that Europe is the place to be," he said. "But it's also true the MLS is getting very good. There's nothing to hide in saying that Europe is still the pinnacle in terms of salary and profile. It has such a deep tradition."
But, unlike a lot of athletes, he actually is thrilled to be with a Canadian team.
"When I went to college in the U.S., there wasn't a soccer TV channel," he said. "In Canada, there are a lot of soccer stations ... I'm happy to be here. I finally get to see more games."
