Veteran leadership is an important element to any successful sports team. While the Black-and-Red have recently brought in a number of young talents to bolster their roster, the team also features league veterans who have accrued valuable MLS experience over the years. With a new young and energetic core in the United locker room, head coach Ben Olsen will rely heavily on veterans like Nick DeLeon and Steve Clark to channel that energy and set team standards for newcomers.
With 175 MLS appearances, midfielder Nick DeLeon is the longest tenured Black-and-Red player in the locker room. The 27-year-old vouches that a good preseason is the key to bringing new players into the picture and setting a solid foundation for the rest of the season. As United work their way through their first preseason training camp in Clearwater, Fl., DeLeon knows the opportunity for players to isolate themselves with teammates and strengthen bonds on and off the pitch will be necessary in order to build the team's fortitude for the upcoming season, and he's willing to help lead the charge in acclimating the squad's newest members.
“I’ve been around and I know what it’s like to be the rookie or new guy in the locker room,” DeLeon said. “I know I have to set an example and use my voice in the locker room. I definitely feel a responsibility to step up as a leader.”
While Steve Clark has not been in D.C. for as long as DeLeon, the goalkeeper has extensive experience domestically (112 MLS appearances) and in the top flight of Norwegian and Danish soccer. Goalkeepers rely heavily on their relationships with players in front of them, and one of the keys to maintaining organization and maximizing the potential of the back line is forming off-the-field relationships with teammates. As a 10-year professional who takes pride in his leadership role, Clark is particularly focused on using preseason to begin connecting with his teammates and welcoming new players to the Black-and-Red family.
"It’s on the established guys here to have a welcoming environment and to incorporate new guys when we’re in Florida,”Clark said. “I’m going to take a lead on that, and something that I enjoy as a leader is bringing the rookies and foreign guys together with the team. I’ve been a foreign guy before so I know what it’s like and I want to help mesh this team.”
With a week of intensive training ahead in Clearwater, both DeLeon and Clark will be intentional in welcoming and getting to know their new teammates on and off the field. Look for the league veterans to step up as two of the Black-and-Red's leaders as the new-look squad prepares for the 2018 season.
