Just a week after making his Major League Soccer debut, United Homegrown defender Jalen Robinson notched a much bigger milestone: his first career MLS start. Steve Birnbaum was still away with the U.S. Men’s National Team and Bobby Boswell was suspended, so Robinson partnered with Kofi Opare in the back line against the New England Revolution Saturday night drawing praise from teammates, his coach and Black-and-Red fans.
“I’ve seen this kid grow now for quite a while, and as he’ll tell you, it hasn’t been an easy road for him,” head coach Ben Olsen said. “For him to get out there and play the way he did tonight against some pretty accomplished forwards in this league is fun. For a coach, it’s a lot of fun to see him.”
Looking much older than his 22 years, Robinson seemed to be all over the field, snuffing out New England attacks time and again. Facing one of the most accomplished forwards in the league in Kei Kamara, Robinson was up to the task. In the 14th minute, Robinson made his presence known after getting caught one-on-one with Kamara down the right sideline, going to ground and cleanly winning the ball with a picture-perfect tackle.
Later in the first half, the Maryland native again thwarted Kamara, throwing himself in front of the New England striker’s shot and blocking the ball. He would finish the night with a team-high seven clearances and four interceptions and an MLS Team of the Week nod, joining teammate Lamar Neagle.
Robinson, who signed for the team on January 6, 2014, had previously played exclusively in CONCACAF Champions League and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup matches for United, and was on loan with the Richmond Kickers and Arizona United SC in 2014. He played all 120 minutes for United in their only Open Cup match of 2016 against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, something Robinson says was helpful.
“[The Open Cup match] helped me build up partnerships with [Taylor Kemp] and Kofi [Opare] and just all of the guys, so it was definitely a good warm-up for me,” he said.
Part of the long road for Robinson is because of his position, a notoriously deep section of the depth chart for United with captain Boswell, Birnbaum and a strong third option in Opare. While the depth caused a delay in his debut, it only added fuel to the fire for Robinson.
“I’m hungry; coach told me it’s all about making the next step,” he said. “You can’t get discouraged. [My situation] keeps me motivated and grounded.
And as far as how Robinson felt his important night went?
“It was a good 90 minutes for me. I don’t mind a performance like that, and it wasn’t just me, it was the team. I thought the team played well to go out and get a W at home,” he said. “You make it a fortress, that’s the whole point, to make RFK a fortress, and I think this was a good start to do so.”
