CARSON, Calif. – Bruce Arena’s search for a new left-sided midfielder may be down to two final candidates: Gyasi Zardes and 18-year-old phenom Bradford Jamieson IV.
Finding a replacement for the retired Landon Donovan along the left side of midfield has been one of the club’s primary objectives during the preseason as Arena has given starts to three players in that position during the Galaxy’s preseason slate.
At first, it was rookie Ignacio Maganto who started the first two preseason matches before Jamieson grabbed hold of the position with two consecutive starts of his own, including a run out against Swedish side Hammarby. However, an injury against Hammarby forced Jamieson to the bench for the Galaxy’s preseason friendly with Shamrock Rovers, allowing Gyasi Zardes to start on the left side.
“It’s fun to play different attacking positions. Up top or out wide, it doesn’t matter; I’m just going to work extremely hard to contribute for the team,” said Zardes. “I’ve progressed a great deal as a player and I’m more mature and comfortable out there.”
Although Zardes is certainly an option along the flanks, captain Robbie Keane believes that moving him to midfield could handicap a player that scored 16 goals last season playing almost exclusively as a striker.
“He could be an option, but it depends on the game,” Keane said. “I certainly wouldn’t take him off [from playing forward] especially with the successful season that he had last year. He’s an option though and I’m sure that he could suit up if needed and pushed up at times.”
If Zardes does play up top alongside Keane, the door is open for Jamieson to stake his claim as the team’s newest left midfielder.
During his two preseason starts this season, Jamieson has shown flashes of brilliance as he’s displayed a willingness to run at defenders. Despite his success going forward, the 18-year-old is hardly a finished project, particularly defensively.
“I need to make sure that I come out in training and give a 110 percent effort to my offensive and defensive play,” Jamieson said. “I have to be a perfectionist this season and I should strive to be the guy that makes the least amount of mistakes. If I think about [defensive responsibilities] regularly then it’ll come naturally.”
Even though Jamieson is loaded with youthful optimism, he’ll have to work hard to avoid the growing pains that young players often experience once they make the leap to the first team.
Perhaps the best lesson for Jamieson could be Zardes’ own rookie campaign that saw the forward showcase occasional skill while also being prone to stretches of inconsistency. Extended playing time often proves taxing for young talents, but in order to avoid any slipups, Jamieson is attempting to keep a level head.
“I think I’m pretty prepared,” said Jamieson. “I have a lot of friends who are youth players and doing similar things plus I have guys like Robbie who I’ve reached out to on a daily basis. I expect this season to have great moments and not so great moments and I know that there will be times where I can’t let myself get ahead of myself and times where I can’t beat myself up.”
But if Zardes is set to remain up top, is the midfield spot Jamieson’s to lose?
Well, yes and no.
“It’s a little bit of both. It’s a spot that I think that I fit perfectly into and there’s no doubt that I should be playing there because I know my ability,” Jamieson said. “It’s obviously on me to prove to everyone else, but I think that I should be there without a doubt.
“At the same time, there are more experienced guys who think that they should be there and that’s a good thing because you want to have competitive energy throughout the team.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
