AMSTERDAM – Just about seven weeks from now, Mjøndalen IF center back Rhett Bernstein will finally do something he was starting to think he'd never get to do: He will begin his first pro season as a top-flight soccer player.
Just a few months ago, in the days leading up to last November's opening leg of Norway’s Tippeligaen promotion/relegation final, the 27-year-old was nearing the end of his contract and had begun wondering what line of work he might enter next.
"In the playoffs, they told me 'We're not going to offer you a contract,'" Bernstein told MLSsoccer.com by phone from Norway. "They felt I got injured a lot."
In fact, at the time, Bernstein was just returning from a torn hamstring injury that helped limit him to just two league starts over the 2014 regular season. And he had no clue what he would be doing with his life when the two-leg playoff final against traditional Norwegian headliner Brann ended, largely because the topic was given little thought.
"I was focused on staying fit," recalled Bernstein. "I knew I'd probably play in the playoffs, because we were down to like 14 guys.
"I was back to healthy, but I wasn't even supposed to play in the two final matches and then a starting center back got hurt in the warm-ups. My coach was a bit nervous about it because I hadn't played 90 minutes for a long time. But I got the opportunity and made it happen."
Indeed he did. Bernstein went the distance in both legs as the underdogs followed up a 1-1 draw in Brann with a celebratory 3-0 victory in the home capper. Mjøndalen, a village of 8,000 people about 30 miles west of Oslo, partied as a top-flight town for the first time since 1993.
Now among its toasted heroes, Bernstein was signed to a new deal by the club in December. In the matter of four days, the guy pondering retirement became the guy aiming for a Tippeligaen debut when Mjøndalen hosts Viking on 1904559776" tabindex="0">April 6.
"I love football, so I'm sure I'd have given [finding a new club] a shot," said Bernstein, a Brown University grad and San Diego native. "But sometimes you get to a point ... I honestly don't think my mind would totally be on playing [if he became a free agent while Mjøndalen moved to the top flight]. To suffer through all of it and not get the reward would have taken a toll."
He has definitely suffered plenty along the way, with short, uncertain training stints in places like Israel, Puerto Rico and Sweden prior to joining the Brown Army in the Norwegian second tier. After establishing himself as a starter in 2012, Bernstein had to fight through a torn anterior cruciate ligament, two resulting knee surgeries, a torn abductor muscle and the aforementioned hamstring setback. And then came the promotion final against the big domestic club.
"Those two games changed my mentality and opened a whole new door for me," said Bernstein. "Boom, you're in the door. This is what you've been playing for since I finished college, risking coming over to Europe. Now, the chance has come. Take it and see where it leads."
For the moment, somewhat fittingly, his road leads to the training table. Bernstein is nursing a twisted ankle, but expects to be fit for duty once the club heads to La Manga, Spain to continue preseason camp.
"Hopefully, I should be back to playing against [1904559777" tabindex="0">March 2 friendly opponent] Tromsø," he reported. "I should be back to full training this coming week. I've had much worse than this. This is small cookies."
More of the big cookies Bernstein tends to devour will be served when the season starts and Mjøndalen butts heads with each club from last season's top six in the first 10 matches. He says if he can stay fit, he'll be ready to shine again.
"I've developed a lot with my passing, tactically and with positioning,” he said. “And I can show my biggest strength, which is the aerial duel. It's a lot of business, a lot of set pieces, some long balls. It fits me. I can stand out here if I'm playing."
One might think someone so suddenly thrust into the role of a top-flight player after being on the verge of a second career would feel the weight of pressure. Not Bernstein, though; he sounds more like a zen master that also just happens to ring up clearances for fun.
"Considering the way I played in the last two official matches, I think I'm in the [race for a line-up place]," he said. "Regardless if I'm starting or not, the chance will come. I know how this works. I just have to be patient. I've got nothing to lose in this situation. I've been given an awesome opportunity to see if I can play at the top level. I'm going to go all out and see what happens.
"I think that's the bottom line with all of this. I just prefer to enjoy it, play my game, play my best every time and know that the timing and all will kind of fall in place."
