FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Jeremiah White's footballing odyssey took him to a handful of dissimilar leagues spread across Europe and the Middle East.
As he prepared to take his MLS bow with New England, White did what any well-traveled player would do when faced with a new challenge: he leaned on a former teammate to provide the lay of the land.
Fortunately for White, that former compatriot – ex-AGF Aarhus star Benny Feilhaber – also features among his new colleagues with the Revolution.
“I talked to Benny a lot about the difference – because we played in Denmark together – between Denmark and the States,” White told MLSsoccer.com last week. “He gave me some good advice. I've been watching the games.”
After Saturday's second-half substitute appearance at Sporting Kansas City, White can now say that he's played in them as well. The 29-year-old winger replaced the injured Feilhaber after 61 minutes and spent the final half-hour participating in his first competitive match in more than a year.
“I'm happy to be back and have the opportunity to get going again after having about a year off,” White said before the game. “I'm pretty thankful.”
White earned his chance with the Revolution by impressing the technical staff during an extended preseason trial. That time to settle allowed White to shake off some of the rust that had accumulated since a similar stint with Philadelphia last year and permitted New England boss Jay Heaps to thoroughly run the rule over his potential addition.
After spending plenty of time watching the right winger in action, Heaps decided that he wanted White's qualities in his squad for the upcoming campaign.
“He has something that a lot of players don't have, which is pace,” Heaps said. “He's smart and he can whip a good ball in.”
It may take a little time for White to find his form and show off those traits on a regular basis, but he believes the time he spent with the team during preseason and the discussions he has had about his new league with Feilhaber and others will help him to influence matches as the season progresses.
“I think it's good,” White said. “You always want that chemistry going forward. Now it's just a matter of getting game fit and doing my best to help the team win games.”
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