and he's real personable and he was making jokes and everything -- it just kind of eased me into the process of this transition right away.
"If all the guys are like that, I think it'll be an easy transition."
For Dayak, it was the least that he could do. With all of the roster turnover the Quakes are experiencing this offseason, including the departure of veterans like Jeff Agoos, Landon Donovan, Ronnie Ekelund, Richard Mulrooney and Ramiro Corrales, it will be important for the new cast of players in San Jose to get comfortable with each other as quickly as possible.
After introducing himself to O'Rourke in the players lounge at the SuperDraft, Dayak said he is taking it upon himself to make sure incoming players like O'Rourke slot into the side smoothly.
"I'm just supporting my teammates, supporting my coaches, letting them know I'm here in support of them," Dayak said. "It's important to me to keep in mind what we're doing and how we're doing it.
"We hope, I hope that [head coach] Dominic [Kinnear] has the vision to see young talented players that can develop into good players right away," he added. "It's my job, in my role as a leader on the team, to help these guys develop into players quickly -- not to suppress them, not to step on their throats and hold them down, but to let them flourish and thrive and feel wanted."
O'Rourke, the winner of the 2004 M.A.C. Hermann Trophy awarded to the best player in NCAA Division I soccer, might not just be wanted by the Earthquakes; he might be needed. Both central midfield starters from 2004 -- Ekelund and Mulrooney -- have left the club, and O'Rourke's skill set would fit nicely in the defensive midfield role Mulrooney filled.
Still, the former captain of two-time NCAA Champion Indiana University won't have an easy path into the starting XI. The Quakes picked up another young defensive midfielder, Ricardo Clark, in a draft-day trade with the MetroStars. Kinnear has said he has been enamored with Clark's ability for a couple of years, setting up a possible competition between the two former Chicago Fire Reserves roommates for a starting spot.
But O'Rourke doesn't sense any direct competition with Clark, or anyone else, for that matter. He feels his job is just to prove to the Quakes coaching staff that he belongs on the field.
"I don't know if competition is the way it will be on the field," O'Rourke said. "I just know we're both really tough competitors, and it'll be hard to keep us off the field.
"I know I'll have a lot to prove, especially with all of the accolades and everything, but I definitely want to go in there and work hard."
At the moment, O'Rourke doesn't know exactly what to expect when he heads to San Jose this weekend from his native Ohio. He has spoken to his friend, Earthquakes defender Ryan Cochrane, about making the move to MLS, but those conversations have mostly been about logistics, such as finding a place to live.
O'Rourke's immediate plans are to take things as they come and employ his work ethic to quickly become a part of the Quakes' family.
"They expect me to be there. That's all we know so far," he said. "Whatever they want from me, I'll do. I'd sit on the bench the whole year if our team won an MLS Cup."
Jason Halpin is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
