KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Growing up in London, Korede Aiyegbusi didn't follow the traditional English approach to professional soccer. In fact, he thought the dream might be over for him until he came to the United States on vacation and stumbled into an opportunity.
Four years later, Aiyegbusi is a promising prospect for the Wizards, arriving in Kansas City after an unorthodox journey. MLSsoccer.com sat down with the rookie to talk about how he came to MLS and what his first season has been like.
MLSsoccer.com: After the first nine months of your professional career in MLS, how is everything going for you?
Aiyegbusi: For myself, the season is going pretty well. It took me some time to settle in and understand the requirements of this league and the professional level … and figure out what I needed to do in order to be most effective. I’m much sharper on the technical side of the game than I was in the beginning. That development has helped a lot.
MLSsoccer.com: You haven’t been a starter this year, but you’ve been a mainstay on the bench. How have you had to change your mentality coming from college, where you were starting every game?
Aiyegbusi: Me being on the bench just shows I have some sort of value. When the opportunity comes, I’ll be put in to do what I can. I always knew that I wasn’t going to come in and start straight away.
I may not be playing that much, but I have to put the work in now. Wherever you go, you have to work hard to put yourself in a position to succeed. I’m just having fun, playing hard and trying to improve. I can’t think about things I can’t control.
MLSsoccer.com: You went to Essex Community College in Maryland before heading to North Carolina State and being drafted by Kansas City in the second round of this year's SuperDraft. Tell us about the decision to leave London for the US and how that’s worked out.
Aiyegbusi: I finished school when I was 16 and came over to Baltimore for holiday. My aunt knew the coach of the Baltimore Bays [Development Academy], and I practiced with them and he saw that I had the ability to come over and get a scholarship.
I always wanted to go professional, and my parents always wanted me to go to school. What better way to do it than get your school paid for and play at the same time? I lived with my aunt for two years and played at the community college and worked my way up. I didn’t plan everything, but things happened at the right time. I’m grateful for that.
MLSsoccer.com: How has life been for you in the US? Going from London to Baltimore to Raleigh to Kansas City in four years is quite the introduction to American life.
Aiyegbusi: When I first came for college, I had this idea about school based on what you see on TV. Big campus, 30,000 people and you live in your dorms. But the junior college I went to was totally the opposite. There were about 1,000 people at the school, and I had to commute close to two hours every day back and forth by train and bus. It wasn’t what I expected, but I got used to it.
Just as I was getting familiar with the place and made friends, I had to move to North Carolina. It was a little more of what I was expecting, but it’s the same thing where you have two years and then move on.
It’s a tough journey in the sense that once you’ve settled down, you have to move. It’s kind of tested me emotionally and mentally.
MLSsoccer.com: You wanted to be a professional, but it's hard to imagine MLS was at the top of your radar back in England. What did you know about the league and the opportunities you might have when you came to the US?
Aiyegbusi: I just wanted to keep improving, but I didn’t really know much about MLS when I first came in.
When I was at NC State, we were in the ACC – one of the toughest leagues in the country as far as quality. There are lots of players who go on to the USL and MLS. Once I was in North Carolina, I became more aware of what opportunities might be available.
I watched some of the guys I had played against and saw how they were doing. At that point, I just wanted to be a professional. When I got the chance to come to MLS, it was an opportunity. You take the opportunities you get.
MLSsoccer.com: In the US, we always think about elite athletes being big, strong guys, but you don’t really fit that mold at 5-foot-5. What challenges have you faced, since MLS is known for being a physical league?
Aiyegbusi: I feel like given the height limitation, you have to be much smarter. Your position and the kind of angles you take are very important. Even someone who isn’t tall or extremely fast can blaze by you if they use their body right.
A great example is Davy Arnaud. I wouldn’t say he’s the fastest guy, but when he is playing, he gets his body in positions where you can’t take the ball once he is past you. He’s good technically and once he gets that step on you, you have to foul or he will just keep going. I see it game after game from him.
When I play in practice against someone like Kei Kamara, most of the time, I’m not going to win headers or balls in the air. But if I jump with him and give him a little nudge, it pushes him off balance. There are some things that I might not be able to win because of height or strength, but it’s just about being smart and never giving up.
