Want to hear from some of the notable names around the league? MLSsoccer.com contributing editor Alicia Rodriguez spends 10 minutes talking to some of the big names in North American soccer.
Columbus Crew goalkeeper Steve Clark is the subject of this week's 10 minutes. Clark joined the Crew ahead of the 2014 season after spending four years in Norway with Honefoss BK and has impressed in his debut campaign in MLS. Having clinched a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs, Columbus conclude their MLS regular season schedule on Sunday at home against the Philadelphia Union (4 pm ET, UniMas/MLS Live).
RODRIGUEZ: So the Crew have clinched a playoff spot in your first season in MLS. Getting to the postseason is easy, right?
CLARK: (Laughs) Trick question there. First of all, it’s obviously an exciting thing with the team, it’s been three years [for the Crew], my first season in MLS; it's awesome. It was certainly a goal the whole year, to clinch the playoffs, [since] back in January, so it feels really good.
RODRIGUEZ: You joined the Crew after Gregg Berhalter took over as coach. How did you end up coming back to MLS from Norway?
CLARK: I was pretty sure that I was ready to leave Norway about a year ago this time, and so after the season, my agent said, “Gregg Berhalter wants to talk to you.” I talked to Gregg, and we went from there. Obviously I’m a good fit for the system we play here, with my feet, and Gregg [is] certainly a professional coach, very detail-oriented and organized. So it was a no-brainer for me to come back and play here.
RODRIGUEZ: Did you know Gregg when you were both in Europe?
CLARK: I didn’t know him personally. The first time I spoke to him was when he called to talk about the Crew. So I think he was aware of me. It was nice to have him believe in me before he even saw me in person. I think things have gone well since, so it’s nice.
RODRIGUEZ: Like you said, it seems like Berhalter has really encouraged you to play with your feet as much as possible. Has that been a priority for you this season, and have you been working on this aspect of your game for some time?
CLARK: It started out in Norway, where I was progressing. I had a coach there, as well, who encouraged me. Then Gregg kind of took it a step forward, where I believe I’ve played the most passes of any goalkeeper in the league.
It’s always a work in progress. Even this week, it’s kind of success through frustration and failure. So Gregg’s really good, [and Crew assistant coach] Pat Onstad is really great about saying, “Hey, this is the way we want you to play, we know this team is in shape, so feel free to go out there and play passes.” To have a coach who does that, I can’t really say enough good as a player.
RODRIGUEZ: Tell us about some of the differences between playing in Norway and the United States.
CLARK: First of all, for me being an American and overall, the league is just a lot more fun here. It’s a bigger league, as far as attendance and the spectacle of American pro sports.
Secondly, I would say the level of play is better here. It’s somewhat difficult for me to tell, because I was on a smaller team in Norway, every week we were up against it, so to come back to be on a winning team is even better for me.
RODRIGUEZ: You grew up in Michigan, and a large number of your Crew teammates are from the Midwest. Does it seem like with so many from the area, the team has a “Midwestern identity,” whatever that might be?
CLARK: I think, first of all, we have a lot of good guys in the locker room. So I’m not sure if we have a Midwestern identity, but I will tell you we have the identity of a bunch of guys getting together, there’s no one above the team. Everyone listens to the trainers in executing what they’re trying to do. I think, most importantly, we’re in this together, we’re not going against each other fighting with each other, we’re trying to help, encourage [each other], and when you’re in an environment like that, it makes it a lot of fun coming to work every day.
RODRIGUEZ: Coming from Michigan, you come through a relatively small town, in an area not well known as a soccer hotbed. How was it that you got “discovered?”
CLARK: I did come from a small town, but we had such a strong high school soccer culture there that growing up, that’s what I wanted to do — I wanted to play for the high school varsity soccer team. That was my first dream, back in high school.
After that, I got to a great school, Oakland University, a smaller school but also a great goalkeeper trainer who’s now the head coach, Eric Pogue. So I feel all the things that have happened in my career, from high school to college, and then to abroad, [fell] into place to allow me to play at the level I’m at now and be the goalkeeper I am now. I’ve got maybe 130 games under my belt, so I’m just getting going. But I also have a lot of experience.
RODRIGUEZ: Finally, you have taken to leading chants with fans following home games. How did the tradition start, and how did you become the appointed chant leader?
- Clark leads Crew fans in the "Yes!" chant after a win:
CLARK: Obviously it’s from Daniel Bryan in the WWE, and I was sitting around in the offseason. I was like, “You know what? I’m going to do that and see if this crowd catches on.”
Well, we won at D.C., and out of nowhere we had a small section there at their stadium, and I just did it, and boom! It hit off. Then, we won a whole bunch of games this summer, and we just kept with it. Obviously, it’s picked up now and people seem to love it, which is cool. I think it’s cool for every team to have their own identity, and obviously we’ve created a new one this year. That’s a small part of it, fans seem to love it, and I enjoy leading it. I think it’s a good time all around.
