After an intense practice Tuesday that showed zero trace of the Columbus Crew’s first half lack of energy against Philadelphia, Dominic Oduro described how he intended to follow-up on his punishing equalizer against Philly, at Montreal this weekend.
“I’m going to be a threat the whole game, like I always do,” the 26-year-old stated with confidence. “I don’t think we’re happy about how we started our game against Philly. We just have to go in and play like our second half.”
Oduro blasted in a tight angle goal at the 72nd minute to earn the Crew a 1-1 draw against Philly improving the Crew’s (2-1-2) home unbeaten streak to 11 and earning them a point in the standings. The Crew are 4th in the Eastern Conference. The club plays Montreal away this weekend at 2 p.m.
“He scored from a tough angle; I think he opted to go with power,” said assistant coach Mike Lapper, adding that Oduro’s power is second only to his speed—a well known fact throughout the league about the 160-pound, 6-foot athlete. “Dominic’s brought something to the team that we haven’t had here for a while; that change of pace and that speed up front. And obviously when he plays wide he’s a threat to get in behind defenses.”
But Oduro brings more than just quick footwork to the squad. It’s the little things he does off the ball that, while going unnoticed by some, has certainly caught the attention of the coaches.
“His link up play, the way he helps us keep possession, him checking for the balls and then his work defensively, especially when he plays as a wide midfielder instead of upfront—he tracks back and does a lot of work that doesn’t go on the stat sheet,” said Lapper.
Oduro said his goal is to make it hard for the coaches not to play him.
“It would be easy for me to slack on the field and make the decision easy for the coaches,” said Oduro. “I want to play every day. I want to be out there. We have guys out there who want my job, who want to slip right in if I’m slacking. I can’t let that happen.”
Oduro said he’s been working to strengthen his defensive play—being a two-way player is something Crew coaches are looking for if a guy wants to be in the game.
“I was wondering when we decided to play (Oduro) wide, would he work back defensively,” said Lapper. “Ever since he got here, he came out in the press and said he wanted to be a starter; but in order to be a starter you have to be a two-way player. You have to work both sides of the ball. And he’s proven since (preseason) he was going to do it. I’ll never forget one of the tackles he laid in against one of the guys in Montreal—chased back, tackled the ball, went the other way, and that’s exactly what we want out of our flank players; to have that work ethic and skill level.”
Oduro said his work ethic in practice mirrors his play on the field.
“In practice I try as much as possible to take everything seriously. I work hard in the gym a lot, try to stay focused. I’m trying to get into Yoga right now which helps be flexible and, with my speed, I think if I’m able to get a little high step in front I can generate even more speed,” said Oduro. “I try to eat healthy, even though I eat Papa John’s a lot.”
Papa John’s or not, whatever he’s doing—it’s working. And so far, his goal of staying in the game is being met.
“I just want to keep making it hard for the coaches to keep me on the bench.”
You can watch the Crew take on Montreal at 2 p.m. Saturday on Fox Sports Ohio.
