The previous Colorado Rapids defender performed a key position on america U-23 males’s crew all through 2015 however will now miss out on Olympic qualifying via a quirk of destiny.
BY
Brian Sciaretta
Posted
September 24, 2015
2:00 PM
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THROUGHOUT 2015 SHANE O’NEILL had his sights set on taking part in an vital position with america U-23 crew—the Olympic qualifying squad. Every little thing was monitoring nicely earlier this month and the 22-year-old placed on an excellent defensive show within the crew’s 1-0 loss to England’s U-21 crew on Sept. 4.
However then all the pieces unraveled shortly attributable to a weird flip of occasions. Shortly after the sport towards England, O’Neill started to undergo complications and dizziness. He returned to Belgium, the place he had simply joined prime flight membership Royal Mouscron-Péruwelz, and centered on his restoration.
“It was all starting to click,” O’Neill advised American Soccer Now from Belgium. “After the England game, I had a problem with my head and now there is growing concern with head injuries. But the thing is that I didn’t take a knock, which was strange. It was weird, it wasn’t a concussion-like feeling. So after the England game I was shut down for the camp. I went back to Mouscron to relax for 4-5 days to get my head straight.”
After a couple of days he skilled together with his new membership and even performed in a reserve crew sport. However then the issue resurfaced. And by then it was time for U.S. U-23 head coach Andi Herzog to make his last Olympic qualyifying roster selections—which might require Herzog to have interaction with Royal Mouscron-Péruwelz to a launch.
Because of the seriousness of head accidents and the shortage of a transparent prognosis, O’Neill was left off the roster. Only some days later did docs decide that the issue was not very critical however quite an inner-ear an infection that may very well be handled with antibiotics.
Each side are definitely annoyed with how all the pieces performed out. Herzog had singled out O’Neill as one of many crew’s finest performers after each the England sport this summer time’s U-23 event in Toulon. And O’Neill is scuffling with the truth that he is not going to be lining alongside his U-23 teammates subsequent week.
“It was a nightmare to be honest,” O’Neill mentioned after taking a deep breath to gather his ideas. “It was very disappointing, clearly. In the event that they came upon about it earlier, I’d have been launched for qualifying. All I wanted was an antibiotic.
“It’s very irritating to not be a part of it as a result of I’ve been a part of the crew for the reason that starting. This entire 12 months, it has sort of been my essential focus. Andi is a type of coaches that, for no matter cause, simply instills a ton of confidence in me. I really feel like I’m taking part in my finest when I’m with that crew. Even within the England sport, I felt defensively it was an excellent efficiency.”
The Irish-born, Colorado-raised O’Neill will as an alternative be staying up late in Belgium to observe his U-23 teammates try and qualify for the Olympics with out him. He’s optimistic that the Yanks will earn a spot in Rio de Janeiro subsequent 12 months and believes their probabilities “are quite good.” He additionally singles out Jordan Morris as being an enormous addition to the crew.
Ought to the U.S. advance to the Olympics, O’Neill is wanting ahead to the prospect to reclaim his spot on the crew. The central defender just lately left the Colorado Rapids, his membership since 2012.
Whereas he loved his time in MLS, O’Neill determined to go away because of the altering circumstances at Colorado, which has been struggling all season and presently is in final place within the Western Convention. His taking part in time with the Rapids decreased considerably and he was solely seeing occasional minutes.
The chance to maneuver overseas was uncommon: O’Neill was initially purchased by Apollon Limassol in Cyprus however was loaned to Royal Mouscron-Peruwelz, a membership with sturdy ties to Apollon Limassol. Now he’s simply joyful to have a contemporary begin in a league the place he believes he can succeed.
“It wasn’t necessarily the league,” O’Neill said. “It was the situation. I was in was a tough situation. Then this opportunity came for me to come to Europe. I thought this was the right time and right opportunity. It was a good chance. My time with Colorado had come to an end. They were trying to focus more on veterans than younger players. I definitely wanted to try something new and needed a chance of scenery.”
He has that now, despite the fact that he’s nonetheless recuperating from the internal ear downside. O’Neill expects to be again to 100% in a couple of week, at which level he can push to make an affect with Royal Mouscron-Peruwelz, presently in twelfth place within the Belgian prime flight.
“This league really suits my style of play,” O’Neill continued. “It’s a physical league but it’s not overly physical. I am a good physical centerback but it’s not really my game. My game is mainly on the ground. I like to play out of the back and that is very much what this league is about with technical and possession-oriented players. The league is very tactical and that is one thing I can tell after being here for just a few weeks. It will be a great learning experience for me with all the little details.”
O’Neill is happy to be a part of the brand new wave of American gamers trying to determine themselves overseas. As he leaves MLS behind, he appreciates how the league ready him to make the transfer overseas and believes many gamers in MLS would achieve success in Europe.
“I look at some of the players in MLS and they would do extremely well here,” O’Neill mentioned. “Folks’s notion of MLS right here is so off, in my view. The usual of MLS is excellent. Folks right here see it as a spot the place the older superstars go to retire. However they don’t see the likes of Matt Besler and Kei Kamara and different guys who’re high-quality gamers of their prime. I believe MLS may be very corresponding to the Belgium league when it comes to normal and it’s solely going to get higher.
“Some here are like, ‘I want to play here until I am 34 or 35 and then move to MLS.’ I nod my head but that’s just not the reality of MLS. You can’t just go there on holiday and do well. It’s about as much hard work as anything else. I think people will start realizing that more and more.”
