Direct from Norway
Steve Clark: A Brick Wall in Norway’s Tippeligaen
The 26-year-old netminder is a great distance from his native Michigan. However, as Brian Sciaretta writes, that could be his most direct path to the USA nationwide crew.
BY
Brian Sciaretta
Posted
November 05, 2012
10:01 AM
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If Honefoss survives its first season in Norway’s Tippeligaen, the small membership can thank Steve Clark.
The 26-year-old goalkeeper, who was key to final season’s promotion, has taken his recreation to a different stage. Pundits predicted that Honefoss can be relegation fodder however Clark’s stellar play has the membership sitting in twelfth place with the 12 months winding down.
“It feels good to be the goalkeeper I always thought I was,” Clark instructed ASN. “I’m playing good matches, but I’m more excited about the way I’m playing and the level I’m bringing to the match.”
He’s a great distance from residence. From 2005-2008, Clark was a standout at Oakland College the place he led his crew to 2 NCAA match appearances. He additionally helped his hometown Michigan Bucks of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Growth League to 3 straight US Open Cup appearances.
Regardless of his success, Clark could not land an expert contract after graduating. He finally signed with the Charleston Battery, which helped him acquire perspective.
“Basically, I come to training every day to get better,” Clark mentioned. “It sounds so cliche but you’ve trained for 11 months out of the year, it’s so easy to take a training off. I just don’t do that. I just have an incredible capacity to stay motivated and that really is the only reason why I’m in the place I’m in now.”
“I didn’t really make it after college,” he continued. “So I was out of football for almost a year until I signed with Charleston late in August [2010]. So I understand what it’s like to lose football so I love it when I have it.”
That November, Clark tried to catch on with Bradford Metropolis, however could not safe a piece visa and moved to Norway the place he lastly discovered a house with Honefoss after arranging the trial himself. He’s flourishing and imagine the teaching at Honefoss is the spine of the crew’s future.
“Everything is set for success here,” Clark mentioned. “I can’t say enough about the trainers here. We have a group of guys who believe in what they’re doing on the field. I think this team is only going to go up. I owe a lot of my personal success to the coaching staff here for giving me all the tools to succeed and not letting me settle for anything other than how good I can be. It’s easy to plateau when you’re doing well, but they’re always on me and always getting me thinking. So I think Honefoss has everything they need to go higher than where we are right now.”
Clark has one 12 months remaining on his contract with Honefoss and larger golf equipment may very well be occupied with a switch through the upcoming winter window. The Norwegian media acknowledge him as among the finest keepers within the league. In truth, he’s more likely to win Tippeligaen goalkeeper of the 12 months, however he needs to concentrate on the ultimate two video games of the season.
“I think the way you get league Best XI is to not want to get league Best XI,” Clark mentioned. “You can’t want something so badly or else you’ll end up fearing failure on gameday. Of course I want to be recognized for my ability but I’m just focusing on what I can control. Another strength of mine would be limiting my actions and thoughts to what’s in front of me. I wasn’t good at that before. But if you can compartmentalize your thoughts, you can make big gains in your game.”
His title may floor in nationwide crew discussions. Whereas Clark has by no means performed for the USA at any stage, he’s the most effective performing American goalkeeper in Europe exterior of Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, and Brad Friedel.
Clark admits that it’s motivating him each time he performs.
“It’s great for me to even be fielding these questions,” Clark mentioned of taking part in for the US nationwide crew. “For a long time, no one would ask me that. But it’s what I train for everyday. There’s no guarantee for me even if I continue at this rate. There’s a lot of good goalkeepers in the United States. I’m in a pool with a lot of really good guys. I look at it as a bonus. It’s a motivation for me to keep pushing. I’m always pushing for it.”
Brian Sciaretta is a journalist who additionally writes for The New York Instances Objective weblog and Yanks Overseas. Comply with him on Twitter at @BrianSciaretta.
