Becoming a member of an growth group isn’t a simple resolution, particularly when a participant is within the prime of their profession. However it’s secure to say that it is paid off for Danish attacking midfielder Anders Dreyer. The 27-year-old joined San Diego FC earlier than the membership even kicked a ball, and 38 objective contributions later, made the MLS All-Star group, led San Diego to the highest seed within the Western Convention, is an MVP finalist, and now has gained the MLS Newcomer of the 12 months Award.
It is an award that has turn into more durable and more durable to win because the expertise degree of gamers coming to Main League Soccer has grown by the yr, which is proven by the finalists, alongside him being Son Heung-Min and Philip Zinckernagel. Each step of the way in which, Dreyer has been there for San Diego and has been capable of even shock himself with the extent of success that he has had as a member of the membership. Whereas it may need initially been seen as a danger to go away Anderlecht to hitch the West Coast membership, as soon as he talked with head coach Mikey Varas and the group, he stated it was a simple resolution to make.
“After the conferences [with Varas], I had a sense that the way in which he sees me as a footballer is the way in which I see myself,” Dreyer stated. “So in that sense, I believe when you may have a coach who sees you that approach, you see your self, I believe that is key.
“Becoming a member of an growth group, it might go each methods. And now we hear first within the West, yeah, competing for hopefully the MLS Cup, and all that. In order that’s been loopy, and that is been one thing that I am happy with, along with the group that we’re right here proper now. However that is additionally due to what all of the employees has carried out and the teammates, in fact.”
Forward of their inaugural season, San Diego’s entrance workplace laid the groundwork for achievement in making Hirving Lozano and Dreyer their first designated gamers in membership historical past, and so they delivered to convey success to the membership in yr one, whereas additionally creating fairly a busy November for Dreyer. Whereas San Diego FC shall be pushing to get to the following spherical of the playoffs of their first spherical tie with the Portland Timbers, there’s additionally a global break developing, the place he’ll look to guide Denmark to the World Cup.
MLS has lengthy been seen as a league the place gamers’ worldwide careers finish, however whereas at San Diego, Dreyer has made his first appearances for the Denmark squad since 2021, scoring a brace off the bench in a victory over Belarus. With gamers like Dreyer representing main nations, the notion has been altering because the expertise degree grows.
With extra expertise within the league, it additionally modifications expectations for brand new gamers becoming a member of the league. Video games are all the time transferring and gamers like Dreyer cannot take minutes off, however so long as they’re as much as the expectation, the league will solely proceed to develop.
“I did not know the extent of the MLS earlier than becoming a member of, however I am stunned in a constructive approach, and I believe, with the World Cup coming in the summertime, it is going to simply get increasingly consideration, and possibly after the World Cup as properly, it is going to develop,” Dreyer stated.
This is the reason gamers like Dreyer coming to the league and shopping for in is necessary. With the World Cup on the horizon, MLS is in an area the place it may well take off throughout the elevated curiosity in soccer in America. With the expertise on the pitch additionally bettering, there’s lots to look out for on the pitch however Dreyer has confirmed that he is main the cost of this marketing campaign’s new additions.
