Robbie Keane has a message for budding star Bradford Jamieson IV as the youngster prepares to carve out a starting role during the 2015 regular season.
Keep your head up.
No, he’s not saying it figuratively, but quite literally, as the winger seeks to become an offensive force along the left side of the Galaxy midfield.
Jamieson earned the start on the left flank in the club’s final preseason match against the San Jose Earthquakes. However, the game was a mixed bag for Jamieson who displayed an ability to launch clever shots at goal, but also struggled to make a consistent impact along the flank before he was pulled for eventual goal scorer Jose Villarreal.
Following the match, Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena said that Jamieson is “still just a kid” with a “ways to go” in his development, but his captain declared that there will be “no more excuses” made for the Galaxy’s youngsters, stating that they’ll be expected to contribute in the year ahead.
“He’s young. He still has to learn,” Keane said after the club's final preseason game in San Jose. “With the ability that he has, he can beat people no problem, but what young players do, and I’ve seen this for many years, they feel like if they beat someone then they can just keep going and keep [moving forward]. The reality is that it doesn’t always happen that way.
To truly hammer home the lesson, Keane referenced 2014 breakout star Gyasi Zardes, and the strides that he has made over the past two years.
“[Jamieson] got to keep his head up and once he learns to do that, as we saw last year with Gyasi...,the quicker that the younger lads learn then the better that they’re going to be, and the more opportunities that they’re going to have for the team,” said Keane. “Sometimes he just needs to pick up his head a little bit more and see what his options are. Once he does that, he’ll be a big player for this team because he’s got all the ability in the world.”
Jamieson, to his credit, agreed with the captain and noted that if he’s going to challenge for a regular starting spot then he’ll need to become a consistent contributor.
“[Keane] told me that I need to be able to pick my head up a half a second [quicker], and other little things that are going to allow me to separate myself from other players,” said Jamieson. “I still feel that if I’m pushing hard and I’m putting in good performances, I think that I’ll be to solidify a spot on the squad. This is a huge opportunity for me.”
