Kemar Lawrence is fearless, so says Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch. And now it is that fearless style that might just make wrestling away the starting position from him something that won’t be easy.
Signed this preseason after a trial with the team, the 22-year-old Jamaican left back has inserted himself into the first team with two starts, taking advantage of a knee injury to incumbent starter Roy Miller. Lawrence probably would have had three starts but he was away on international duty with Jamaica and missed the 2-1 win at the Columbus Crew in the Red Bulls third game of the season.
In those matches, Lawrence has been solid in his individual defending and clearly moves well into the attack.
He is a tremendous fit for Marsch’s system. He has a good set of wheels and high mobility, something that outside backs need in this high press.
“Well, I think when we started looking at him, he clearly showed physical qualities that we thought would fit the style we wanted to play,” Marsch said after training Tuesday..”But one of the things that came across was he played in some big games for the national team and for a young guy he was fearless. You could see he wasn’t afraid of the occasion and was ready to compete and he played well in games against Serbia and Switzerland and Egypt.
“You watch those games, for a young guy you thought to yourself ‘This has a lot of potential.’ We brought him into camp on trial and from Day One I think he grabbed the opportunity and ran with it. He is – he’s got a confidence to him that’s not cocky, it’s real. He comes to work every day and tries to think about how to get better. He likes being here. In all ways, he’s been a good fit.”
It remains to be seen if he is a good fit this Friday when the Red Bulls host the San Jose Earthquakes at Red Bull Arena. Miller is back from injury and on Tuesday began training with the team. The Costa Rican international has been the regular starter at left back since 2010 and is arguably one of the best in the league.
There is no denying, however, that even though it is a small sample size that Lawrence has certainly made a positive impression in his two starts.
Last month, Lawrence told BigAppleSoccer.com that he came to the attention of the Red Bulls via his agent, former Jamaican international and a Major League Soccer star in his own right, Damani Ralph. Lawrence has 14 appearances with the full national team.
Source: BigAppleSoccer.com