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Canales Corner: Barclay Helps Kick Ohio State To Win
Doors close, windows open. Injuries ended Devin Barclay's soccer career, but he's found glory in American college football with Ohio State.
Jan 1, 2010 8:05:50 PM
By Andrea Canales
Ohio State kicker Devin Barclay had been to the Rose Bowl before to play competitive games - but never with the stadium full to the brim with cheering fans.
A sterling youth soccer player who dropped out of high school and signed with Major League Soccer at age 17, Barclay had gone from being the young wunderkind of one sport to the elder statesman of another.
Even though he played as a professional in MLS, Barclay went from being an obscure player in a sport still struggling to grow in the USA, to being a beloved star in a sport adored by the most frenetic and faithful in the country.
Barclay's long, strange trip from soccer to American football might never have happened if his soccer career hadn't ended in Ohio as a member of the Columbus Crew.
Though he started out well with the Tampa Bay Mutiny in 2001, Barclay bounced around after that team was contracted. Injuries complicated his difficulties.
A number of young soccer players have had difficulty transitioning from a promising junior career to a professional one in MLS, partly because the league simply has very little in the way of development to offer the players. Without a reserve league, young players are left to sink or swim trying to gain game minutes.
Several have washed out in this unforgiving system, including Nick Besagno, the top draft pick in 2005, Memo Gonzales, David Arvizu, Jason Thompson, Christian Jimenez and Jordan Stone - all top prospects who had sadly short and stilted careers in MLS.
Sure, some of the lack of flourishing is probably due to bad training habits or the inability to adjust to the demands of the professional game, but there's no doubt that the dissolving of the reserve league that had only begun to nurture budding talent has played a role.
Many who wash out of MLS at a young age end up in meager assistant coaching positions. Barclay escaped this fate because he decided to go to Ohio State University and take the suggestion of a friend to try to make the football team as a kicker.
In 2007, Barclay made the squad as a walk-on and this year, at age 26, he became the hero after the starting kicker went down with an injury. It fell to Barclay to step up in front of over a hundred thousands fans and kick the winning field goal in overtime to put Ohio State up over Iowa on November 19 and send the team to the Rose Bowl versus Oregon.
Though not in such a dramatic fashion, Barclay also played a key role in the Rose Bowl win on January 1, when Ohio beat Oregon, kicking field goals and extra points to aid the victory.
Barclay found his own path in the transition from MLS, and his was a fortuitous one. Hopefully, though, the league will do more to equip future prospects for success, instead of leaving their fate to fortune.
Andrea Canales is Chief Editor ofGoal.com North America
For more onMajor League Soccer , visit Goal.com 's MLS page.
Ohio State kicker Devin Barclay had been to the Rose Bowl before to play competitive games - but never with the stadium full to the brim with cheering fans.
A sterling youth soccer player who dropped out of high school and signed with Major League Soccer at age 17, Barclay had gone from being the young wunderkind of one sport to the elder statesman of another.
Even though he played as a professional in MLS, Barclay went from being an obscure player in a sport still struggling to grow in the USA, to being a beloved star in a sport adored by the most frenetic and faithful in the country.
Barclay's long, strange trip from soccer to American football might never have happened if his soccer career hadn't ended in Ohio as a member of the Columbus Crew.
Though he started out well with the Tampa Bay Mutiny in 2001, Barclay bounced around after that team was contracted. Injuries complicated his difficulties.
A number of young soccer players have had difficulty transitioning from a promising junior career to a professional one in MLS, partly because the league simply has very little in the way of development to offer the players. Without a reserve league, young players are left to sink or swim trying to gain game minutes.
Several have washed out in this unforgiving system, including Nick Besagno, the top draft pick in 2005, Memo Gonzales, David Arvizu, Jason Thompson, Christian Jimenez and Jordan Stone - all top prospects who had sadly short and stilted careers in MLS.
Sure, some of the lack of flourishing is probably due to bad training habits or the inability to adjust to the demands of the professional game, but there's no doubt that the dissolving of the reserve league that had only begun to nurture budding talent has played a role.
Many who wash out of MLS at a young age end up in meager assistant coaching positions. Barclay escaped this fate because he decided to go to Ohio State University and take the suggestion of a friend to try to make the football team as a kicker.
In 2007, Barclay made the squad as a walk-on and this year, at age 26, he became the hero after the starting kicker went down with an injury. It fell to Barclay to step up in front of over a hundred thousands fans and kick the winning field goal in overtime to put Ohio State up over Iowa on November 19 and send the team to the Rose Bowl versus Oregon.
Though not in such a dramatic fashion, Barclay also played a key role in the Rose Bowl win on January 1, when Ohio beat Oregon, kicking field goals and extra points to aid the victory.
Barclay found his own path in the transition from MLS, and his was a fortuitous one. Hopefully, though, the league will do more to equip future prospects for success, instead of leaving their fate to fortune.
Andrea Canales is Chief Editor of
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