On a Pink Bulls squad whose common age is 23.7 years, defender Cameron Harper is already a seasoned veteran in Main League Soccer.
Harper, all of 23, has already appeared in 100 profession matches throughout all competitions for the Pink Bulls — making him simply the nineteenth defender in franchise historical past to achieve the mark — and distinguished himself as a pacesetter to the youthful gamers on the squad.
It’s a place that Harper described as “crazy” whereas reflecting on it main as much as Saturday’s house opener in opposition to Nashville.
“I feel like most other teams, I’d be the young guy,” Harper mentioned. “I guess I’m the vet now, especially in those last five, six games of last year in the playoffs, I think everyone who was a part of that grew an invaluable amount of experience, just on the field, off the field with the pressures.”
Harper has performed an vital function for the Pink Bulls since he turned a daily starter within the 2023 season and began all 5 of the Pink Bulls’ 5 playoff matches final season, logging a complete of 485 minutes on the pitch.
The Pink Bulls defender additionally gave the squad a little bit of versatility along with his potential to play in a number of totally different areas on the pitch.
Harper logged time throughout the 2024 MLS marketing campaign in every single place from proper again, wing again, attacking midfield and, at occasions, ahead, amongst different spots.
Head coach Sandro Schwarz hinted that Harper’s versatility might be utilized as soon as once more because the membership appears to be like to return to the MLS Cup remaining after final season’s run within the playoffs.
“It’s good to have this flexibility in our roster to have these profiles of players that they are able to play more than one position,” Schwarz mentioned. “That’s good to have him and this profile. We have to answer first our structure and to look at which player is in the best position in this structure.”
Invaluable, too, for the Pink Bulls is the truth that Harper can determine with the roster’s youthful members and move alongside the data he’s gained over time. Specifically, he talked about ahead Julian Corridor and midfielders Tanner Rosborough and Aiden Jarvis.
“I just try to create a really good environment for them, one where they’re able to come up,” Harper mentioned. “I wish to say that the best way I deal with them, they see me as somebody who, if they should speak to somebody about one thing, in the event that they want any enter, I’m all the time open. I’m all the time there to offer any recommendation. Simply seeing them in coaching, within the preseason, a number of these children are going to be prepared very quickly.
“So, I try to be someone who pushes them on but also trying to be supportive and trying to help them on their way and on their development.”
Harper did seem to endure an damage throughout Saturday’s house opener in opposition to Nashville SC when he was battling for a ball within the Pink Bulls finish with Nashville striker Samuel Surridge late within the first half.
He needed to be helped off the sector and didn’t return for the second half.
The Pink Bulls are dealing with loads of strain this season after beautiful the soccer world throughout the postseason final 12 months on their approach to their first MLS Cup look since 2008.
Schwarz mentioned that the crew count on loads from themselves after final 12 months, however reiterated his stance that the previous is previously.
“We expect a lot from our side and our quality and performance, hopefully, every weekend,” the Pink Bulls coach mentioned. “But at the end, it’s now a new season, we have new faces and not to compare end of the season [last year] and our beginning of [this] season. It starts new.”
