COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – Colorado Rapids rookie Joseph Greenspan spent plenty of time studying tactics and formations at the U.S. Naval Academy, but not even that could prepare him for some of the challenges he’s facing in MLS.
The 22-year-old was deployed in a unique assignment recently, tasked with containing players like Orlando City’s Brek Shea and Carlos Rivas and Sporting Kansas City’s Krisztian Nemeth in the first two games of Colorado’s recently completed three-game road trip playing the less-than-familiar position of right back.
“I was a bit nervous,” Greenspan told MLSsoccer.com. “It was my first MLS match against a really good team. Brek Shea is a proven [US] national team guy, so of course you’re a bit nervous.”
Rapids head coach Pablo Mastroeni, who is no stranger when it comes to tinkering with lineups, saw favorable qualities in the rookie, which gave him the confidence to take a flyer and move him from his normal center-back position.
“I talked to Joe quite a bit,” Mastroeni said. “He played outside back in his time before college and felt comfortable there. He’s obviously dynamic on set pieces. Defensively, one-v-one he’s pretty good, so there’s a lot of good characteristics to put him in that position.”
It didn’t quite go to plan, with Colorado suffering back-to-back 2-0 losses against Orlando and Kansas City. Losing battles on the pitch has presented Greenspan with valuable lessons moving forward, however.
“I learned I could improve my closing-down speed in cutting down angles for guys,” he said. “If I could’ve angled my body better I could have forced Rivas inside. Against Nemeth my tendency was to drop off and wait for the cross to the center forward. I’ve got to latch onto that winger and make sure he doesn’t find space, which he did.
“The coaches gave me a decent bit of instruction during training and before and after matches. It was a bit different because all of my tendencies are as a center back. It’s a bit of an adjustment, but I thought I did a decent job for never playing there before in MLS matches.”
Center back remains Greenspan’s forte, but to maximize an opportunity for minutes he’ll have to diversify. The towering 6-foot-6 defender is currently competing for playing time at right back alongside 2014 MLS SuperDraft pick Marlon Hairston, who has made a similar conversion to the position. Greenspan returned to the center in Colorado’s 1-0 US Open Cup loss to the Houston Dynamo on Tuesday, with Hairston on the right, and didn’t play in their 2-1 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday.
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Mastroeni likes both players, but for different reasons.
“I think Marlon played a very good game against Houston,” he said. “I think he’s been good at moving forward from that position, and it’s been something we’ve been talking about with him for quite some time, and I think it came to fruition for him in that game. It’s definitely a performance to build on.
“Every game poses different challenges,” Mastroeni added. “I felt that against Orlando, a set piece could’ve been a great way to sneak away with a point on the road, and Joe’s size in that position added a threat to our set piece.”
Greenspan’s physical attributes are certain to make him recognizable to fans on the pitch. But to further catch the attention of coaches and make an impact, he’ll have to utilize more of his nonphysical characteristics.
“I like to think I have a decent soccer IQ,” he said. “It’s a very fast and physical game, but I’m going to train hard, work hard and keep at it.”
