FRISCO, Texas – Sophomore slump: The two-word alliteration that all productive rookies aim to avoid.
It may be too early to categorize last season’s MLS Rookie of the Year under that moniker, but FC Dallas forward Tesho Akindele’s sophomore season has been somewhat up and down thus far. While he logged two goals and one assist in starting the team’s first six games this season, he has come off the bench for the last three and has only put up a single shot.
But the sixth overall pick in the 2014 SuperDraft is taking this season’s ups and downs in stride.
“I wouldn’t say I’m frustrated. It’s a long season,” Akindele told MLSSoccer.com. “Sometimes you’re not going to be starting, but I’m just thinking every day like I want to be a starter, and I’m working towards that.”
The Calgary native experienced the same type of inconsistency in 2014.
Akindele only played 109 minutes in the team’s first 12 matches last season and did not see the field in eight of them before starting the next 14 matches throughout the summer. All but one assist of his seven-goal, three-assist haul last year came during that 14-game stretch before returning to the bench off and on for the remainder of the season.
Akindele’s obstacles have increased this season, as well, with the rise in production from players like Ryan Hollingshead and Fabian Castillo making it even harder for him to crack the starting lineup every week.
“I just think we have a lot of good players right now, [so] it’s hard to start,” Akindele said. “Everybody on the offense is scoring goals and making things happen, so there’s just a lot of competition right now.”
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Head coach Oscar Pareja agrees with the notion that the competition is fierce on the attacking side of the ball, citing the stark improvement in Hollingshead, the progression of newcomer Michael Barrios and forward David Texeira’s form as of late. But as far as hitting that dreaded sophomore slump, Pareja does not believe his young forward has even plateaued and could very well be back in the XI for Saturday's home match with the LA Galaxy (8:30 pm ET; MLS LIVE).
“He’s not hitting any wall,” Pareja said. “Tesho is doing great, and I’m thinking to play him on Saturday all the time. I don’t even know if he will start this one [against LA], but he deserves to start.”
If anything, the increased competition that has sent Akindele to the pine is something that Pareja is happy to see. While he acknowledges Akindele's ability to start every week, the culture of competition in Dallas that frequently sends a would-be starter to the bench is one that he hopes will improve his team in the long run.
“I don’t think I would like to see it as a struggle from Tesho. I see it as great work that the others are doing to make it more competitive,” Pareja told MLSSoccer.com. “And that whole thing will make Tesho better.”
Spending multiple weeks on the bench may be something that Akindele is not a huge fan of, but he said it serves as motivation to take his game to the next level.
“All of us that are here, we’ve been the stars growing up our whole lives,” Akindele said. “It’s an unfamiliar position being on the bench, so I want to get back to being on the field for sure.”
