The crew made a bet on Alex Matan and he’s making one on himself.
The 21-year-old attacking midfielder, who left home at the age of 10 to attend former Romanian international Gheorghe Hagi’s academy in Constanta, Romania, doesn’t feel out of place in a new environment. Even if it is a few thousand miles from home, he is in a country he only dreamed of visiting.
“To be honest,” said Matan, “it’s an amazing thing to come to the US for the first time.”
There’s a certain level of confidence that Matan needs to have to take a bold move to become the champions of a league. He said he was just watching as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the Los Angeles Galaxy played. On the other hand, his gamble on himself reciprocates the risk the crew took in paying off $ 1.8 million for signing a multi-year contract with Matan that could run until 2024.
Matan is not expected to jump straight to a starting place. But the crew believes he can now be hooked up to any of the three attacking midfield spots and develop into a player worth more than what he paid for in the long run.
“We see exactly what we saw in our scouting process,” said coach Caleb Porter. “Technical player, pretty quick, explosive, versatile enough to play either wings or even the 10 (central attacking midfielder).”
Matan is the first U-22 player on the crew to sign a slot, which means he will receive a higher salary than his salary.
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Neil McGuinness, the crew’s scouting director, visited Romania to have initial discussions with Matan and his agent. Matan said he then spoke about Zoom with Porter, who expressed why he thought Matan was a good fit for the crew.
“The city, the team that were champions, and I think that was one of the things that made me make that decision,” said Matan. “For this team, I think it’s huge to have a new stadium, a new site. I just love that. “
Matan made his crew debut in the MLS opener against the Philadelphia Union. He played two minutes plus four minutes of stoppage time just a day after joining the team for his first training session, which was delayed because he tested positive for COVID-19.
“I’ve been in isolation for 10 days since I came here and I was surprised, you know?” He said. “I just want to thank the boss this way for trusting me. It was tough, but I think “I’ve done good things in six minutes.”
He likely tested positive while in a mandatory five-day quarantine after arriving from Romania, according to MLS health and safety protocols. The crew has not reported any positive cases of COVID-19 since the start of the preseason.
Before joining the team, Matan played 66 games (45 starts) and scored five goals with 12 assists in the Romanian top division Liga 1 with FC Viitorul Constanta.
Porter said Matan was better on the left wing because he could cut into the middle of the field, but he could also get crosses into the box from the right.
“He’s good at dribbling, he’s fast, he’s seedy,” said Porter. “His rate of work is good, that’s why he fits in well with the system. That’s why we signed him.”
As Lucas Zelarayan’s central attacking midfielder or as a player on the wings, Matan should be a top option from the bench or a starter considering how many games the crew has on the schedule during the week.
Learning from someone like Zelarayan should only help speed up their game.
“I don’t speak English very well, but we can understand each other,” said Matan. “I just congratulate him on last season. He had the big season in my opinion.”
@_jcmyers
