Olivier Tremblay covers the Impact on MLSsoccer.com
MONTREAL – If Montreal Impact midfielder Calum Mallace could speak to his July 2013 self, he’d have two words for him.
"Thank you."
For it was Mallace that made the final call on the Impact’s offer of a loan deal in his home state, at NASL’s Minnesota United FC. Mallace went, and though it’s good to be back in Montreal, he would do it again.
Much to his own surprise, Mallace became a fixture in the Minnesota midfield, starting all but three of the games he was eligible for and notching a goal and an assist. That, coupled with the peace of mind brought by the familiar surroundings and the occasional feasts at Mom and Dad’s, helped him grow as a professional.
"I worked on holding up the ball, controlling the midfield, things like that," Mallace told reporters on Tuesday. "I stepped into that role in Minnesota even though I wasn’t expecting it. Some of the guys there looked up to me and I was kind of a leader from the get-go when I got there. It matured me as a player."
"People may think of it as a step down, but that league is a growing league and is very good competition," Mallace continued. "It’s still pros playing against pros on a Saturday."
Mallace, who turned 24 on January 10, has bulked up somewhat. He also sounds more self-assured, more determined to establish himself. Competition is heavy, but a fresh start awaits him in 2014 nonetheless as he tries to prove himself to yet another new head coach in Frank Klopas.
"I talked with Nick De Santis and Matt Jordan before I left for the offseason, and I told them where I feel comfortable and where I'd want to play, and they agreed: as a central midfielder, but more of a transitional midfielder, one that gets forward and helps offensively, but I got the engine to get back and help defensively," Mallace said. "That’s the role I’ve played for a while in my life, and I think I can really play that here in Montreal and do it well."
