After a strong showing in 2009 in his first season with MLS, Jakovic took a step back in his sophomore campaign,struggling the entire year as D.C. United slumped to their worst season in team history.
The chance to redeem himself, and force his way into a permanent spot on the Canadian national team has the 25 year old Jakovic ready to make a name for himself in 2011. Saturday’s game against Columbus was almost the perfect start, as Jakovic put in a solid shift as United defeated the Crew 3-1 in the season opener.
“This is a big year for him,” said Jakovic’s former international teammate and current club teammate and coach Pat Onstad. “This is a year where it will be make or break for him. Is he going to be one of the best center backs in our league, or is he going to flounder where he is right now?”
The feeling in United’s camp is that Jakovic is ready to prove his worth in Major League Soccer, and at this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.
“I think it’s an excellent opportunity for him to prove that he is not only a regular for Canada, but also one of the best central defenders in this league,” Onstad told Goal.com
That’s quite the turnaround for the soft spoken Jakovic, who had a horror of a season in 2010. Being part of the worst squad in United’s history didn’t help Jakovic’s progression as a player, which has left him in the position of needing to play well this season to reestablish himself in the league.
Jakovic provided reasons, and not excuses as to why the team, and defense in particular, struggled in ’10 during the recent Carolina Challenge Cup.
“We had communication problems and a lack of focus,” Jakovic told Goal.com. “But we had a lot of injuries, and we had a lot of different starting lineups. It’s kind of tough when you don’t have a steady back four that plays together a lot during the season.
A mid season coaching change didn’t help the cause either, but both Curt Onalfo and Ben Olsen struggled to get the most of out Jakovic. Niggling injuries didn’t help the cause either. But Jakovic refused to blame the poor season on any of that, and instead is focusing on the task at hand.
“That’s all in the past, and it’s a new year, and so far things are going well,” Jakovic said.
And indeed they are. Jakovic, paired with rookie Perry Kitchen in defense, helped shut down Columbus’ attack for most of the match on Saturday night, as United got their season off to the perfect start in front of their home crowd.
The only blemish on Jakovic’s night was the fact that he committed the handball that led to the penalty which Columbus converted for their only goal on the night. Jakovic stood his ground after the match though, claiming that the penalty was the wrong call.
“If it was a 1-1 or a 2-1 game, there is no way that is getting called,” Jakovic told Goal.com.
Was stood out more than the penalty call though was Jakovic’s partnership with the young Kitchen. Kitchen is almost the antithesis of Jakovic — loud and vocal on the field, willing to direct players around, even at the young age of 18. The two combined well to shut down Columbus’ strikers, and the most dangerous moments for Columbus only came from set pieces. In short, the partnership between the two worked.
Unfortunately for United, Kitchen is leaving for join the U20 USA team for the upcoming CONCACAF U20 Tournament, and Jakovic admitted that switching out players at such an early stage of the season makes it difficult to find a rhythm on the field.
“You never want to change your back four,” Jakovic said. “Especially when you are starting to get to know each other, and playing well together. But you just have to adapt.”
While Jakovic has to adapt now to playing with a new center back partner for the next match against New England, United will have to learn to play without Jakovic during June as well, as he will likely join Canada for the Gold Cup. Though the tournament might be several months away from starting, Jakovic is already looking forward to representing his country, as he did during the 2009 Gold Cup.
“I am excited about the Gold Cup. The group is good,” Jakovic told Goal.com. “It’s not going to be easy, but I definitely feel like we should be moving on with the U.S.”
How United manager Ben Olsen will choose to deal with the departure of Jakovic during the tournament remains to be seen, but Olsen feels like Jakovic is poised for a commanding 2011 season.
“He knows this is a big year for him, and I think he is excited to prove that he is one of the best backs in this league.”
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2011 Is A Make or Break Year for Dejan Jakovic