Midfielder stays upbeat despite lack of minutes
First there was Bill Hamid, who went from teenage prodigy to D.C. United’s starting goalkeeper to perhaps the next great hope for the U.S. men’s national team.
Then there was Andy Najar, who went from a pickup game in front of Edison High to MLS rookie of the year.
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Surely, Conor Shanosky was destined for the same meteoric rise after backing out of a commitment to George Mason to sign with D.C. United last summer.
Not so fast.
Instead, the 19-year-old is the only healthy member on the United roster this season who hasn’t had any playing time.
“You’re kind of on top of the world at one point, and then you’re down,” Shanosky said. “For me, it’s about staying level-headed and keeping at it every day.”
The reality is United’s signing of the Sterling native was an investment in a rare combination of skill to match a sizable 6-foot-4, 185-pound frame. But Shanosky isn’t refined enough to supplant United’s veterans at defensive midfield or to replace one of the numerous options at center back.
“There’s a lot of promise for him, but not every kid is going to be Andy, where they step in and do this amazing job,” D.C. United coach Ben Olsen said. “There’s going to be guys that develop into very good pros, and I see him maybe being more that guy than Andy.”
Fortunately, Shanosky was called up this week by the U.S. under-20 national team for a pair of matches against the French under-20s. His standout showing with the same group last spring was part of what convinced United he was too good for college.
After the under-20s failed to qualify for the under-20 FIFA World Cup and coach Thomas Rongen’s contract wasn’t renewed, Shanosky knows there’s plenty to prove in France both individually and as a team.
“Our 20s really shouldn’t be judged on not qualifying for the World Cup because it’s a great team,” Shanosky said. “You can see it with guys like [New York forward] Juan Agudelo playing and doing his thing, [D.C. United teammates] Perry [Kitchen] and Ethan [White], a lot of guys that are very talented.”
When he returns from France, Shanosky will return to the grind, commuting from his Northern Virginia home, where his parents’ role has changed since their son started earning his own bread.
“The good thing about them is when I was younger, they were a little bit tougher,” Shanosky said. “But now that I made it this far, they know that I’ve been through everything, and they know how I am. They try to cheer me up more than they put me down.”
