This 2014 season has been an opportunity for many of the Impact’s younger players to get a chance to win a spot on the starting squad. With a poor season still in progress and a slew of injuries, manager Frank Klopas has had the ability to test out different players from the Academy and players acquired through the MLS Superdraft. One of these players is Scottish born midfielder Calum Mallace.
From Marquette to Montreal:
The 24 year old has been with the Impact since the 2012 season when he was drafted 20th overall by the Montreal Impact. Prior to being drafted by Montreal, the midfielder played at the University of Marquette for four years and won Big East Conference Midfielder of the Year 2011, and the team MVP award.
After his time at Marquette Mallace played for the Chicago Fire Premier in the USL Premier Development League between 2009-2011, where he played in 20 games scoring 1 goal. This was an important step for Mallace and gave him a few more years to mature before jumping straight to the MLS from College. With the addition of the USL-Pro team in Montreal next season more and more players from the Academy will have the opportunity to play at a higher level before making the jump.
2013 Loaned to Minnesota United FC:
After only playing in 6 games between 2012 and the start of 2013 the Impact loaned Mallace back to his home state to play the remainder of the season with Minnesota United FC in the NASL where Callum played in 12 games scoring 1 goal.
Mallace recognized how important his time in Minnesota was last season, “Going on loan last year helped me grow both as an individual and on the field,” added Mallace. “I knew the coach at Minnesota and he said I’d be starter so for me, I needed games to become a better player, so I made the choice to leave the team and get important minutes.”1
Return to Montreal:
In 2014 Mallace returned to the Montreal after his loan period ended and he has currently played in 17 games (including 9 straight appearances) scoring 1 goal this season.
One can assume that current Impact manager Frank Klopas had knowledge of Mallace even before he took the reigns in Montreal. Klopas was with Chicago Fire as Technical Director in January 2008 and was named interim manager in 2011. Klopas would have no doubt seen Mallace play some games when he was a player with the Chicago Fire Premier between 2009-2011.
Mallace is a physical player which fits well into the style of MLS play. He has also proven his ability it be a quality distributor of the ball from the midfield as seen in a game last month against the New York Red Bulls. Mallace has an air of leadership about him and his presence is felt every time he steps on the field. Even though former Impact player Hernan Bernardello was a highly skilled player, there were times when you forgot he was even on the field. This is never the case with Mallace.
There will be a lot of question marks going into next year however Mallace looks like he has proven himself as a quality player that can bring something to the Impact in 2015. Callum Mallace returns home to the Midwest this weekend as the Impact face the Chicago Fire on Sunday evening.
1: Montreal Impact. Answering the bell. http://www.impactmontreal.com/en/news/2014/10/answering-bell
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