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Local player impresses his way from fan to farm team

Ajax opens its doors to teen

Published: Thursday, July 13, 2006

EDMONTON - There's going overseas to play soccer, and then there's going overseas to play soccer for your family's favourite team.

Matt Lam can claim the latter as he prepares to fly to Amsterdam alongside one very proud grandmother and join Ajax. She will be moving back to her home country with her 16-year-old grandson to purchase a home and help him adjust to life in pursuit of a dream in a foreign country.

"It's great. I'm just really excited to get over there and start playing right away," said Lam, who leaves Edmonton July 27, and joins one of the powerhouse Dutch club's youth teams Aug. 1.

"They just said I could fit in with the Under-19s when I'm there, so they're just going to put me in right there."

Lam's grandparents on his mother's side are direct from Amsterdam, the heart of Ajax country. So he grew up clad in the team's red and white, followed any televised games he could and even got to drop in to watch a live match while on a vacation in Holland a few years ago.

Now to enter their developmental system? It's much more than he figured possible before he first caught the eyes of talent scouts overseas with a tryout for Middlesbrough, an English Premiership team, last year.

"After I went to England, I kind of used this status to bring myself closer to home and my agent helped me get a trial with Ajax," said Lam. "It was a dream come true because that's my family's club, we're big Ajax fans. So I just went over and tried out there."

Agent Edmund Chu used his contacts overseas to fly Lam out at the beginning of May and have him spend two months training and playing with the Ajax Under-17 team. Despite separating his shoulder twice during the try out and having to fly home for surgery and rehab of the recurring injury, he impressed team officials enough to get invited back.

"I felt pretty confident actually," said Lam. "The first day I was already put into a game situation and it just felt very comfortable. The pace of the game over there is so much higher, so that is a pretty big jump from here to there, but I thought I coped with it pretty well."

Upon his return to Holland, Lam will be slotted in with the Under-19 team, just two steps removed from the first team. It's unusual for Ajax to recruit foreign players, preferring to develop local products, but something caught their eye with Lam. Now he already has the full team kit of training gear and a dream of playing in the 52,000-capacity Amsterdam Arena, where he got to see the wild atmosphere of a game on a previous visit.

"Just being in the crowd with all the fanatic fans, it was just an amazing experience," said Lam, a five-foot-10 midfielder who starred for the Edmonton Juventus Under-16 team last year.

He turns 17 in September and will begin hashing out a formal contract with the team at that time.

spetersen@thejournal.canwest.com

© The Edmonton Journal 2006

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Ok, I'll beat the others to the punch:

CAP HIM!!!

I don't want to lose another young midfielder to the Dutch (I know it's not settled). If Mitchell can have an unattached 16 yr old (KOA - hopefully he'll stick with the Galaxy), then a Ajax prospect should be looked at very closely. By next summer, he will be 17, and have received a full season of Ajax training. I think a run-out in a friendly is more than appropriate.

I know that alot of promising youth never pan out, but Ajax don't take just anybody - and their reputation for developing players (and coaches)is awesome. It has to be one of the very best clubs for a kid to join. Good luck to him.

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quote:Originally posted by KAS

Ok, I'll beat the others to the punch:

CAP HIM!!!

I don't want to lose another young midfielder to the Dutch (I know it's not settled). If Mitchell can have an unattached 16 yr old (KOA - hopefully he'll stick with the Galaxy), then a Ajax prospect should be looked at very closely. By next summer, he will be 17, and have received a full season of Ajax training. I think a run-out in a friendly is more than appropriate.

I know that alot of promising youth never pan out, but Ajax don't take just anybody - and their reputation for developing players (and coaches)is awesome. It has to be one of the very best clubs for a kid to join. Good luck to him.

DM could only cap him if he plays the kid in one of our U-20 WC games next year...........

And he isn't eligible for the U-17 team.

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quote:

I know that alot of promising youth never pan out, but Ajax don't take just anybody - and their reputation for developing players (and coaches)is awesome. It has to be one of the very best clubs for a kid to join. Good luck to him.

Them and Partizan Beograd are probably the best two places for any young kid to go. an excellent move.

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quote:Originally posted by loyola

DM could only cap him if he plays the kid in one of our U-20 WC games next year...........

And he isn't eligible for the U-17 team.

Oops, forgot that friendlies don't count. Nonetheless, if the kid has Dutch citizenship (anyone know?), or is eligible for Dutch citizenship, then efforts should be made to invite him to a camp, or even a friendly, to make him feel part of the Canadian team. The CSA and its' national teams need to be very proactive in bringing young prospects into the fold before they can be lured away by European national teams. Oh, and lets hope that he hasn't been cut by a Canadian youth team and has built-up resentment about it! ;)

BTW, why wouldn't he be eligible for the U-17 team? If they had a game in what is left of 2006 (do they?), wouldn't they be able to use him? I know that Bate took a U-18 team to Scotland recently. Although that is not a permanent team with a coach, they might do something like that again.

In any event, I would like to see an effort to ensure that great prospects like this play for Canada. You never know, he and KOA might be part of the 2007 U-20 team - with a view towards creating a foundation for the 2009 U-20. We'll just have to see.

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I actually saw a CTV feature on this kid (I was watching a Calgary station on sat.),

and he appeared to be impressive enough. The two-minute feature says the same thing,

that he is going to the Ajax youth system with a pretty good chance to making something

of himself. They did mention that HOLLAND was in the WC at that time, and the kid had

Dutch roots --- sorta hinting on his "preferred direction." :-(

(I hope to find that footage, as I may have it on tape.)

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quote:Originally posted by redhat

They did mention that HOLLAND was in the WC at that time, and the kid had Dutch roots --- sorta hinting on his "preferred direction." :-(

That is why the CSA and Mitchell should work quickly to lure him in. A quick offer from Canada before the Dutch can even be bothered to notice might work. Otherwise, you have to hope that he doesn't have Dutch citizenship and can't get it for years, or that he just never becomes good enough for the Dutch and Canada gets him by default - but Canada will never go far if those are the only players we get to keep.

If he does have any potential, then it might make sense to offer him a spot on the U-20 WYC team just to entice him. Unless, of course, that lure actually works to get JDG2! Edmonton kid playing for Canada for atleast two key games at Commonwealth stadium - even if he doesn't get off the bench more than once, the chance of playing might be hard to pass up.

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quote:Originally posted by redhat

They did mention that HOLLAND was in the WC at that time, and the kid had Dutch roots --- sorta hinting on his "preferred direction." :-(

That is why the CSA and Mitchell should work quickly to lure him in. A quick offer from Canada before the Dutch can even be bothered to notice might work. Otherwise, you have to hope that he doesn't have Dutch citizenship and can't get it for years, or that he just never becomes good enough for the Dutch and Canada gets him by default - but Canada will never go far if those are the only players we get to keep.

If he does have any potential, then it might make sense to offer him a spot on the U-20 WYC team just to entice him. Unless, of course, that lure actually works to get JDG2! Edmonton kid playing for Canada for atleast two key games at Commonwealth stadium - even if he doesn't get off the bench more than once, the chance of playing might be hard to pass up.

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quote:Originally posted by loyola

BTW, he's listed on the CSA website as an NTC Prairies player. Born in 1989, he's eligible for the 2007 and 2009 U-20 WC.

It's good that the CSA is familiar with him. Now lets see if they do anything to bring him into the Team Canada fold.

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I've said it for a long time on this board but I can't agree that Mitchell should rush him into the U-20 NT just because the kid is eligible to play for another country. If in Dale Mitchell's mind we have better kids at the position Lam is playing, I don't see why he should call him, that would be totally unfair to the more deserving players.

Let's keep in mind that Lam is still young and eligible for the 2009 U-20 WC.

I'm not saying Lam isn't good enough to play right away, that's DM job to evaluate him, but I just think that it wouldn't be right if we start selecting a player over another one just because he might play for another country in the long term.

BTW, I wish him the best of luck, Ajax is a great club and they have the best or one of the best youth program in the world.

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quote:Originally posted by loyola

I've said it for a long time on this board but I can't agree that Mitchell should rush him into the U-20 NT just because the kid is eligible to play for another country. If in Dale Mitchell's mind we have better kids at the position Lam is playing, I don't see why he should call him, that would be totally unfair to the more deserving players.

Let's keep in mind that Lam is still young and eligible for the 2009 U-20 WC.

I'm not saying Lam isn't good enough to play right away, that's DM job to evaluate him, but I just think that it wouldn't be right if we start selecting a player over another one just because he might play for another country in the long term.

BTW, I wish him the best of luck, Ajax is a great club and they have the best or one of the best youth program in the world.

Thanks for saving me the typing Loyola. I agree 100 %.

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quote:Originally posted by loyola

I've said it for a long time on this board but I can't agree that Mitchell should rush him into the U-20 NT just because the kid is eligible to play for another country. If in Dale Mitchell's mind we have better kids at the position Lam is playing, I don't see why he should call him, that would be totally unfair to the more deserving players.

Let's keep in mind that Lam is still young and eligible for the 2009 U-20 WC.

I would USUALLY agree with you - all spots should be on merit. But in cases like this, it is a bit different. As much as I want to support fairness, the world is not always fair, and the soccer world certainly isn't fair. For Canada to be good at playing the game, it must become good at playing THE GAME.

Do I blame England (as well as Wales and Germany) for trying to lure a young boy named Owen Hargreaves who was clearly 100% Canadian? No. They played THE GAME in the hope that stealing him would make their team better. Would I blame the Dutch if they go after JDG2? No. Same reason.

Maybe Hargreaves did deserve to be cut from that Canadian youth team, but had the coaches shown the foresight to get as many young prospects into official tournament games as possible, then that SOB/Whore would now be a key component in the MNT's midfield. Likewise, national team coaches should have found a way to get JDG2 into official tournamnet games, whether U-14, U-17, or U-20, BEFORE he got his big chance with his club's first team in Holland and attracted public interest. We need to cap these guys before they become good enough to attract the attention of other nations.

Assuming that the U-20 team will have 23 spots(?), I would definitely give a spot on the bench (and atleast a late sub in a already decided game) to an uncapped but promising 16yr old who's at the legendary Ajax academy. It is all about securing as many players as possible for future consideration with the senior MNT. The fact that he is eligible for 2009 only furthers the argument, as I would like to see guys like Lam and KOA experience the 2007 tournament - even if mostly from the bench - so that there is a core of experience within the 2009 team. All U-20 WYC teams should have atleast 2-3 youngsters who will be the vets of the next WYC.

Decide the starting XI on merit, but give one of 23 spots (a bench seat) to Lam as an insurance policy incase he proves to be good and the Dutch take notice. Because Canada is not as attractive an option as the Dutch squad, our offers always have to arrive first.

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quote:Originally posted by KAS

Because Canada is not as attractive an option as the Dutch squad, our offers always have to arrive first.

Regarding the OH issue (as I hate to bring it up), Canada was first

in offering a spot on the senior team during the Holger years, BEFORE

England. A player before U20 cannot be capped and can change his

mind, as I understand it. Adu was offered a spot with Ghana's WC

team despite having played for the US U17 team. So you never know.

We should really stop beating ourselves up over players' country of

choice (or of convenience) and concentrate on the ones that want to

play for the Maple Leaf. This talented Calgary lad may have Dutch

roots and could play for them, but right now he is on the CSA radar

with the NTC and is still Canadian ... so we should just wish him

all the best and hope he will eventually play with Edgar, Gyaki,

Lombardo, Begovic, and the rest.

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I was quite impressed when I saw Matt in this spring's indoor provincials in Calgary. He's got great speed and goal sense. He's also got fine vision and ball-handling skills. I wish I could have seen him play outdoor.

All the best to him.

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All I know is that he will receive the very best training available in the world.I studied the Ajax system and in fact Ajax gives yearly seminars to coaches worldwide and these are sell outs. The commitment to youth in Holland is more than second to none.Ajax is even better. The l;ist of famous soccer players that came through that system is unequaled in the world as well. It's all about the youth and they recognized that manyn years ago.

He will get all the benefits of these many years of experience and it will help our team greatly as well.

Heck can you iagine if he chooses to play for Holland as well as Jonathan. The Dutch team with two players from Canada as well as the coach Johnny Van't Schip.

Crazy stuff, I wonder if Owen would have picked Holland. Anyway,there it is, he is in the very best hands in the world!

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I hate to retract what I said, but I was thinking of Shaun Saiko, another young Green & Gold player who went to Europe at the same time as Matt. I don't believe I've seen Matt play. (It's too hot - I can't think anymore)

Still, all the best to him.

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Matt Lam is a quality prospect, to be sure...but another local lad, Shaun Saiko, is perhaps a better bet to suit up with the MNT. Hopefully both have great experiences in Europe and enjoy wonderful careers.

Funny aside...Saiko, who is in Middlesborough, was dropped by Dick Bate from the U18 NT matches in April 2006 against Scotland. Bate said Canada had enough "average" players in the midfield. Anyone that has seen Saiko knows he is not average. Or perhaps English Premier League teams covet average Canadian players for their youth system.

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quote: orginally quoted by better mirror

maybe the other players were that much better and haven't had an opportunity to join professional youth clubs? thus making saiko look average?

The other players representing Canada in those friendlies were not the quality required to make Saiko look average. Further, very few Canadian players that would be described as average would be invited to join professional clubs.

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a lot can be said for character - which wouldn't be mentioned in an article. also, it must be noted Mr. Bate et al are probably looking for different qualities than yourself (assuming you don't have the same soccer-specific education those blokes have) - he must surely have been lacking something.

i've not selected many players with quality for my teams because they simply wouldn't fit. for various reasons.

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Well, I can't boast of a UEFA A License, but I do have my B License, for whatever that is worth...

Saiko is a quality player and a great young man. I just think Bate was daft...with Bate's new gig at Watford, at least he will get to see Shaun play for Middlesborough back in England. ;)

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