Unsung Hero Greg Jordan Building Off Strong 2015

Photo Credit: Minnesota United

Minnesota United head coach Carl Craig likens him to a cartoon character that gets beaten down but keeps getting up – in fact, one of the first things you might notice at a United game in Blaine is a skinny but deceptively strong kid diving into tackles and winning balls at the center of midfield. He isn’t the guy who scores all the goals and is rarely recognized for his work outside of the locker room, but Greg Jordan has become a cult favorite among fans of Minnesota United.

“When I'm on the field I'm totally in the zone, adrenaline is going, so I don't really hear much going on on the sideline,” Jordan said. “I think, just my style of play, some people enjoy that kind of put-your-body-on-the-line kind of player.”

On a team full of superheroes where does Greg Jordan fit in? Christian Ramirez is superman at the top of the pitch, flying high and knocking in goal after goal, and Daniel Mendes is Iron Man – a savvy veteran running along the outside of the pitch and knocking balls into the box or cutting in and finishing on his own. A player who refuses to quit, knows his role in the team and fills it excellently – Greg Jordan is a unique and refreshing professional soccer player. Greg Jordan is Deadpool.

“Greg keeps getting killed every time that we play, but he gets knocked down, he gets up again,” Craig said. “He is an unsung hero. He wears his heart on his sleeve and he's as passionate about the game as anyone in the club. Certainly as a man and as a footballer you couldn't ask for any better – outstanding character and well liked by everyone in the club. Every single day puts it out there.”

Jordan is entering his third year with the club. Despite playing solid minutes in 2014, this past season was a coming out of sorts for Jordan. Injuries on defense and in center midfield lead to more time for the Illinois native who shined and solidified a starting spot as the season progressed. His paradoxically crass but intelligent style of play may have been more evident last season, but it’s something he’s developed and improved upon since playing college soccer at Creighton.

“In college I had a coach named Bob Warming, he was somebody that you respected and you wanted to leave everything you had out on the field for him,” Jordan said. “So I think I learned that from my college and realized that was an aspect of the game that I could bring to a team and be a difference maker.”

Injuries allowed Jordan to earn more time with the club last season, but they also forced him to play higher up the pitch than might be natural for the defensive midfielder. This season, Craig hopes to drop Jordan a little deeper and allow him to focus and improve upon his role within the team. It’s an important role, as defensive midfielders tend to be the first true line of defense, and often force the balance and speed of play throughout a match. Jordan used this offseason to improve his game and take it to the next level.

“I had a good offseason and was able to kind of work on and improve some aspects of my game that I thought I needed some work and came into the preseason strong and fit and it's been a really good start I think,” Jordan said. “The vibes of the team are really good and positive, everybody is excited to get going again and continue to improve our style of play.”

With preseason here, the team is now solely focused on bringing multiple trophies home to Minnesota in 2016. Jordan acknowledged that there was frustration in the locker room after last year’s loss in the semifinal match against Ottawa Fury FC. The club aspires to be the best, and dropping out of the postseason tournament is seen as unacceptable. Rather than letting past inadequacies weigh them down, the players are using that postseason loss as fuel to lift them to higher levels in 2016.

“All of us kind of want to get that monkey off our back and advance higher than that,” Jordan said. “I think there's no issue with having high expectations because we have the kind of team to fulfill those expectations”

With a new coach and similar style, United’s preseason routine has focused largely on ball movement, and working the ball from back to front through the midfield. This has allowed Jordan to receive plenty of touches in the center of the pitch this preseason. As United looks to improve upon its scoring record season in 2015, an added focus on shape through the midfield will be the key to positive results in the upcoming season.

“Training has focused a lot on center midfield work, so stuff going through my position and kind of working on the shape that we want to play during the year and how we want to build out of the back and play through the midfield,” Jordan said. “It's been good for us midfielders to get that work in and sharpen up our play.”