On one side of the locker room deep in the bowels of Montreal’s Olympic Stadium, a gaggle of reporters and cameramen gather around players such as Alessandro Nesta, Patrice Bernier and Hassoun Camara.
The trio is the centre of attention, as journalists and broadcasters hang on their every word, hoping for a good quote. They all played a part in the Montreal Impact’s home-opening win, so they have a perspective to offer.
On the other side of the locker room sits a solitary figure. Andrew Wenger doesn’t have microphones or cameras thrust in his face, but he’s just as busy as his teammates across the way, furiously texting on his mobile phone.
Wenger didn’t feature in the game — he sat on the bench as an unused substitute. In fact, the sophomore forward has been limited to only 15 minutes of playing time through the Impact’s first three games of the MLS season, and chances are he won’t see much more action in the coming weeks.
It’s not exactly the kind of future many had pegged for Wenger. The first overall pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft, the Duke University product scored four goals in 23 league appearances in his rookie campaign. But this year he’s slipped further down the depth chart behind veteran Italian Marco Di Vaio, Gambian Sanna Nyassi and Argentine newcomer Andres Romero.
Still, the 22-year-old native of Pennsylvania has no regrets about his time with the Impact thus far, and is willing to bide his time before getting another chance to crack the starting line-up.
“It’s gone well for me here in Montreal. I think you always want to play a little bit more but I’m a young guy and I’m still trying to build myself up to playing in the team,” Wenger told sportsnet.ca.
He later added: “It’s been nothing but positive, and enjoyable playing here in Montreal. I’m just trying to learn every day.”
Wenger regularly featured for the Impact last season under former coach Jesse Marsch. But when Swiss manager Marco Schällibaum took over the coaching reins earlier this year, he switched to a 4-1-4-1 formation that features only one striker up top.
It was hardly a surprise when Schällibaum gave Di Vaio the responsibility to lead the line for the Impact. The Italian forward is the club’s designated player and has played in Serie A, La Liga and Ligue Un, while Wenger is still finding his way after a decent rookie campaign.
He knows that he’s going to be second choice — or even third or fourth choice — so long as Di Vaio is healthy. All he can do is wait his turn.
“Di Vaio is a great forward. He’s the No. 1 guy and if he gets hurt or if someone else happens to get hurt, I’m ready to play,” Wenger said.
“I’ll just keep working hard and try to be ready for whenever I get called upon. That’s all you can really do. I continue to work and make sure I’m fresh for when the coach says he wants me to play.”
Having previously played for a number of marquee European clubs, including Juventus and Valencia, Di Vaio has a wealth of experience, something that he has tried to pass down to Wenger.
“He’s helped me out in little ways here and there. He’s a quiet guy but he’ll throw out tips here and there when he wants something done a little bit better. He’s always trying to make sure everything’s right, and that’s helped me out,” Wenger said.
From talking to Wenger, you can sense the disappointment in his voice. But there isn’t any bitterness. Instead of sulking, he’s handling the situation with a great deal of maturity and is philosophical about it all.
“It takes a long time for young players in this league to work their way up. Marco has been playing in some top leagues for a long time. I just have to keep working at it. My time will come,” Wenger offered.
In his last season at Duke, Wenger was moved to the forward position and scored 17 goals. But he spent most of his collegiate career as a central defender and also played as a defensive midfielder.
When Wenger does get his chance from Schällibaum, he expects to play as a forward, and not in the back line.
“I’ll play up top. We haven’t really spoken about playing in defence,” Wenger said.
