FRISCO - From Vancouver to Japan to Colorado to Frisco, the last six weeks have been a bit crazy to say the least for Je-Vaughn Watson. He’s taking it all in stride though.
“It’s been a hectic month for me, up and down all over the place, but that’s the work,” Watson said after practice on Wednesday. “Whether playing for the national team or playing for FC Dallas, but I like playing soccer. Sometimes I don’t know where I get the energy. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to win a game.”
Reserve your seat for our Alamo Drafthouse playoff watch party!
Having that “whatever it takes” attitude has served Watson very well in 2014. The Jamaican has set career-highs in games played, games started, minutes played and goals scored this season. It all goes back to a conversation Watson had with Oscar Pareja early in the year.
“At the start of the season, [Oscar] had a meeting with me and said ‘Je-Vaughn I can make you the best fullback in the league,’” said Watson. “I looked at him and said ‘Coach I’ve never played fullback before are you crazy?’ He said to just think about it and tell me what you think. I said that I don’t have to think about it, you’re the coach and I’m willing to do whatever to win a game.”
The idea was somewhat shelved through the early part of the season as Watson excelled in his attacking right midfielder position, scoring three goals and adding an assist in his first five matches of 2014. However, injuries to incumbent right backs Zach Loyd and Kellyn Acosta coupled with the emergence of Andres Escobar saw Watson start his first MLS game at right back in Portland on June 11.
TALKING TACTICS: See how FCD shut down DeAndre Yedlin in #FCDvSEA leg 1
He made the full-time switch to the position in MLS play on August 3 at Chivas USA. FCD would win the next four games while allowing just two goals, and Watson’s right back position was made permanent. FCD is 8-4-2 in MLS games that Watson has started at right back this season and his galloping runs up and down the right wing have become a staple of FCD games.
“After so many games at right back, it just became natural but sometimes I move up to the wing not really thinking about it,” said Watson. “I’m not a pure right back because I’m overlapping and getting forward so I just do my defensive work first then go forward because I have the stamina to go up and down the field all 90 minutes.”
“If next week [Oscar] comes and [says] we don’t have a goalkeeper, I’m willing to go in the goal or whatever.”
Pareja has certainly proved his pre-season prediction to be true as Watson has become a defensive starter on a back line that has been one of the stoutest in MLS over the second half of the season.
Vote Raul, Fabian & Blas for MLS Latino del Ano 2014!
“Je-Vaughn is all heart. Obviously besides his talent, he’s people that I like to work with,” said Pareja. “His generosity with his effort and chemistry with the team and durability, he’s always there. It doesn’t matter the pain or rain or snow, he’s there and accountable. He knows that I will push him every day in the morning, but he’s helped us this year.”
Watson will have his biggest test yet on Monday night as FC Dallas looks to get the result they need to advance to the conference championship, something the Jamaican did twice in his time with the Houston Dynamo.
“I’m very excited for this game. As a player, I like big games. I like the crowd. I like the atmosphere,” said Watson. “We’re going there for the victory because beating them in front of their home crowd would be a marvelous experience for the guys. Everybody is probably writing us off, but we know our attacking force is very strong and we know we can get the job done."
