Looking ahead to Wednesday’s game against Union Omaha, a rematch of last year’s exit for Des Moines, the expectation is for some of the younger players to take charge. For various reasons, former pros like Justin Meram, A.J. DeLaGarza and Donny Toia won’t be available.
“We’re gonna have a much more balanced team come this next game, and if we were to win and go further, I think it would become more and more balanced,” Feilhaber said. “We want [the young guys] to potentially impress someone that’s watching.”
That’s a message that has been reiterated.
While many of the retirees are playing for fun, or in Feilhaber’s case, so his kids could watch him play, a byproduct of this project is to guide and elevate the handful of non-pros on the team. Other names with MLS experience, like Hedges or the incoming Tommy Thompson, are also still seeking new professional contracts.
“One thing I was always told as a player, you never know who’s watching,” Kljestan said. “It would be really a dream come true for me if a player like Leroy [Enzugusi] or we had another kid who came into the game, Yoshi [Okawa], who was fantastic as well. They’re looking to be professionals, they’re waiting for their opportunity. They would like to go on trial somewhere and our goalkeeper, Enzo [Carvalho], who I believe just finished college as well, he had a fantastic game.”
Latshaw agreed with sentiment and underlined the platform that those players now have.
“We still have five guys in the squad that are gonna be involved [in the regular season], and that’s what people don’t talk about is that we do have some guys that we’re showcasing,” he said. “Whether it’s Cade Hagan, Yoshi Okawa, Kyle Owen, Enzo Carvalho or Leroy Enzugusi.”
For Enzugusi, who coaches local kids in Des Moines through his Tekkers Soccer program that he co-founded, the experience has been an invaluable one.
“It’s a pretty special moment for me with my role in the community just because I get to be personable with the players, I get to tell them like what [Kljestan]’s saying,” said Enzugusi, who was drafted by Nashville SC in 2021 but never made an appearance. “I get to tell them what it feels like to make a mistake, what it feels like to not make a mistake. Like, all this stuff are things that I wish I knew before I even went to Nashville. I wish I had this experience before I got drafted, I would’ve been a lot better for it.”
At Wednesday’s second-round Open Cup game, which Des Moines will host, Enzugusi expects that more than 100 of his players will attend the match. Latshaw believes that between 3,000 and 5,000 fans will show up, providing the club with an extra source of income. There is also the prospect of taking home $50,000, awarded to the club that advances the furthest from each lower division.
“If we can win that [prize money] for them, that would be awesome,” Kljestan said.
Whether that journey ends Wednesday, or continues through to the next round, all involved are soaking in the magic of being able to see these legends hit the field at least once more.
“First time I played with [Kljestan] and I was just, honestly, I was just shook. I was amazed. How is this guy so old, so slow, but yet he’s like miles better than everyone else on the pitch? Like, it doesn’t make sense,” Enzugusi said with a laugh. “Their smoothness and they look so effortless when they’re shooting and taking their first touches and passing the ball, and they’re so deceptive, unpredictable.”
And if those unpredictable moments lead to a win on Wednesday?
“We do have a few other names on the books that potentially want to make an appearance if we can get through round two and we’ll just kind of see how it goes,” Latshaw said. “It’s one of those things, it’s the wild west for the Open Cup for USL Two teams.”
