MLS: Trapp takes the lessons of 2015 into promising year ahead

As Wil Trapp reflects on 2015 the first word that comes to mind is ‘roller coaster’. The 22 year old had enjoyed a breakout season in 2014 with the Columbus Crew SC, playing almost 30 games in MLS. 2015 was heading in a similar direction, until a game against the Vancouver Whitecaps on April 8, when Trapp was substituted with a concussion.

The injury would keep him out of action for close to three months, forcing him to meander through a slow and difficult recovery. “If I’d had a teammate that sat out three months because of a concussion, I would have looked at him like what’s going on, do you not want to play or what?” Trapp tells Yahoo Sport UK. “Having experienced the other side of it I know first hand that these are real injuries. It’s not just a broken leg or a sprained ankle. It effects everything; how you think, how you see, how you move. The brain truly is the control centre of our body, and an injury to that organ is further reaching than any other injury I’ve ever had.”

An issue that saw Trapp venture into uncertain ground, it was the first injury he had suffered without a concrete return date. “You wake up one day you feel good, the next you don’t,” he explains. “The hardest part for me was the work to get back to base one fitness.”

Trapp would eventually make his return July 4, against the New York Red Bulls. An important first step on his road to recovery, Trapp finished the season with an appearance in the MLS Cup final . “It [MLS Cup] was an amazing experience,” he says. “To have the biggest game in our league, in our own stadium with the excitement of our crowd, it was great. Unfortunately it didn’t come out the way we wanted, but we know we didn’t play well enough. We didn’t so much get beat, as we gave the game away.”

Talking to Trapp, it becomes clear he is a perfectionist. Watch his play on the field, and that attention to detail comes through once again as he attempts to make the Crew SC tick. “I’ve always loved having the ball at my feet, and loved to bring other players into the game,” he explains. “My dad used to always pay me more for assists than goals when I was a kid. I think right there that was a mentality instilled in me at a young age.”

In working closely with Gregg Berhalter, the 22 year old has found a kindred spirit. “If you’ve ever spoken to Gregg you’ll know he’s a very detail orientated coach, and I think I’ve benefited from that mindset,” Trapp explains. “For example, it’s one thing to just play a pass to a guy. It’s another thing to play it to his right foot, at the right angle, with the right pace, so he can move forward with it. If you watch our training sessions, it’s very precise and detail orientated. It’s a perfectionist mentality, and I think I’ve always been like that since I was young. I think he’s brought that out more.”

That idea of achieving perfection also applies to the balance of the team. Trapp is placed alongside the physically imposing Tony Tchani, and the pair clearly compliment each other. “Our coach has had an idea in mind, and he’s brought players into positions where they can prosper,” Trapp says. “Tony and I are two guys that have benefited from that. I think Gregg has done excellently at implementing a style, and executing it. I think the relationship we [Tony and I] have along with Federico [Higuain] is one where there are times we’re going to battle each other, because one guy wants one thing and another guy wants another thing.

“Ultimately though we have a collective agreement and motivation to a style of play. It helps that [Tchani] he’s a physical specimen, but I think I’ve benefited from being next to him as I’ve learned from him. I think the same can be said of him. I think he’s someone that has benefited from the soccer players that have been around him, and it’s really exciting to see his development.”

Nestled within talk of Tchani’s development is the progression of Trapp’s own career. A ball-playing midfielder, Trapp has earned occasional links to teams in Europe. While a transfer abroad is something he may one day have to consider, he now appears more focused on establishing himself with the US Men’s National Team. “It’s always difficult to gauge exactly where you see yourself fitting in,” Trapp says. “This year it will be interesting to see what happens with the Olympics, as that might muddle up any full national team appearances or prospects.

“For myself, I just think that you try to control the things you can control. You play your best and you try to get close with the guys on the team. Where guys tend to struggle is they build it up too much in their minds. They let the moment get the best of them, and that’s something I’ve had to work on.”

Yet even with his national team ambitions, Trapp is refusing to lose focus on the goals of the Crew SC. Gregg Berhalter will enter his third season at the club knowing expectations have risen, something that Trapp doesn’t seem phased by. “I think we’re only going to improve,” he says. “If you look at Gregg’s first year to this year, the pieces are definitely in place. In a system like ours chemistry is a massive part of it.

“To have another year under our belts will only make us come out the other side more refined. I think 2016 will be an exciting year, and having the taste of of that MLS Cup final is kind of like sharks having a taste of blood in the water.”

Follow Kristan Heneage on Twitter: @KHeneage