MLS: Once a teammate of Jack Rodwell, Rob Vincent is now enjoying matchups against Drogba and Lampard

A career in professional football with Everton was all Rob Vincent dreamed about. Hoping to play against the likes of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, the self-confessed Evertonian started his journey in the Blues’ academy set up.

“Jack Rodwell was in my team, and there was a couple of other lads that turned professional,” Vincent told Yahoo Sport UK. “Callum McManaman who’s at West Brom now, and Wayne Rooney’s brother John were also in my year. Then there were a few who are now playing in the lower leagues back in England.”

The midfielder looks back fondly on his time with the club, a period during which he would attend Goodison Park with his dad. “I lived probably 10-15 minutes away from Goodison Park,” he said. “The first game I can remember going to, we lost to Man United 3-2, and Lee Sharpe scored two,” Vincent said with laugh. “I just remember crying all the way home.”

That wouldn’t be the last time Vincent shed tears over Everton. The 25-year-old was released by his boyhood club after almost three years in their academy. “It was horrible,” Vincent said of his release. “I joined them at about six [years old] and left at about nine [years old], so it was gut-wrenching. I remember my dad and me crying about it on the way home after we found out. At the time you’re devastated, but my dad was straight on the phone to other clubs to try and organise some trials for me.”

Vincent’s talent would eventually take him to Crewe Alexandra, the home of renowned youth coach Dario Gradi. The 25-year-old spent almost six years with the club, and upon reflection, considers Gresty Road to be where he learned most about the game. “I’d attribute most of my development to being at Crewe,” Vincent said. “All of the sessions were long, and they were very technical. I think those five or six years, at arguably the most important stage of my career, were huge in my development.”

While at Crewe the midfielder took inspiration from the likes of Danny Murphy and Lee Bowyer; players that had used Crewe as a springboard to greater things. Unfortunately for Vincent, his career would not follow that path, and he would end up at Stockport County. His time there was brief, with injuries playing a part in seeing him released from the Hatters in 2009. “At Stockport I wanted to break into the first team, or at least get a professional contract,” he said. “The second year of my youth contract I tore my cartilage. I think I only played six or seven games. I ended up having a second surgery at the end of the season, and they said they hadn’t seen enough from me and wouldn’t be offering me a deal. At that point Stockport were in League One, and they likely saw signing me as too big of a risk.”

With his options in England all but exhausted, Vincent was presented with the chance to play in the United States at the University of Charleston. “I had started planning [my future] towards the end of the previous season [with Stockport],” he said. “My only real option [in England] was to step down into the Unibond League. I just wanted to do something different and I’d heard about lads that had gone out to the States and had a good time. I still wanted to play professionally, and I knew if I went out there and played well I could play in MLS.”

Subsequently relocating to Charleston, West Virginia, life didn’t become easier. Vincent attempted to manage the demands of school work and football with a part time job in order to make ends meet. “My first year in University my scholarship wasn’t great,” he said. “I think I was paying about £5-6,000 to go there. My mum and dad were helping out a lot as I couldn’t really afford that. After my first season I started working as a waiter, cleaning dishes and clearing tables after they’d had events. I worked in the school library, and then I even did coaching during the summer. I wanted to help my mum and dad out with the payments, but I was fortunate enough that my college coach helped me earn a bit more scholarship after my first year.”

Graduating in 2013 with a degree in sports administration, Vincent moved back to his wife’s hometown of Pittsburgh not long after, (the two had met in college). He signed on with USL side the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and enjoyed a successful three year spell, with his final season seeing him record 18 goals in 28 games from midfield. “I think in the third season we just had a better team,” he said. “I don’t think I played any better in my third season, compared to my first two. I just kept getting chance after chance and I kept scoring. I was taking penalties and free-kicks, and I think with more goals came more confidence.”

Vincent also managed to score against his future employers that season. Netting a penalty against D.C. United in the US Open Cup, it sparked an interest in him from Ben Olsen. The team from the capital subsequently scouted him, and after a successful trial signed the 25-year-old in February of this year.

Seen as a depth option, Vincent was initially deployed at left midfield, (a position he had played for Pittsburgh). However, after a string of mediocre showings he made the brave decision to approach Olsen and discuss things. “I had to do it,” he admitted. “I said to him I see myself as more of a central midfielder. It was at the point where I wasn’t playing, and we’d just signed a couple of wingers. I didn’t think I was the type of player he wanted out wide. I thought if I don’t say anything now I’ll probably get released at the end of the season.”

That talk earned Vincent his desired spot in central midfield, and with it a meeting against Lampard when D.C. United faced New York City FC earlier this month.

A moment Vincent will never forget, it was not only the next step on his impressive journey, but also the completion of that childhood dream, just not exactly how he planned it. “It was strange to play against him [Lampard],” he said. “I bought an England shirt with his name on the back when I was a kid, and it was just a really sweet experience. It didn’t really sink in until the bus ride home after the game. I switched my phone on and the headline photo was me chasing him. A few years ago I wouldn’t have planned to be playing against Lampard and [Didier] Drogba, but now I am.”