George Campbell showed why Atlanta United made him its sixth Homegrown signing with a stellar display against Chivas’ Under-20 team in Tuesday’s MLS Homegrown game during the all-star break.
Playing in sweltering heat that resulted in hydration breaks, Campbell played well with the ball under pressure, made a sliding tackle, created a turnover, didn’t have a turnover with more than 10 passes completed and contributed to his team’s first goal by being in the penalty box as a target.
“A few things I could have done more,” he said. “But for the most part I tried to keep it simple. Talk as much as I could. Be confident on the ball. I thought I did pretty well. Obviously, there’s so much I can always improve.”
The MLS Homegrown Team won on penalties Tuesday following a 2-2 draw.
Campbell’s Homegrown contract will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020. The team announced the agreement on July 9. Slightly more than two weeks later, on July 24, MLS announced that Campbell, 18, would be a late addition to the Homegrown game. He started as a centerback in a four-man backline.
“I was surprised to be on the roster at all, to be honest,” he said. “Once I got here I thought I had the opportunity to start. It was there.”
Campbell said he tried to apply against Chivas the things he’s learning with Atlanta United 2, managed by Stephen Glass. Campbell has played more than 1,000 minutes for the USL club this season.
“They put a lot of faith in me, given me a lot of opportunities, taught me a lot,” he said. “I’ve tried to apply it to the games I play now as much as I can. Today, was just trying to play my game as well as I could. Now you can see it coming out, the stuff they’ve taught me.”
He thought his best play on Tuesday came when he made a Leandro Gonzalez Pirez-like tackle from behind, going through the opposing player to get the ball. He made a pass to a teammate and continued his run into the opponent’s third of the field. He didn’t get the return pass, so he tracked back to his spot so that his team could keep its shape.
Campbell said he talks to Atlanta United’s centerbacks when he trains with them to try to learn as much as he can about the position. He said he needs to be cleaner on the ball, make better passes and improve his communication.
Campbell also speaks frequently to the team’s other Homegrown signings, Andrew Carleton, Chris Goslin, Lagos Kunga, Patrick Okonkwo and George Bello, about their experiences. He said they typically discuss how to fit in and gain confidence.
Campbell said signing the Homegrown contract won’t change him too much.
“I still have a lot of work to do,” he said. “There are guys ahead of me that I have to work past. I need to work a lot harder to get to that spot.”
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