For the second time in a year, last Saturday, the Montreal Impact celebrated the longevity of one of its own.
Before the 1-0 win over the Houston Dynamo, club president Joey Saputo handed a jersey to Oduro. It bore number 300, as in 300 MLS appearances, a milestone reached the previous week-end in Washington. This achievement followed that of former Montreal player Justin Mapp, who also played his 300th MLS game wearing Bleu-blanc-noir, on August 22, 2015.
Selected 22nd overall by Dallas at the 2006 MLS SuperDraft, Oduro never would have guessed that he’d last so long in MLS. He remembers his amazement that Richard Mulrooney, a teammate of his that year, was already playing his eighth season in MLS.
“Little did I know I was going to hit my 11th year,” Oduro told Impact Media. “I just wanted to do well. 300 games tell me that I’ve been doing well, because you don’t get this far without being a good player. And it shows that you’ve been very consistent.
“The reaction was heartwarming,” Oduro continued. “Having people saying congratulations via text, via Twitter, it shows the love and support that people have around me. It has made me a better player over the years. I want to thank everybody.”
Oduro joined an elite club in Washington. He is only the 33rd outfield player in league history to reach 300 appearances – the 13th among active players. The leader in appearances for outfield players is Real Salt Lake midfielder Kyle Beckerman, whose teammate Nick Rimando is only three appearances away from beating Kevin Hartman’s record of 416 games played. At the ripe old age of 30, Oduro can shoot for those heights.
“I’m still young, but it’s one game at a time,” Oduro said. “For me, it’s about never getting comfortable. You never know where you are going to be tomorrow. Players come and go. I’m still here. I want to keep having fun and keep playing.”
In the meantime, Oduro can’t wait to get his new jersey framed. Mr. Consistency will cherish it.
