Shamit Shome’s troubles are almost behind him.
The dream of playing in MLS was within reach, last January, when the Impact made him the 41st overall selection at the 2017 MLS SuperDraft. At the time, Shome was part of a Canada U20 national team camp, and he would join the Bleu-blanc-noir’s preseason afterwards.
But a stress fracture in his right foot, which he suffered in Panama, derailed plans.
“From there, it kind of went downhill,” Shome said after the Impact’s Tuesday training session. Instead of getting ready for his first MLS season, Shome started his rehabilitation: working in the gym, then running alone on the sidelines – always looking to maintain his fitness.
Shome is now rewarded for his efforts, as he returned to training this week. The 19-year-old midfielder took the opportunity to share details of his road back to fitness with the media at Centre Nutrilait.
“It’s a big hurdle to overcome,” Shome said. “I think it’ll really help me push forward, because it’s every draft pick’s worst nightmare, coming in injured to a new team. It’s something that I’ve overcome, and now I’m just excited for the future.”
Through these three long months of rehabilitation, Shome also saw the Impact deal with other injury issues. The team has only once been able to field the same backline two games in a row, and at the other end of the field, Matteo Mancosu suffered an injury last weekend against Vancouver – Anthony Jackson-Hamel also came off with a knock, but he was training with his teammates on Tuesday.
With Canadian Championship fixtures loading the schedule up in the next weeks, any good news is welcome in the treatment room – and Shome is thrilled to be part of those now.
“[The Canadian Championship] could be a way for me to step in for my first time and get back into it,” Shome said. “I’m just focused on working hard in training and, hopefully, from there, we’ll see what happens. Physically, I feel great.”
