TUKWILA, Wash. – Though it wasn’t quite his first appearance for the Seattle Sounders, many fans were introduced to forward Oalex Anderson on April 2 when he had the whole stadium on their feet during a spectacular run on goal.
Anderson subbed into the match in the 68th minute and immediately made his presence known.
In the 82nd minute, Anderson magnificently split two Montreal defenders, forcing a three-on-one with forwards Jordan Morris and Clint Dempsey in his wake, and began charging down the field with reckless abandon. Dempsey and Morris split wide and shouted for the ball as Anderson neared the 18-yard box, but he forged ahead.
As Anderson entered the box, seemingly everyone in the stadium was screaming for him to lay the ball off to his streaking teammates and just when it looked as if he might pull the trigger, Anderson was closed down and the defense recovered, resulting in the collective groan of everyone in attendance.
“He’s a player that can make some things happen,” Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid said. “Sometimes you’re looking for a player too that can come off the bench and find the game quickly and change the game quickly. That’s one thing I was happy with Oalex…he found the game quickly.”
In a media session at Tuesday’s training, Anderson had the opportunity to explain what happened.
“To be honest, I wanted to pass the ball, but the defender was going with the two guys and he was creating space for me to run,” he told reporters. “I think I could have run straight and then commit the keeper to come and then just square it across. That’s what I was trying to do because the defender was going with my teammates and creating the space but I wanted to pass…I’m still learning.”
Much of that learning has come from S2 head coach Ezra Hendrickson, who scouted Anderson back in his home country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Hendrickson attended an annual five vs. five tournament in Anderson’s home village on one of his trips back to St. Vincent over Christmas and was immediately struck by the young man’s potential.
“I was just there watching, and I saw him play,” recalled Hendrickson. “He was probably 15 at the time and I thought ‘Wow, this kid has something.’”
“He took my contact, stayed in touch throughout high school and he just kept asking about me,” said Anderson. “He promised my mom that one day he would get me out of that country. He’s a good man; he keeps his promises. I send gratitude to him.”
Hendrickson had originally attempted to get Anderson out of St. Vincent by encouraging him to get enrolled in college at Seattle University, but suffered set backs when Anderson broke his leg. A few years later, another opportunity arrived in the form of S2.
“Once S2 came along, one of the first people I called was his mom,” said Hendrickson. “I said, ‘I have this new position and I’d like to bring him into the team,’ and the rest is history.”
Anderson spent a year on the S2 roster directly under Hendrickson, where he appeared in 16 matches, including seven starts. He tied for fourth in the club with four goals and set a franchise record for earliest goal scored with a tally in the second minute of play. He was signed to a first team contract on March 1, 2016.
“He just has that ability to break defenders down," Hendrickson said. "He’s going to be a very successful player in the league.”
Schmid didn't hesitate to echo Hendrickson's sentiment.
“Oalex’s potential I think is superb,” said Schmid, “I guess the best term is he’s wonderfully unpredictable.”
Anderson is just the second player from St. Vincent and the Grenadines to play in MLS. The first was Hendrickson, who had a prolific career with 266 regular season appearances, 23 goals and 30 assists as a defender.
“I wasn’t quite the superstar that this kid is,” said Hendrickson. “We always tease him; he’s a big superstar back home now.”
After finding success with S2, Anderson was also called up to the St. Vincent and the Grenadines national team. He wasted no time making waves; in last year's World Cup Qualifying matches, he scored a goal against the USMNT. Now, as he focuses his first year in MLS, he has just one goal: represent his nation well and continue to grow as a pro.
“The least I can do is make a name for myself and make everyone proud at home, so that’s what I’m going to try and do.”
