OBETZ, Ohio – Justin Meram’s assist for the second Columbus Crew SC goal in the team’s 2-2 draw with Vancouver on April 8 ably sums up the former striker’s evolution into an international-quality midfielder.
Meram paid attention on a David Ousted goal kick, sprinting over to intercept the ball before sliding it to Kei Kamara for the goal that gave Columbus a 2-1 lead at the time. It was a play Meram may not have made two years ago, but one he relishes since making the left-midfield role his own under Gregg Berhalter.
“Once Gregg came in and implemented his style, it kind of suited me,” Meram said. “I just have to work on everything he asks for, especially defensively. That’s something I’m trying to pride myself on in every game and maybe do more defensive work or smarter defensive work. But when you’ve been working on it for five years now, some things are starting to click.”
Meram was a standout striker for the University of Michigan in his two years in Ann Arbor, scoring at a blistering pace of 40 goals in 41 appearances. Drafted by Columbus in 2011, Meram found it difficult to find his footing on the wing under former head coach Robert Warzycha, scoring five goals in only 24 starts during his first three seasons in MLS.
Under Berhalter, Meram grew more comfortable out wide. He posted a career season in 2014 with eight goals and four assists in 32 appearances and learned to shift his focus toward finding equilibrium between his offensive instincts and defensive work rate.
“Offensively I got better; defensively was a challenge, when you make those hard runs out and then have to track back,” he said. “Some games defensively I would be OK, and then offensively I was just nonexistent. So I needed to find a way to balance myself and when I need to take the opportunity forward and when I need to be smarter and hold my position.”
Perhaps the most underrated contribution to Meram’s growth has been the work of Crew SC assistant coach and former MLS and US national team standout Josh Wolff (pictured at right), who has worked closely with both Meram and
Ethan Finlay
(who also had a breakout season in 2014).
Meram and Finlay both give Wolff plenty of credit for their improvement.
“Last year was Josh’s first year with me and Ethan, and he completely changed us,” Meram said. “He implemented so many things that I was never taught for so many years, and it’s helped me. It’s starting to become second nature to me, everything he asked us to do. When he was a player, his movement was incredible, and that’s so much at this level. You never realize how many chances you can create with your movement. Josh has been an important piece, if not the most important piece, for us attackers.”
Berhalter says he’s seen that work pay off.
“I think [Meram] has become a more complete player,” Berhalter said. “He’s really developed all aspects of his game – his passing, his movement off the ball, his one-on-one, his finishing. Early on, he always had the one-on-one and the danger around goal, but he wasn’t complete. He’s really worked on that side of it, the defensive work as well.”
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Becoming a complete player has helped Meram become a regular on the Iraq national team, where he largely plays in a playmaking role behind the striker. Meram says he’s feeling good after extensive travel in the offseason and for in-season friendlies, but Berhalter says he’s keeping an eye on the long-term effects of the rigorous schedule.
“I think that part of it you’ll see as the season wears on,” Berhalter said. “You don’t see that in the short term, necessarily. He’s had enough time to recover from the actual trip. But I think the cumulative effect is going to be significant, and we’re going to have to monitor him carefully.”
While Meram says he would feel odd playing striker again after so much work to get comfortable on the wing, part of him will always feel like a forward.
“[Playing in the midfield] is weird in the sense that you’re not nearly as close to goal as you’ve been your whole life,” he said. “You’re used to maybe six or seven shots, and now you have one or two, and you’re a lot further from the goal and you have to make those count. But I’m loving playing outside mid … I’m enjoying it.”
