OBETZ, Ohio – When Gregg Berhalter added Kristinn Steindorsson in the offseason, the Columbus Crew SC boss said the Icelandic midfielder should be challenging for starting minutes in 2015.
And after 14 matches for Columbus this season, Steindorsson has appeared in all but one. But he hasn’t been able to displace Justin Meram as the team’s first choice on the left wing, partly because he still has yet to notch a goal or an assist.
“You feel for a guy that’s taking a while to break through,” Berhalter said of Steindorsson’s start. “A lot like some of the guys last year – you look at Ethan [Finlay], how long it took him to get going, and Justin as well to some extent – it takes time.
“The best thing we can do with him is be patient and keep believing in him and supporting him. He’ll be fine.”
Steindorsson, a veteran of the Swedish and Icelandic leagues, says he’s not concerned about the lack of numbers on his stat sheet. Instead, he’s looking at his entire game.
“I try to look at the performance,” he said. “If you’re just going to look at the stats you can go home and be depressed. But it’s about other things than just scoring or assisting. Of course, that’s a big thing, but you have to put in the work offensively and defensively and the goals and assists will come.
“I had some passes we maybe could have scored on; the goalies have made some saves. It’s not like I’m not getting any chances, not creating anything. It’s there, but the final product is missing. It will come soon.”
The winger has made three starts this season, and could be in line for another this weekend with Meram dealing with travel to and from Japan with the Iraqi national team. Berhalter says that if Steindorsson does get his chance, he won’t be judged just by statistics.
“We want to get him involved,” Berhalter said. “We know he can make plays, we know he has talent, and it’s up to the group to get him involved just like any player in that position. So we’re evaluating players in that position for how they make an impact in the game both defensively and offensively. I think he’s doing OK.”
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And until that first goal or assist does come, Berhalter said he and his staff are focusing on keeping the midfielder’s confidence high.
“We talk about supporting him all the time,” he said. “We understand that he would like to have scored, he would like an assist. He’s come close a number of times. So you just support the player. If you see frustration and you can understand what he’s going through, the best method is to support instead of to press and get him anxious about it.”
For Steindorsson, there’s no anxiety. He’s simply looking forward to getting the first out of the way.
“It’s the same for everybody with the first goal, especially if you’re an attacking player,” he said. “Hopefully it will come and bring some confidence and kind of break the ice so it’s over with. But until then, I’m not really stressing or focusing on it.”
