NEW YORK – In Khiry Shelton’s crash course on becoming a professional striker, the New York City FC rookie has two pretty good professors.
There’s head coach Jason Kreis, who is third all-time in Major League Soccer with 108 career goals.
“It’s amazing. He’s been fantastic and great to everyone,” Shelton said of Kreis. “I didn’t expect that right off the bat, but he’s willing to help coach the younger guys, especially myself, and really let us know what it takes to be a professional.”
And there’s also David Villa, who has scored a record 59 times for the Spanish national team.
While Kreis has been more vocal with his lessons, Villa has helped Shelton with some of the subtleties of the position.
“It’s mainly during training. He’ll say little things or show me little movements,” Shelton said of Villa. “A lot of the times I just watch him when I get a chance, watch what he does on and off the ball, and try to mimic him.”
Shelton, who was selected second overall out of Oregon State in January’s MLS SuperDraft, has drawn comparisons to Robbie Findley, a former standout under Kreis at Real Salt Lake.
“We’re both very fast and pretty technical on the ball,” Shelton said.
Another part of Shelton’s education has come during preseason games, when he saw first-hand the differences from the college game to the professional ranks.
“When we played Orlando in South Carolina, people were way bigger than in college,” Shelton said. “It’s been a lot more tactical, more that you have to pay attention to and focus on the little things that didn’t matter too much in college.”
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And Shelton is hoping that growth leads to his further development as a player and a renewed international career. He was hampered with injuries throughout his career at Oregon State, a big reason why he’s only had three caps with the US U-18 national team.
“Part of it was my growth, and I started picking up injuries. Those things happen,” Shelton said. “I’ve been told to be patient and keep working and hopefully I get another chance at that.”
Shelton hopes that chance is with the US Olympic team, but he isn’t trying to look too far ahead with his first MLS season on the horizon.
“That’s always a goal, but at the end of the day I’m new to MLS and new to the professional environment,” Shelton said. “I’m just trying to learn, work hard and obtain any information I can from the players and coaches.”
