Andrew Dykstra has returned to the United States and hopes to play in the MLS this season.

By Andrew Dykstra

I have decided I am done wasting more time. I am now back in the great US of A. The European transfer window closes at the end of January and it appears there is not enough time left for a broken leg or snapped collar bone by some unlucky goalkeeper. It sounds mean, but that’s what realistically had to happen for me to find a good job. I decided not to wish for anyone’s bad luck and I came home.

I am now in pre-season with an MLS club. I wish I could say who it is, but I want to wait until I am officially signed. I was promised a contract, but then again the team that turned me down in Scotland did the same thing. Expect the unexpected!

I’m a little disappointed in not finding a team in Europe but at least my mom is happy… I guess. This summer, I could be traded, sold or loaned out to a team there, so there is a realistic possibility in making my future over there soon enough. I have now made the connections, grabbed some attention and proved to myself/agent/scouts I can make it in Europe. Confidence is everything and I have it coming out the ears at the moment. I am in no way discouraged.

I believe we force our own luck. In the end, hard work and a positive attitude (as cliché as it sounds) will pay off in some way, somehow. My efforts have made me really appreciate what I do as well as value the people who have helped me along the way.

Andrew Dykstra was a four-year starter in goal for the VCU Men’s Soccer Team from 2005-08. He spent two seasons with the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer and played the 2011 season with the Charleston Battery of the USL.

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