All-Star Alston driven to succeed

July 27, 2010|Frank Dell’Apa, Globe Staff

QUINCY — Kevin Alston feels comfortable driving from Gillette Stadium to a coffee shop just over the Neponset Bridge. But before last year, Alston hardly seemed destined for a professional career outside the District of Columbia.

Alston grew up in Maryland, not only a supporter of D.C. United but also a player in the MLS team’s youth system. And when United considered its first selection in the 2009 draft, it made a last-minute decision to select Rodney Wallace, an outside back who happens to be Alston’s closest friend, with the sixth pick. That allowed the Revolution to take Alston with the No. 10 choice.

“I felt like I was a part of their system, unofficially,’’ Alston said of D.C. United. “But things don’t always go how you expect them to go. I was more than thrilled to be picked by the Revolution — the situation they had, needing defenders and coach [Steve] Nicol being an all-around outstanding coach and the fact he played fullback in his day. That was something that excited me. And their legacy, especially being a D.C. United fan, I remember Taylor Twellman with his hand taped scoring goals, as far back I can remember. I knew they were a team with a winning mentality. I was definitely rooting against them until I was picked up by them.’’

Alston’s flexibility, perseverance, and what he describes as “tough skin’’ have served him well in his development as a player. He has progressed from a career-threatening injury while performing at the FIFA U17 World Cup in 2005 to a place on the MLS All-Star team, which will meet Manchester United tomorrow in Houston.

Seamless transition

“At first, honestly, he was a quiet kid, sheepish,’’ said John Hackworth, who coached Alston at the US national team residency program in Bradenton, Fla.

“We saw his potential or we wouldn’t have selected him in the first place, and he came out of his shell. He had two years [with] the U17 national team, and midway through the cycle I really thought he blossomed and started to believe in his place on the national team and that he could be a very productive player for us. He always had that athleticism and he began to master his technical ability on the ball and hone in on his game.

“The next year he was fantastic in the U17s but, unfortunately, he had the broken leg, which was tragic for us and for him. It was a long way to come back.’’

In addition to the leg injury, after enrolling at Indiana University, Alston underwent surgery for a hernia. The combination of injuries led to Alston’s profile with the national team being lowered. Alston played in the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2007, but he dropped out of the US training camp scene until a strong performance in his first MLS season led to a January callup.