By Ottawa South United Soccer Club
Kris Twardek has struck the biggest goal in his career yet. The Ottawa South United (OSU) striker is no stranger to filling the net locally, and now he’s set to try his luck in England as a member of Championship side Millwall FC’s youth academy based in London.
“It’s like the start to a dream come true,” reflected the Grade 10 Arnprior District High School student, who was introduced to OSU from the South Carleton Soccer Club when he was nine, in order to get the possible soccer training available in Ottawa. “I’ve always wanted to play soccer in a professional environment and this was an opportunity to do it. I’m thrilled.”
Twardek went for a “nerve-racking” one-week try-out with Millwall back in November. Building on his experience from previous trials with Everton FC, the OSU player of eight years made an impression in a hurry, scoring “more than I’m used to when I go overseas” during game action with the club.
Millwall, who recently reached the FA Cup semis against Wiggin FC, told Twardek they were interested in him before he left, details were ironed out through his family and OSU over the winter, and he’s now set to officially spend the next two years in southeast London once he arrives in June.
Twardek, who will stay in a billet home with another teammate, had a peek at what his training schedule will look like and immediately felt energized.
“It’s basically soccer all the time. That’s all you can ask for, really,” smiled Twardek, who’s headed to one of London’s dozen-plus pro clubs. “The atmosphere for soccer there, you couldn’t even compare it, I would say, to the hockey here. It means everything, for everybody.”
‘Proud’ of model player
OSU club head coach Paul Harris says it’s Twardek’s personality and mental edge that really makes him the full package, on top of tactical awareness, physique, and the technical prowess that makes the standout dribbler an “exciting” player.
“We’re delighted for Kris,” Harris signaled. “To get a player from Ottawa, Canada – not a well-known football environment – to a professional environment in England is obviously something we’re really, really proud of and will firmly put OSU on the map as a development club overseas.”
Bill Michalopulos, OSU Club President, added that “Kris’s achievement personifies all the hard work and exclusive networks that OSU has generated over OSU’s relatively short time in existence as a soccer club in order to provide the very best opportunities possible for OSU players on a global level” and that “all of 6,500-player-strong OSU is proud of this milestone.”
Jim Lianos, the Club General Manager stated that “Kris’s hard work and positive attitude for continuous improvement gave him the edge required to be seen and promoted by OSU at such high levels. It could not happen to a nicer kid.”
Twardek will become the first OSU product to sign with a pro academy overseas, on the heels of two other OSU players recently joining Major League Soccer clubs in Toronto and Montreal.
“We think that maybe we’ve got the players at a young age who now have this role model and will later be able to go on to this level,” noted Harris, the former Everton FC youth academy coach, who also trained such players as Manchester City’s Jack Radwell and England’s U21 Ross Barkley.
Goodbye to ‘best friends’
The downside of joining Millwall, Twardek indicated, is that he’ll be leaving the club that’s provided him with so many opportunities, such as competing at the Gothia Cup in Sweden with OSU’s affiliate club from Dallas, winning the Robbie International Soccer Tournament and the Disney College Showcase with OSU, and finishing second in the Ontario Youth Soccer League this past summer.
“It’s been a journey with the Force 97’s team and OSU. It doesn’t really stop here, but I mean, I’m leaving,” Twardek sighed. “The whole team is like my best friends. We’ve had lots of success together and we’ve had bad times together too. The team and OSU is like a family and we’re all brothers.
“But I want to make a career out of soccer and this is a good opportunity to make that happen.”