New Columbus Crew defender Yevhen Cheberko plans to let his play do the talking
The command of the language will come in time. Living in a new foreign country will see to that.
But by the time Yevhen Cheberko considers himself completely fluent in English, the newly acquired Crew center back is hoping he won’t need words to tell fans about how his game fits into the team’s plans or what kind of abilities he brings to the team.
By then, they’ll just know.
“I don’t want to speak about my game, because I want to do it and (then) after we’ll see what they see,” Cheberko said after the Crew defeated St. Louis City SC 2-1 in their Leagues Cup opening game.
It was a memorable night on multiple fronts. After enduring a weather delay that pushed the 7:30 p.m. kickoff back to 11:16, the Crew concluded their game in the early hours of Monday morning in front of a small but mighty crowd that stuck it out well past bedtime.
Along the way, Cheberko subbed into the game and played the final 20 minutes in his club debut.
“I am so happy, but I am most happy for the team because the team won,” he said. ‘For me, this is important. But I’m also happy for my debut. I still need to know how the team play to understand how to move, but I am happy.”
Afterward, the Ukraine native opened his inaugural press conference by apologizing in advance for not having full command of the English language. It’s part of the acclimation process for Cheberko, who most recently played in the top Croatian league and said he’s been trying to get used to Columbus.
As the Leagues Cup approached, coach Wilfried Nancy joked with reporters that while Cheberko was making progress toward getting onto the field, the pace and demands of practice had him looking “like he was 75” at times.
The plan had been for Cheberko to potentially make his debut against Club America on July 31, Nancy said. After playing against St. Louis, expectations will now grow for the left-footed center back.
“We didn't know to be honest with you if he was able to play,” the coach said. “Honestly, he did it well in terms of the progression during the practice. That's why the plan was more against Club America, but the idea was to give him minutes if it was possible. I'm happy that he was able to come in. He saw the game live and he played so now I will challenge him like every player.”
Cheberko said the club has been welcoming to him and noted that it took him a solid week to get over the jet lag and six-hour time difference between Columbus and Europe.
The decision to join the Crew was largely rooted in a desire to get back to playing for his country’s national team.
“I see how this league has grown up the last couple of years,” he said. “I see opportunity. If I play here, I’ll make something good, I can go back to the national team because I was there. I want this, and I want also to learn a new culture. I was in Austria and Croatia, so I like this new culture and new people.”
And if he lives up to the internal expectations those in the Crew’s front office quietly have, that new culture and people will like him back.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: After debut, Columbus Crew defender Yevhen Cheberko ready for more
