Sporting KC rookie defender Amadou Dia making a strong first impression

Amadou Dia walked along the edges of the Sporting Kansas City practice field Wednesday morning, a few minutes after the club’s training session had ended, and gathered orange cones, corner flags and soccer balls into an empty bag.

Three days after making the first start of his Major League Soccer career — a 90-minute showing that drew praise from his coaching staff and teammates alike — Dia couldn’t escape his usual practice obligations.

“I still have rookie duties,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how much you play. These guys don’t forget.”

Inside the Sporting KC locker room, Dia remains part of an intriguing crop of rookies that manager Peter Vermes says might eventually rival the 2009 class, which included Matt Besler and Graham Zusi.

On the field, though, Dia has quickly made that rookie status an afterthought. Following an impressive preseason training camp, he earned the start at right outside back in Sporting KC’s season-opening draw Sunday with the New York Red Bulls.

The reviews didn’t fit the descriptions of a rookie.

“I give the kid a lot of credit. He has got some (guts),” Vermes said. “He can step out there, and he can play at this level, for sure.”

Most impressive, Vermes said, was Dia’s ability to handle isolated, one-on-one situations. After the match Sunday, Dia’s teammates were quick to compliment his mental makeup, most notably his confidence — and lack of nerves — while making his MLS debut at a sold-out Sporting Park.

The performance in his first start has likely earned him another one Saturday, when Sporting KC travels to face FC Dallas in its first road match of the season.

“When I got drafted, I wasn’t really thinking about trying to get in the starting lineup or anything like that,” said Dia, who was the 20th overall pick in January. “I was just trying to do my part, work hard and learn whatever I could from the veterans — just trying to make a good first impression.”

He had to tackle that task while playing out of position. Dia spent his entire college career at Clemson playing on the left side of the defense. He provided an offensive spark there, too, and that made him an attractive draft selection for Vermes, who prefers his outside backs move up the field to contribute to the attack.

For that reason, Dia was hopeful Sporting KC would call his name on draft day, though he didn’t envision a move to the opposite side of the defense. But with right outside back Chance Myers still working his way back from the left Achilles tendon tear he suffered last May, Vermes didn’t have many options.

As a result, Dia’s MLS debut provided the first start of his life at right back.

“The transition isn’t that bad really. It’s a lot of the same things,” Dia said. “But I just need to work on my right (foot) a little bit. I have to get stronger with that. Once I do that, I’ll feel even comfortable out there.”

This story was originally published March 13, 2015 at 2:55 PM with the headline "Sporting KC rookie defender Amadou Dia making a strong first impression."