Minnesota United took a step toward stabilizing their backline by bringing in Jamaican CB Damion Lowe on loan. Lowe had trialed with the team during February’s Simple Invitational in Portland, appearing in all three matches. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, as per club policy. The Seattle Sounders front office did not comment on the transaction when I reached out to them.
Lowe arrives after spending the past two years with Seattle Sounders. Lowe was a Generation Adidas player for the 2014 MLS SuperDraft, where he was taken eighth overall after spending a year with Reading United of the PDL and three years playing for the University of Hartford. While he hadn’t made an appearance with the first team, he was loaned to Sounders 2 in USL, where he saw 17 appearances and tallied one goal. After a successful trial with United this winter, Lowe was loaned in for the upcoming season.
Standing 6’3, Lowe is a physically gifted player. After describing himself as being “a warrior” on draft day, it became clear that Lowe’s greatest assets are his aerial ability and his speed. “He’s a young, athletic centerback who has been with Seattle for the last couple years. He adds a lot of energy and athleticism,” United Sporting Director Manny Lagos said in a phone interview. Through his four friendly appearances for United (including this past weekend’s fixture against the University of Nebraska-Omaha), Lowe’s athleticism has been on display. At one moment in the second half against UNO, Lowe won a header by jumping over a Omaha attacker entirely. More notable was his work in Minnesota’s friendly against Vancouver.
While it didn’t showcase his ability in the air, Lowe’s (and United’s) first goal of 2016 was off of a set-piece. After an absolutely filthy flick-on by Calvano, Lowe beat Tim Parker to the ball and tapped it in. Compared to a starting MLS CB like Parker, his speed is already a plus-skill. Lowe played a key role in keeping Vancouver off the scoreboard in the second half with well-timed jumps and accurate headers.
Though less-polished than Brent Kallman, Damion projects to be a potential MLS starter with his raw talent. Lagos went on to say that the team had “been looking at a lot of different centerbacks and obviously we’ve been speaking to Seattle quite a bit. You know it’s a position that they’ve had some nice young talent that we’ve observed for a while. He’s somebody who is looking to continue to push his career up. He’s a nice fit with the type of roster we have.” Among areas he needs improvement are his positioning and his awareness regarding his mark’s movement. Given the current roster, he’s likely the third centerback and a spot-starter when Tiago needs rest.
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