Steve Clark was the starting goalkeeper for the home team in the MLS Cup final when he last took the field this past December.
While his Portland Timbers ultimately fell to New York City FC in the penalty kick shootout, a moment that may have signaled time's up to any other player his age, the 35-year-old goalkeeper says he feels as young as ever heading into his ninth MLS season. In fact, his recent move to the Houston Dynamo has reinvigorated him — though they all have some work to do if he hopes to be in contention for another MLS Cup.
"The first week of preseason is that of a successful team," Clark told The Striker Texas in Tuesday's media availability. "There's been some talk about last year in the media and I'm sure that was difficult, but this is a new season and there's a lot of energy in the room. There's a lot of competition on the field and there's a lot of motivation to succeed."
Clark signed with Dynamo FC as a free agent following the 2021 season. He's reunited with club general manager Pat Onstad, formerly his assistant coach at Columbus Crew SC. The prospect of rebuilding the Dynamo from scratch with Onstad and first-year head coach Paulo Nagamura fills Clark with excitement to get to the training ground every day.
"I really love the game, but also it's exciting to come in with Paulo and kind of, as you mentioned, a change to the organization with Pat as well," he added. "To be a part of that is exciting. It's a blank slate in a lot of ways and I will say that the veteran players who are here, we're all pushing together. We're all excited. There's no egos in the locker room. There's no people putting themselves above the team. It's really exciting to be here."
After signing a two-year deal with club options for two additional seasons, Clark has every intention of being the starting goalkeeper. His experience puts him in pole position for the starting job over 26-year-old Michael Nelson, who made his MLS debut with 11 starts in 2021.
Nagamura declared that every position is up for contention during preseason. When asked about the goalkeeping spot, the Dynamo manager singled out Clark's experience as an advantage for the veteran shot-stopper.
"Let's put it this way, what Steve brings to the table, I don't think we have here in the club," Namura said. "I would say he is in a position to prove that he has all of the things that we expect him to have. He is a competitor, he is an experienced player, a senior player in this league that played for multiple teams in multiple games. He is one of the leaders as well in the locker room. So, we definitely are going to need Steve big time this year in order to succeed."
Clark has all the confidence in his abilities to win a spot in Nagamura's starting eleven. He referenced his ability to maintain possession and organization of a backline as strengths, on top of his performance in goal.
He noticed the Dynamo's potential last year, remarking that it wasn't easy to secure a victory at PNC Stadium.
"It was really hard to win here," Clark said. "After playing against Houston this year, I felt like there was some talent here and that was a part of my decision to come here. I pay very close attention to MLS and the players in it and I think the roster was good. We needed to add some pieces, but it's a very good team."
"Hungry, humble and ready to go" is the description he used to describe his new teammates. Despite only spending one week with them, he sees the makings of a team capable of making a run in the playoffs due to the commitment of the players and the clarity of the coach's ideas.
The ambition of the club's ownership group is also a plus for Clark.
"The commitment of the owner and the general manager to bring talent to this team — the sky's the limit here," he says. "Everyone likes a winner. So, yes, we're working on that every day. We're going to attempt and we're putting one foot forward to be a winning team and to make the playoffs. That's very clear. Those expectations are — they're not mine, that's from above my pay grade — but I'm just here to restate that and that's the goal."