“I don’t think it’s fair to put it on one point of view and, as a player, I don’t think that another player would try less just because he’s getting more money. Last season they overachieved and this season they’re where they would be for a normal team that has come up into the Premier League – all the other teams that are down there are kind of in the same boat.
“So, for me, it’s more of a case that last year they were firing on all cylinders and everything was going right, and other teams like Chelsea weren’t doing great. So maybe it’s a mixture of all those factors which helped them win the title.”
Stewart was approached by Watford in 2005 and joined the Vicarage Road side after six years with Leicester. It was a move that proved to be fruitful as he was yet again part of another promotion winning team, this time via the play-offs.
The Hornets promotion push began at the turn of the year as they lost just once between 2 January and 20 March 2006, where they amassed 29 points from a possible 36 – their solitary defeat in that period coming at fellow promotion rivals Leeds United, who they would meet in the play-off final.
“When I was at Leicester, I got a phone call off Aidy Boothroyd,” explains Stewart. “I was at my friend’s house in the summer and he told me that Leicester had accepted a bid for me – I didn’t have a clue what was going on.
“I spoke to my agent and went to meet Aidy, but before that I had a look at Watford and I think they were one of the favourites to go down that season. But when I spoke to him he was very enthusiastic and told me what he wanted me to do as a left-back, which was to get forward and be more attacking. So for the first time in my career I was going to be an attacking player and to hear that enthusiasm was a green light for me.
“It was similar to at Leicester where we kept winning games. It was different though, because the season was split up into games of six – we’d have meetings and projected how many points we were going to get. If we achieved those points then we’d get a PlayStation and a big TV in the locker room and in the end we were winning so many games that we got a free trip to Dubai, so he did it in different ways, man management style.
“It was different from Leicester because we went up through the play-offs and I think Leeds were the favourites that year. We beat Crystal Palace 3-0 in the first leg and then at home we just sat back and then we beat Leeds in the final. So, it was a bit different to Leicester but, in the same breath, it probably better because of the way we went up and the way people said we were favourites to go down.”
After spells with Championship clubs Derby County and Sheffield United, Stewart opted for a move to the continent with Greek side Skoda Xanthi in 2010.
However, Greece was experiencing financial turbulence and, with the economy in crisis, the country was in a period of Depression during the left back’s time with the Superleague side.
“I was at Sheffield United and in the summer I was in LA,” continued Stewart. “I got a phone call from my agent saying that a club in Greece wanted to sign me and they’d had consent from Sheffield United because I had a season left on my contract. I spoke to my agent and we flew over to Greece.
“I’d always wanted to play abroad and I signed in July, but in the January there was a pay cheque that I didn’t get and I didn’t know what was going on. I was told not to worry, because of the way the economy was at the time and I’d get it by next week. I waited a month and still didn’t get it, so in the end I told them I couldn’t do this and I left in the March. I signed for Millwall that pre-season.
“A lot of the players in Greece were used to it. A couple of my friends have played in Greece as well and the same thing has happened to them. You can wait two or three months, but I was in a position where I wasn’t waiting around and I ended up leaving.
“The lifestyle is completely different; they basically eat, sleep and breathe football – they have curfews two days before the games and if you go out of town they want to know. In England, you think it’s strict but in Greece it’s a whole new level.”
Stewart joined League one side Notts County at the start of the 2012/13 campaign, having completed a season with Championship outfit Millwall upon his return to England. The left back then had a stint with Coventry City in mid-2013 before San Jose Earthquakes came calling.
The MLS franchise, competing in the Western Conference, had won the Supporters Shield in 2012 – only the second time the Californians had claimed the honour since it was first awarded in 1999.
“As soon as I turned 21, I’d go to LA every summer,” explained Stewart. “When I turned 27 or 28 I was always telling people that I’d like to finish my career in America. I was playing in a charity game with Dion Dublin and Darren Huckerby, and after the game we were talking.
“This was before I went to Notts County, where I had a two month gap, so I went over and stayed for three weeks and played a few games for the reserves and, just before I went to Coventry, they (San Jose) wanted to sign me, but I’d already agreed terms (with Coventry). The manager (Frank Yallop) of San Jose at the time got sacked and the assistant (Mark Watson), who took charge of most of the reserve games, became manager.
“So when I left Coventry, he asked if I still wanted to sign and I was all for it. I moved there in the summer and signed, and they had the new stadium built so it was a good time. But for me it was more of a lifestyle change – I knew the money wasn’t going to be as good as it was back in England, but lifestyle-wise it was good.”
INTERVIEW: JORDAN STEWART
I caught up with the former Leicester and Watford left back to talk about his career - including the MLS
Article posted: 8 February 2017
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San Jose Earthquakes
2013 - 2016
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2013
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2012 - 2013
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Frank Lampard
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LA Galaxy
In reality, the MLS is still a very young league. Founded in December 1993, America’s top flight is yet to reach its quarter century. But attendances are continually on the rise and recorded an average high of 21,692 in 2016 – with over 7m spectators turning out to support their teams.
Attendance figures in the MLS have risen on average by 6,000 in the last decade and as the popularity of soccer continues to rise, the capacity will continue to swell.
“I wouldn’t say it’s as volatile as playing back home: it’s more family orientated,” said Stewart. “It’s more of an event. You still get passionate fans and they try and copy European fans where they have a loud part of the stadium.
“Football-wise it’s different, as I found out when I came here. In England, you start applying your trade at 16 or 17-years-old, whereas here you leave school at 18 and, for the most part, you go to college or university for four years and you’re only going to be playing for three months of the season because they don’t want you to concentrate on playing soccer, they want you to concentrate on your academic skills and being able to get a degree.
“So, in that sense, it’s completely different because you’ve got a five year jump on most of the guys in the MLS – especially on the American guys. So, it’s different in that respect, but, in other aspects it’s similar because it’s a very athletic and physical league, but they haven’t got the football brain of most players in England. That will come over time though, because they’re building academies now.
“In the three years that I’ve been over here, more stadiums have been built, more European players are coming over. It’s just grown as a sport and if you look at kids from the age of 4–16, it’s one of the biggest sports in America, especially because of how the NFL is going with all the concussion protocols so it’s maybe a safer and cheaper sport as well.”
In 2015, New York City (sister club of Manchester City) and Orlando City joined the Eastern Conference, while there are two new additions to the MLS for the start of the 2017 campaign – Atlanta United (Eastern Conference) and Minnesota United (Western Conference).
Also in the pipeline for 2018 is Los Angeles FC and for 2019 is Miami, a consortium led by David Beckham. With more teams in the MLS than ever before, competition is becoming fiercer, which can only be positive for the sport in America.
“I think Don Garber, the Commissioner, wants around 28–30 teams in the league,” continued Stewart. “Every new franchise that comes into the league has to pay money, so the sport is growing in the sense that more teams want to be involved in the MLS. I think they’re saying that the next two or three franchises will be over $150m and close to $200m, so it’s a growing sport.
“My only concern is if they league grows more, obviously there are going to have to be more American players in the league and if they don’t develop an academy, I feel that the standard is going to drop because you’re going to have to bring through more American players that haven’t been playing as long.
“It’s difficult, because you don’t want the same thing that’s happening in England now where foreign players are being brought in and young players don’t have the chance to play.
“I think it’ll grow, it’ll get bigger. I don’t think it’ll be in the top five leagues in the world. I think it’s still going to need time: the structure on how the MLS is built needs to change because of selling caps, where the owners don’t have a choice of buying whichever player they want. I think it’s good because, if you’re an owner, you know there are limitations and as a business it’s better for yourself.
“If you’re a Premier League owner, you’re more likely to lose money but it’s for the passion. I think it’s going to get better over the years – it’s going to take a long time, but the good thing is it’s progressing.”
In recent years, there has been an influx of household names plying their trade in the MLS in the twilight of their careers. Thierry Henry moved to New York Red Bulls from Barcelona in 2010, while Andrea Pirlo, Frank Lampard and David Villa have since joined New York City.
Steven Gerrard followed in Beckham’s footsteps when he moved to LA Galaxy in 2015, while Ashley Cole, Sebastian Giovinco and 2007 Ballon d’Or winner Kaka also compete in the States.
“I think he (Beckham) was the frontrunner to help European guys come here,” admitted Stewart. “With the way football is in England, in terms of getting games, I’ve had a lot of people contact me and say they want to come and play in the MLS and, at the end of the day, the money might not be the same but the lifestyle and how well the clubs are run is a no-brainer for a lot of people.
“I think with how well Sebastian Giovinco is doing in the league at the moment will help – a lot of other teams wanted him, but he’s happy to stay at Toronto. I think, when you get more guys coming over in their late-20s, that’s when the league will start going forward.”
I would like to thank Jordan for taking the time to do this interview.
Leicester
1999 - 2005
Watford
2005 - 2008
Derby County
2008 - 2009
Relegations, promotions, administration, pay disputes and the American dream. Jordan Stewart has experienced a lot in his career that has spanned almost two decades since turning professional in 1999.
The Birmingham-born left back was part of Leicester City’s Division One promotion winning side in 2002/03, with the Foxes making an immediate return to the top flight following a disappointing relegation campaign the previous season.
But, despite positive performances at the time, Micky Adams’ side had entered administration. A large wage bill, payment for their new stadium and loss of TV revenue as ITV Digital itself was in administration all culminated to make life off the pitch somewhat unpleasant.
“The season was a bit indifferent because, at the time, we were going through administration and we were all deferring 17.5% of our money,” recalls Stewart. “We were going to meetings every day with the PFA, union and manager. Off the field it wasn’t great, but on the field it was good because we were winning most of our games – which helped mask what was going on off the field.
“I remember when I first started playing under Martin O’Neill when I was 17 – we were the only team that played a 3-5-2 back then and we were always a mid-table team. I remember when I was a young player at Leicester and I had an offer from Reading, but Leicester were in the Premiership and they were a good bunch of guys and it was a good opportunity for me if I did get in the team because I’d be playing in the Premiership.
“When I turned 17, in my second year, I was doing quite well and the first team had a lot of injuries and, back then, instead of getting players in on loan, it was a case of playing a player from the reserve team. So there was me, Danny Thomas, Jon Ashton and Matt Heath who all got our chance. Obviously, now, there’s more money, but no one could have expected them to do what they did last season.”
Champions Leicester currently sit precariously above the drop zone, just one point clear of Hull City, and are without a Premier League win this calendar year. Goals are hard to come by for the Foxes, with Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez both struggling to recreate the form that fired the team to an unprecedented title last season.
Vardy has found the net just five times this campaign, while Mahrez only has three goals to his name. But Leicester are also without talisman N’Golo Kante following his summer transfer to Chelsea who, incidentally, are racing clear at the top of the table.
“I don’t think there’s one factor – I’ve heard loads of different views like contracts or the main men not pushing as hard or more players are playing for their national teams because of how well they’ve done. Obviously players have departed, like Kante, which is a big, key role because you see what he’s doing at Chelsea at the moment.