Amer Didic’s 2016 started with uncertainty, having just completed a four-year college career at Baker University. The 21-year-old was invited to train with the newly formed Swope Park Rangers by head coach Marc Dos Santos during preseason, providing Didic with an opportunity to earn a professional contract.
“I think Didic is a player that came in preseason the first day when we were indoors at the Chiefs facility, he was right away looking like a guy on a mission,” Dos Santos said after training this week. “He was a kid that really wanted his first professional opportunity, and since day one he did everything to try and get a spot. So, he went to Arizona with us without a contract with the team. Then in Arizona, he proved in games against MLS opposition that he was at the level of our USL team minimum.”
While Didic has played in all 17 games this season, he was limited to primarily late appearances off the bench during the opening six games. Then, with the Rangers in the midst of a slump in May, Didic was named in the starting lineup for the first time as a professional against Tulsa Roughnecks FC on May 14.
“In preseason, I thought I did alright,” Didic said. “Then there was that time where I wasn’t playing so I was trying to stay focused, trying to make my way back to the starting 11. Thankfully, I got the chance against Tulsa. I think I’ve done pretty well since then. I’ve definitely adjusted to the pro game.”
Didic, who was born in Bosnia & Herzegovina but moved to Canada at a young age, was a commanding presence at the back as SPR claimed a 2-1 victory over the Roughnecks, and Didic hasn’t relinquished his role in the squad ever since.
“I think that he has a good size and a very good profile for a center back,” Dos Santos added. “He’s good technically, he’s fast enough, he’s strong, he’s understanding more and more tactically what he has to do. He communicates well on the field. I think he has all the tools to succeed at another level and I’m excited to see him grow.”
In late June and early July, following consecutive shutout wins over Seattle Sounders FC 2 and Saint Louis FC, Didic earned back-to-back USL Team of the Week selections. He became just the seventh player to achieve that feat this season, while he was the second rookie and the youngest player to do so.
“When I got the first one I was surprised,” Didic said. “Then I got the second one and I was even more surprised. That means I’m doing something good obviously but it’s more important winning those games, which is huge at this point in the season. It definitely helps your confidence a lot.”
The Rangers backline has been chopped and changed extensively in recent weeks with a number of players coming into the team, but one constant has been Didic at the heart of the defense. Dos Santos notes that the Edmonton, Alberta native’s level of play has not dropped despite constantly playing with different central defensive partners.
“The good thing is him playing with different players he always kept his standard,” Dos Santos said. “He didn’t drop his standard because he was playing with A, B, or C. He always played at his standard. That’s impressive for a kid of his age. He has a great margin of progression and he has a very good chance of making it in the future.”
Didic draws confidence from being the constant in a consistently changing defense, but he does acknowledge the challenges that come with it.
“It definitely gives me confidence. It’s just when you rotate a bunch of center backs it’s kind of hard to get used to. Their playing styles, how you play with them. Staying in there, being the one that’s always being put there with other center backs definitely helps with confidence and knowing that I’m doing something right.”
On Tuesday night, the young defender lined up alongside his third central defensive partner of the season in Sporting KC Homegrown player, Kevin Ellis. The partnership was fruitful for 84 minutes, before two late goals condemned the Rangers to their first defeat in three games.
“(I enjoyed) building off Didic at the back,” Ellis said after the game. “The kid is really good. He’s talking the whole time. His organization is really good with me and I just had to listen to him. I think we had a good partnership tonight.”
Dos Santos doesn’t think Didic needs to be playing alongside different players every week to further his development, but he recognizes that being put in different situations with different players can only help him.
“I think it’s not something that is needed, but it’s good that it happens,” Dos Santos said. “Some players are very good or seem to be very comfortable playing with certain types of players and then their game could drop or get better depending on who they are playing with.”
“A player like Didic has shown that whoever plays with him, he keeps his standard – he keeps a certain mentality. That’s been impressive with him. But it’s good to see him play with different players this year. He played with Ballo, he played with Meyer, he played with Ellis – all that is good for him. It’s going to make him better in the future.”
While Didic points out that it feels good to be one of the constants on the team, he also knows that he’s a young member of the team and is looking to learn from the more veteran players on the squad.
“I’m a rookie, I’m still trying to learn, right?” Didic stated. “All those guys are older than me and have more experience than me. It’s always something new every time I step on the field.”
Didic and the Swope Park Rangers are off this weekend but return to action on Wednesday night when they travel to Colorado to take on Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at Switchbacks Stadium. The game will kick off at 8 p.m. CT and a live stream will be available on SportingKC.com.
