ORLANDO – Luke Boden knew next to nothing about the fledgling Orlando City SC before he left England to join the team in 2011, but his journey has proved worthwhile even before he makes his full MLS debut on Saturday.
Boden will take over the left back slot in Orlando’s away match against the Montreal Impact (4 pm ET; TSN3) while Brek Shea is on international duty with the US. It will mark Boden’s first Lions appearance at the top level of North American soccer after being one of the club’s stalwarts in its time at the USL level.
But it is not the only major item on his agenda in the next week or so.
The fact is, the 26-year-old Boden has fully integrated into local life in Central Florida. He married a local girl last year, and the couple is expecting their first child early next month.
It is an impressive list of achievements for someone who took a leap of faith with Adrian Heath’s crew four years ago, leaving behind family and friends in Sheffield for a literal journey into the unknown.
“I had been to Orlando and the theme parks three times as a kid, but I didn’t know anything about the team,” Boden said. “I knew it was warmer over here, but that was about it.
“It was a tough transition at first, leaving family and friends behind. I didn’t know anybody, and it is a completely different world and culture over here. It took some time to adjust, but this club has a great group of people and they made it easy to settle in. And I was soon enjoying my life here, on and off the field.”
Boden’s soccer odyssey began at just 8 years old, with the Sheffield Wednesday Academy, after being encouraged by his older brother.
“He is 15 years older than me, and he couldn’t wait for me to get older and bigger so we could go out on the field together,” Boden said.
The young Boden signed on for a two-year scholarship at 16 before inking his first pro contract two years later. Opportunities with Wednesday’s first team proved fleeting, however, and he went out on short-term loan deals to Chesterfield, Rushden & Diamonds and Northampton Town.
Then his agents at Beswicks Sports mentioned there was an opportunity with a minor-league team in the US.
“When you get to 21, you just want to be playing regularly and enjoying it,” he said. “I knew I wanted to get away from England and play somewhere else, I just didn’t necessarily know exactly where that was.
“Then when Beswicks said, ‘Would you like to play in Orlando?’ I jumped at it. Beswicks are good friends with coach Heath, and I just said I wanted to play regular football, so it was a done deal.”
After becoming a City regular, making 87 appearances and scoring four goals, Boden is now one of the most popular players with fans, even though he has not appeared in any of the Lions’ three games so far. He also made a major impression on one fan in particular, his now wife Karen.
“We met in 2012 during the preseason Disney tournament against Dallas,” he said. “She asked to have her picture taken with me, and we started talking to each other via social media. We ended up getting engaged after a year of dating and then getting married a year later. And now we are expecting our first child – a boy – in the next week or so. It is definitely very exciting for me right now.
“And yes, we do still have that first picture.”
Marrying an American citizen ensured he qualified for a green card and explains why he does not count as an International Player on Orlando’s roster. Now Boden has to hope Kaleb (they have already chosen the name) does not arrive early, with the Lions already short handed for the trip to Montreal.
“Karen had a check-up this week, and the doctor assured us Kaleb shouldn’t be due just yet,” he added. “Obviously I don’t want to miss the birth of my first child, but equally I don’t want to miss this game. I’m hoping he can wait a bit yet.”
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With the serious business of his MLS debut now firmly on the horizon, Boden is itching to show that the team will not necessarily miss Shea too much this week and that he can even give his coach a selection headache in future.
“I am definitely ready,” he said. “There is a great feeling in the squad that everyone is a part of it and everyone is important, so it is just a question of stepping in and doing my job. I am really enjoying life here, and I’d like to be able to give something back to the fans, too, as they have been just amazing.”
Heath is also sure his 6-foot-2 deputy left back is ready for the challenge, even though Boden has yet to be called off the bench in any of their opening three games. He is a more conventional left back than Shea but will still make his share of attacking forays. And his left foot can be quite deadly at times, both for crosses and shots on goal.
“Someone like Luke has been sitting very patiently, waiting for his opportunity,” Heath added. “And that opportunity will now come this weekend. He is raring to go, and I have absolutely no worries in putting him in the lineup. With luck, he’ll be one of the players who makes the most of it and gives me a difficult decision with the lineup next week.”
As long as baby Kaleb does wait until after Saturday.
