BRADENTON, Fla. — It took less than 15 minutes of game action for Louisville City FC forward Cameron Lancaster to beat the keeper. On March 3, 2015, he opened his account in American soccer with a goal against Indiana University — the first-ever preseason game for the upstart LouCity.
The following Tuesday, in a training session, the 23-year-old Tottenham Hotspur product suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. The injury sidelined him for nearly 11 full months; requiring ligament-replacement surgery, months of physical rehabilitation and a journey from the initial disappointment of missing 2015’s inaugural season to the new beginning of 2016’s campaign.
“When you look at Cameron, he has fantastic ability,” Louisville City coach James O’Connor said. “He can shoot from distance, has finishing ability, he’s quick and has quick feet, and he has a good football brain. He’s come up through the Tottenham academy, so he’s had superb training.
“It was difficult for him last year. He came here and had an unfortunate injury that derailed him. We’re now aiming to get the best out of him in 2016 and he’s definitely benefiting from the good, strong preseason we’re having.”
The Barnet — a borough of northwest London — product started in soccer like so many in England: In Sunday leagues in local parks. He quickly turned heads on Sundays, earning an opportunity with his hometown Tottenham academy.
“I started at Tottenham at age 12 or 13,” Lancaster said. “I didn’t realize I was any better than anyone else my age until they moved me up a year in Sunday leagues. I was 10 or 11 at that time, but they had me playing with teenagers and I was better than many of them. In fact, in the schoolyard, there was one other boy that played well; we both teamed up and played 2-on-11 and we’d still win every time. That was unreal.”
As an academy player for Hotspur from age 12 to 17, Lancaster received training and education from the North London club until he signed his first professional contract as a 17-year-old.
After participating in soccer activities at every level of Spurs and making the bench for a Premier League match against Liverpool and a Europa Cup tie at Russian-side Rubin Kazan, Lancaster made his first-team Premier League debut on Jan. 31, 2012 against Wigan. The then-19-year-old Lancaster substituted in for Emmanuel Adebayor in the 78th minute, completing a dangerous cross and a shot on goal in the match’s final 22 minutes. Spurs cruised to the 3-1 victory.
The manager that subbed Lancaster in was Harry Redknap. In his time with Tottenham’s first team, Lancaster shared the field with American goalkeeping legend Brad Friedel, current Real Madrid midfielders Luka ModriÄ and Gareth Bale, current LA Galaxy and Ireland forward and former Major League Soccer MVP Robbie Keane, and Mexican forward Giovani Dos Santos. As a youth and reserve team player, Lancaster was coached by Tim Sherwood, Les Ferdinand and Chris Ramsey — who combined for 1,072 professional appearances.
“I actually was a unique case,” Lancaster said. “I was able to sign my Pro(fessional contract) at 17. I had been on scholarship with the club and training and playing full-time since I was 16. I was able to work my way through the Under-18’s and on up. I had some pretty good time with the club and great managers that pushed and motivated me.
“When I made my debut in the Premier League against Wigan, it was an unforgettable experience.”
For Lancaster, his Tottenham days were personal landmarks. His father, a Leeds United fan, taught the game to Lancaster and his younger brother and sister, and Spurs were the side Lancaster grew up with and still supports today.
“That’s my hometown club,” Lancaster said. “I still pay attention to what they’re doing, and my brother is still involved in some level with them. I supported them from back before I joined their academy.”
After a loan and two contracts with Dagenham & Redbridge, Stevenage and St. Albans, respectively, Lancaster was ready for what he called a “new challenge.” Knowing that MLS-sides Chicago Fire and Orlando City had Discovery Claims on him, Lancaster went through a pair of trials before returning home to England.
That’s when O’Connor saw him.
“I was back in the United Kingdom visiting family and taking in a few games to scout,” O’Connor said. “It was at one of those games that I saw Cameron. He scored a goal and I remember it still. We began talking and we had him come to Louisville to train with us, knowing that we planned to bring him over.”
After a total of maybe three weeks in Louisville, elation and then catastrophe struck. The first Tuesday in March saw him score his first goal in Purple; the next Tuesday saw his right knee injured and he underwent surgery on that second Thursday of March.
“That injury is a low point, mentally and obviously physically,” Lancaster said. “You never know what’s going to happen from there. The knee is so vital to any footballer, obviously. You start thinking and that can be scary. It was definitely a low period for me.
“Finally I decided to stop feeling sorry and to begin working to be better than ever. It’s a long, long process. But its one that I had to go through, personally and professionally, and the support from the fans, our medical staff and physio (Scott Ritter) and the manager have motivated me to keep going.”
The Club took a cautious approach with Lancaster, starting him slow through rehabilitation. He began with range-of-motion exercises and slowly began building his knee strength back through physical activity and use of elastic bands.
All in all, Lancaster’s rehabilitation has run a full 12 months — essentially from March 2015 to March 2016. He regained full range of motion at the nine-month mark, but his recuperation of strength to his pre-injury status came via a much more patient process — in months 9-12.
“I’m ready,” Lancaster said. “I’ve been ready and at 100 percent for some time now. It’s now just a matter of the season starting, taking the pitch and scoring goals. I can’t wait to be back out there.”
Entering the 2016 preseason this month, Louisville City FC has returned Lancaster and 12 other players from the 2015 roster while adding players like MLS Cup-winning forward Chandler Hoffman, University of Louisville alumnus Paolo DelPiccolo and University of Kentucky alumnus George Davis IV.
O’Connor and his team will begin training with a two-week camp at the state-of-the-art IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., before returning to Louisville for a four-game preseason schedule.
Louisville City FC will begin regular season play on March 26 at Charlotte Independence. LouCity then returns to Louisville Slugger Field on April 2 to host New York Red Bulls II in the home opener, with a special 3 p.m. kickoff.
Fans can stay up to date with all of Louisville City’s breaking news, roster updates and ticketing information by following the Club on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Season tickets are available for Louisville City’s historic second season via the Club’s official website.
