By Alvin Halimwidjaya

Matthew Lewis still jokes with Zach Wright about their Elite 8 matchup.
“Only a few times. And I say that in a joking fashion because we’ve talked about it quite a few times, actually.”

A defender for four years on the Fordham’s men’s soccer team, Lewis proved himself as an integral part of the program, most recently helping lead the Rams in an unprecedented NCAA tournament run. Fordham played the part of Cinderella with aplomb, reaching the Elite 8 before falling to #3 UNC. After graduating in the fall, Lewis is now playing in MLS after being signed by Sporting Kansas City as a homegrown player right after they scooped up UNC forward Wright.

“They had respect for our team and we had respect for their team, which is cool to hear because that’s a top program and an elite program in college soccer, so hearing his side of the story and his version, and hearing the respect they had for us this is pretty cool. Obviously it’s unfortunate that we didn’t get the result. He got to go on to Philly. But nah, it’s all lighthearted here; we’ve kind of moved past that. We’re teammates now.”

Despite not reaching the Final Four in Philly, the reputation of the Fordham men’s soccer program has grown exponentially in the last four years, winning two A-10 championships and creating a culture of in-conference dominance. Lewis’s career has been at the forefront of this success. Starting all 84 games in his college career, Lewis anchored Fordham’s formidable backline for all four years; as goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu arrived in Lewis’ second year and proved to be elite the team’s defensive ceiling soared, and it was never more apparent than this year.

“Once you get past those first couple of games, you know there wasn’t anything to convince the guys to play for. It was kind of already written out there for everybody, and we knew what our staple was, which was defending hard, being a unit, sitting in pretty deep and then looking for opportunities to counter, and so everybody was on the same page. Late in the run it was not too difficult for me and Rashid; we just had to stay organized, communicate with the guys in front of us and tell them what to do. But you know all the guys were working their hardest. We had everybody’s 100 percent towards the end of the season there, which was really cool.”

Although Lewis is known for his defensive prowess, he’s come through in the clutch with some timely goals throughout his career. He’s scored three regular-season game winners throughout his career, in addition to his penalty kick against VCU that clinched the 2016 A-10 Championship for the Rams. This year, Lewis came through in an incredible opening-round matchup against St. Francis Brooklyn, scoring on a header in the 81st minute in front of a rabid Fordham home crowd to tie the game up at two goals apiece before sophomore defender Joergen Oland booted the game-winning goal in extra time.

“I remember that moment like it was yesterday, actually. When I saw the ball go in the net I was so pumped, and I looked over to the stands. I knew I wanted to celebrate with the fans a little bit, you know, give them their moment. And I just remember looking up in the stands and everybody was going nuts and I was just, I was just breathing it in, taking it all in and seeing it all for what it was. And then the team rushed over so it was a really cool moment for us. So I was just pumped about that. I was just so stoked to get a goal to tie it up and give us a chance to potentially win the game.”

Now Lewis enters a rising program where he has the chance to grow and have the same impact he had on the Rams. Sporting KC boast a seven-year run of playoff appearances, as well as three Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup wins in six seasons, with their latest cup win coming this past 2017 season. In addition, Lewis has a chance to learn from some of the best in MLS, as center backs Ike Opara and Matt Besler headline a strong defensive unit. Opara won MLS Defensive Player of the Year in 2017, while Besler is currently the captain of Sporting KC.

“Ike’s been with the national team, so I haven’t been able to meet or learn from him quite yet. But I also have had the opportunity to learn from Matt Besler, who is also one of the best in the position in the league, so it’s just it’s a cool learning experience for myself. Being able to see them at training every day and see the level that they’re at, it’s easy for myself to set goals to tell myself where I need to be where I should be and where I want to be. So it’s a cool experience and I don’t take it for granted.”
Coming into training camp, Lewis has gone through the usual difficulties and struggles a college player has when adjusting to the level of play in MLS.

“Actually, one of the biggest challenges coming in as a young player at the pro level is just getting used to the pace; it’s much faster than the college game and much more technical. So you’ve got to adjust and you’ve got to adjust quickly; it’s just the level that I’ve been working to get to for a long time, and to be able to see it and play it and live it is a cool experience. It’s going well, you know, I think I’m still trying to catch up a little bit in some areas, but for the most part I don’t feel too out of place, which is a good sign early on.”

After a college career filled with achievements and superlatives, including A-10 Defensive Player of the Year in his final campaign Lewis looks to a similar level of success in MLS, even though it might take him a little longer to get there.

“First and foremost, one of my goals is to work my way into the team and find myself a role and get a role defined, and then from there try to work myself up as far as I can. You know it’s going to be tough because like you said, already there’s some elite players at my position, so it’s kind of knowing your role once you have one and trying to work up. Obviously, if you’re an athlete, you want to work up as high as you can. Eventually you want to get on the field. And so, just — you know — trying to do the best I can each day in training, show myself in a good fashion so maybe it’s not this season, maybe next season you know, trying to get a look as many as often as I can.”