Dustin Ottesen is the type of soccer player appreciated most by his coaches. Ian Martin certainly appreciates Ottesen's play. Martin is Ottesen's coach with the Indiana Blast of the A-League, where Ottesen plays as a defensive midfielder.

"He is a quality guy in the A-League," Martin said. "He's never been embarrassed." Ottesen is in his second season with the Blast, is a fan favorite in Indianapolis, Martin says, and probably figures prominently in the Blast's plans for the future. That is, unless some MLS team snaps up the former University of Evansville and Shawnee Mission South standout. "It's a fine line between an A-League kid and MLS kid," Martin said. "He probably needs a couple more seasons under his belt."

That would put Ottesen, 24, at the top end of players entering Major League Soccer. But the Kerry Zavagnin of the Kansas City Wizards, who plays essentially the same position, was 25 when joined the Wizards in 2000. "I know I've improved a lot since got out of college (his last college season was 1999)," Ottesen said. "I hope I continue to improve and get seen by the right people."

The right people could be the Columbus Crew or the Chicago Fire of MLS, both affiliates of the Blast who have received call-ups from the Blast during the season. Or it could be Wizards, who are aware of Ottesen because he grew up in this area. "We tied the Crew 1-1 and I had a good game," Ottesen said. Or it could even be a team like Bolton Wanderers of the English Premiership. Bolton defeated the Blast 2-1 in an exhibition game last season. Ottesen said he enjoyed living in Indianapolis and playing for the Blast fans. "It's a great place," Ottesen said. "We have a really good crowd following us. We average about 3,000 a game. That's not bad for an A-League team. Indianapolis really supports us well." 

And Ottesen's preparation supports the Blast's efforts well, even though they had played themselves out of a playoff spot by mid-August. The Blast has played seven games that went into overtime. They lost six of them and tied one. "(Ottesen) is probably our fittest player. We did some fitness tests and he scored highest," Martin said. "So he's got what we call a great engine. He fits in really well as a person who can collect it and change the point of attack. Late in the game he still has plenty of fuel because he has that kind of fitness level."

Martin, in his first year as coach of the Blast, was familiar with Ottesen already. Martin coached at Butler University, an annual opponent of Evansville. "He came to (the Blast) playing a different style, sort of man-to-man," Martin said. "He was a crafty little midfielder (in college). We tried to neutralize him to best of our ability. We've been pushing him forward to help us offensively. He's probably more of a playmaker than goalscorer." Ottesen progression has not been leaping from one level to the next. It
has been relatively slow, but has always moved forward. Ottesen played with the Premier Development League's Kansas City Brass for a couple of seasons. "If there was no Brass, I know that there would be no way I could have gotten to the next level," Ottesen said. "It's a great, great opportunity."

Depending on whether, and how quickly, Ottesen keeps improving, he could wind up at an even higher level. "He has great character, he's good professional and he has a good balance in his life," Martin said. "Technically, he has room to grow. He wants the ball and takes pressure well. "He's made the jump (from college and the PDL to the A-League). If he wants to stay in game and plug away who knows, maybe he can make the jump to the next level."

© Kansas City Soccer Scene