Just over one year ago, in January 2023, Damion Lowe was surprised to learn he’d been traded to Philadelphia Union from Inter Miami CF.
Lowe had just finished a successful first season in the sunshine state, making his mark with 28 appearances, a goal, and an assist, plus, the Philadelphia Union already had a strong centerback pairing in 2022 Defender of the Year Jakob Glesnes and Jack Elliott, who helped lead their team to MLS Cup.
It wasn't the simplest of beginnings, but Lowe has since hit his stride in Philadelphia, establishing himself as a reliable contributor and teammate while building comfort at his new club. Most recently, the 30-year-old defender has impressed Head Coach Jim Curtin as one of the standout performers during preseason preparations in Clearwater.
“There's a fire burning. I'm feeling good. I'm playing well in preseason, and I'm gonna do great things this year,” Lowe said.
During the 2023 regular season, Lowe played in 17 matches for Philadelphia, netting two goals through 1231 minutes. He started on 14 occasions, which is half the number of times he did so in Miami the previous year, but as the season progressed, he became a regular in Philly’s first xi. The lion’s share of his minutes in the latter months of the season, both when Curtin opted to play three in the backline and when starting in place of Glesnes, who was sidelined due to a sports hernia injury in the fall.
“It started a little bit bumpy. Unexpected,” Lowe said. “Then after talking with Jim and seeing a lot of familiar faces, I was welcomed and got settled pretty well. From there, I just kept elevating and it's been a good year,” Lowe said.
Despite a short offseason following one of the most strenuous seasons in the club’s history, Lowe arrived to Clearwater refreshed – both physically and mentally.
“It was a long year with games so I decided not to do much in the offseason to be fresher – that was my strategy. I came into this preseason just trying to stay focused on me and trying to get sharp,” Lowe said.
During the trip to Florida, which is near its close as the team will fly to Costa Rica on Saturday for their Concacaf Champions Cup match against Saprissa, positivity has been the overarching theme for Lowe. On Instagram, he posted a photo from training with the caption “Best Days of My Life,” and that energy has remained consistent offline too.
“With where I'm at in life, in my career, mostly, I’m just always trying to stay positive, regardless of what comes at me,” Lowe said. “In my life journey, there have been a lot of obstacles and I've had to beat adversity. I try to always be proving myself. So now, to be honest, I'm happy, I’m doing well, I'm enjoying my football, I'm enjoying my team and the environment that I'm in.”
That journey featured stints all over, including at Seattle Sounders as their top pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft, NASL side Minnesota United on loan, Tampa Bay Rowdies, IK Start Norway, Phoenix Rising in USL, then Al Ittihad in the Egyptian Premier League before joining Inter Miami. But before it all, he played for local Pennsylvania Club Reading United, where Curtin was a coach.
To say he’s endured his fair share of change is an understatement, but Lowe has found a way to stay grounded through it all, and as of late, it’s shown in his play.
“I've been meditating a lot and reading a lot. So to be honest, I'm just in a good space in my life, and it's affecting my football positively,” Lowe said. “A lot of people think athletes don't go through it mentally, and we probably go through it the most, with all the pressure, being away from family, the fans, and everything that goes on with travel. So I try to make sure that my mind is good and I'm in a great place in order for me to perform at a high level.”
With his health and wellness in check, Lowe has his sights set on achieving some big goals, on both a personal and team level, that he’s thought about for quite some time.
“I want to challenge for Defender of the Year. That's a big aspiration of mine,” Lowe said. “Team-wise, I think we can go all the way to MLS Cup. We deserve it. We've been knocking on the door for years.”
That sentiment has been shared amongst him and his teammates during preseason, and their determination to reach that point has reflected in their training and team chemistry thus far – and it’s only February.
“We're hungry. We know we deserve it. We know we're so close. But we just have to continue to grind it out. Continue to believe. Continue to get better. Continue to challenge and be the best that we can be on the pitch.”
His affirmations are the kind most fans would be enthused to hear from a player entering his second year with their team, and he wants Union faithful to know this:
“I'm coming.”
