COLUMBUS -- The finger-in-the-light-socket golden Afro is gone, but the free-spirited rookie forward assures everyone he is still the same Steven Lenhart. That's good news for the Columbus Crew -- and possibly the people of the African nation of Zambia that he desperately wants to help.
Lenhart came off the bench in only his second MLS match on Saturday to notch his first goal in the 88th minute to lift the Crew into a 3-3 tie at Los Angeles before a cheering section of about 50 at The Home Depot Center that included his family, friends and former coaches and teammates from nearby Azusa Pacific University.
"The support from my family and friends back home was definitely felt," he said. "To get in and then to get the goal was awesome."
Being a SoCal surf and sand kid, he uses "awesome" a lot but he is much deeper than low tide at his beloved Newport Beach. Although Lenhart was an NAIA All-American in 2007 while helping Azusa Pacific to the national title, he wasn't thinking about a professional career until the Crew took him in the fourth round of the SuperDraft in January.
"I wanted to move to Africa, to be honest, and help some buddies who started a non-profit in Zambia," he said. "I was ready to go there with them until I found out I was drafted. I was going to graduate (he is five classes shy) and live there a couple of years. My friends from college started a bicycle assembly in Zambia to help the people of Africa."
Acirfa -- Africa spelled backwards -- works with partner Zambikes to build and sell affordable bikes to help Zambians improve their quality of life, i.e., a doctor who can see more patients traveling by bike rather than foot. Acirfa's slogan is "Turning Africa around one bike at a time." (For more information visit www.abikes.org).
"It's something I really want to get involved in," Lenhart said. "I hope to go there in the offseason."
His focus for now is on gaining more playing time. He is a regular in reserve matches and went the full 90 minutes and scored against Real Salt Lake in a U.S. Open Cup match on May 27 but has been on the field for only 24 minutes of league play.
"Being a rookie, I've talked to multiple guys who've put in their time. It's part of the system, but I've definitely been learning a lot from older guys on the team," he said. "I'm not totally worried about playing time. It's been a good experience being here."
Some things can't be taught, though. On the goals he had against RSL and Los Angeles, Lenhart was in the right place at the right time. He scored the equalizer on the Galaxy after a Frankie Hejduk shot was deflected by goalkeeper Steve Cronin to his feet.
"You have to have that mentality that you want to win it in the box and you want to be there first," Crew coach Sigi Schmid said. "In Germany they say, 'He's just lucky. The ball finds him in the box.' There are certain forwards the ball seems to find. Is the ball finding him or is he finding the ball? The ball drops down and his reaction is quicker than the other guy's.
"If you look at his two goals against Salt Lake and the Galaxy they were pretty similar balls that fell free in the box and he reacted quicker than somebody else. Although some people don't think of that as a skill, I think it's a talent."
Schmid views Lenhart as a project with abundant room to grow. "He's raw. He's still learning the game a little bit. His feet can still get better," he said.
Lenhart was well scouted before being drafted. Schmid, the former UCLA and Galaxy coach, used his many West Coast contacts -- including his son Kurt, an assistant for the Cal-Irvine men's soccer team where another son, Kyle, plays -- to follow Lenhart's career.
"We had heard about (Lenhart)," Sigi Schmid said. "Steve Tashjian, our fitness coach, had connections with Azusa Pacific. (Crew assistant) Mike Lapper had seen him play in the NAIA tournament and I sent my son to watch him play a couple of times. The feeling was he still needs work but has some qualities and the ability to score some goals and is getting better year to year. We felt he was a worthwhile risk."
Lenhart repaid the confidence with his performance Saturday.
"It was kind of a blur but after watching it on video I remembered," he said. "The ball bounced around. Frankie had a great shot, made the 'keeper deflect it. It kind of landed at my feet. There was really nothing to do but kick it in."
After the goal, it appeared he was gesturing to the Galaxy's supporters' sections. Could this be true? After all, it wasn't that long ago that Lenhart was sitting in those same stands rooting on the Galaxy.
"My family was sitting right up above them. I wasn't taunting them. I was giving my family some love," he said.
To make the trip even more special Lenhart was allowed to stay an extra day and spent much of Sunday at his favorite ocean spot, the Ledge, in Newport Beach.
He rose early Monday before his flight and decided on a whim to shear the frizzy locks that Hejduk referred to as a "mop head." A friend did the honors.
"I woke up and it fell out," Lenhart joked of his first haircut in about six months. "It's either long or short. I'm still the same person. I promise."
Even so, Schmid was bemused. "We had him introduce himself before practice so the players know who he was," he said.
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