Interview: Shamit Shome (#12 NY Cosmos)
- Emilio Lopez
- Aug 22
- 28 min read
Updated: 13 hours ago
August 21, 2026 (Paterson, NJ)
On August 12, 2026, the Cosmos announced the signing of former Cavalry FC midfielder and Bangladesh international Shamit Shome. We sat down with the Edmonton, Alberta native to discuss his career in Canada, his national team experiences with Canada and Bangladesh, as well as his surprising move to the Cosmos.
Shamit Shome is a central midfielder whose decade-long career has encompassed various Canadian teams in Major League Soccer (MLS), North American Soccer League (NASL), and the Canadian Premier League (CPL). He is an experienced winner, having captured the Canadian Championship in 2019 with Montreal Impact, and the CPL Shield in 2023 and North Star Cup in 2024 with Cavalry FC. Shamit represented Canada as a full international in 2020 before switching his international allegiance to his parents' homeland, Bangladesh, in 2025.
Shome is a hardworking, tactically disciplined central midfielder known for his high work rate, composure on the ball, and strong leadership on the pitch. Hugely popular in Bangladesh, he hopes to connect with the local Bangladesh community in Paterson in support of the NY Cosmos.
Beginnings:
I asked Shamit how he got involved with soccer at an early age:
"I was born and raised in Edmonton. I just got into it by playing community soccer when I was three or four. My parents immigrated to Canada from Bangladesh, and I think soccer was probably the only sport they knew in North America that was familiar. You know, there's basketball, there's hockey, there's all that, but soccer was the easiest. So I started when I was four or five, and then, as I got a little bit older, the parents and coaches would say, you know, your son is actually better than you think. Maybe you should look into club. So then I kind of just worked my way up and then I got into the club level and then the rest is history, just working my way up through the levels and all that."
As Shamit progressed in the sport, he joined the FC Edmonton Academy and eventually went on to play soccer at the collegiate level with the University of Alberta.
"So growing up, once I hit the club level, my entire goal was to just play soccer to get a full scholarship or to get a scholarship to play college soccer at the University of Alberta, which is where I went. What actually happened was prior to that, I was actually with the Academy, FC Edmonton Academy, which was playing in the NASL at the time."
"I had the opportunity to actually sign earlier and just go directly into the first team and kind of forego university. But I did have this plan ahead where, I wanted to play for the University of Alberta. That was the school that I looked up to growing up. Those were kind of my idols, I guess, in the small world of Edmonton, where professional soccer wasn't too much of a thing outside of FC Edmonton."
"So then I decided to play a semester, and then the plan was after that to sign for Edmonton. So it was all kind of part of the plan. It worked out well because it was just me getting more games, in between youth games to getting college games, which is a bit more physical and with older men, university students. It was the perfect bridge to first team football in the NASL with FC Edmonton.
"I kind of forged my own path, pretty unique path, but it worked out pretty well, I think in the end."
FC Edmonton:
Following his collegiate season with Alberta, Shamit Shome, who at the time was a highly rated Canadian prospect, signed his first professional contract with FC Edmonton in 2016. FC Edmonton at the time was playing in the North American Soccer League (NASL).
I asked Shamit if he remembered the Cosmos from his NASL days and what he knew about the club at that time.
"You obviously hear about the club's history. I think Marco Senna and Raul were on the team during that time. A couple of other, you know, very big, special, good players. The New York Cosmos back then in the NASL era were very dominant. I think they won the league the year before I was in it, and they actually won that year too. I kind of looked back just to see what happened. So very successful in the NASL era. A successful team, which makes sense with their history."
Move to MLS with Montreal Impact:
Following an impressive first professional season with FC Edmonton, Shome signed a Generation Adidas contract with MLS in 2017 and entered the MLS Draft.
I asked Shamit how the move to MLS came about.
"I was a young Canadian player playing men's football in the NASL, which was a pretty good level back then, trying to compete with MLS and whatnot. The opportunity kind of came with Generation Adidas and trying to get more Canadian players in the league because that was kind of an issue."
"Since I went to university, you could feed me through the draft. The draft and the combine was interesting, interacting with American college athletes. I was pretty unknown other then the fact that I played first team football. I still had to do the combine."
"Then I went to the draft, got drafted to Montreal and really enjoyed my four years there. That's where I really matured and grew as a person and as a footballer because, you know, that's when I was from 19 to 22, 23. So learned a lot about myself and whatnot by being in Montreal and rubbed shoulders with a lot of great players and played against a lot of great players as well."
I asked Shamit if the plan was for Montreal to select him in the draft or if there were options with other clubs.
"I could have been selected by any other teams. You know, I still remember talking to a couple of different teams, Columbus, New England, Atlanta, New York Red Bulls. It's interesting with college, wherever you get drafted could change everything for you, right? Obviously, I don't go back and think like, oh, what if I got drafted here? But no, I really enjoyed it. It was nice to be in Montreal, Canadian city, which is nice with the familiarity, and yeah, cool experience. Really can't say any bad things about it. I really enjoyed it."
Shamit Shome would leave Montreal after the 2020 season, after having appeared in 52 matches with 1 goal in all competitions. He featured regularly as the club captured the 2019 Canadian Championship.
Canadian Premier League:
Following his departure from Montreal, Shamit returned to FC Edmonton, this time competing in the Canadian Premier League (CPL). He would remain with Edmonton for two seasons in which he would make 52 appearances, while establishing himself as one of the top central midfielders in Canadian football.
I asked Shamit if he thinks the CPL has played a part in the resurgence of Canadian soccer over the last 10 years.
"I think so. You know, I've been in that league for a while. I've been a part of the youth national team, the senior national team. And I think the Canadian League is a league that's underrated. I think there's a lot of potential there. Not necessarily that there's been players that have been called up from that league with the national team, but I think that's something that will happen more. And I think, you know, there are players that are probably good enough to at least compete, to get into the fringe side of the squad, which is still really important. But I think it's more for the future and continuing to develop Canadian football. I do really think it's a pretty good league, probably a bit underrated. And yeah, I really enjoyed my time there, but it's also time for something different because, you know, I just grew up throughout the Canadian system the last 10 years."
Move to Cavalry FC:
Following his two year stint in Edmonton, Shamit would make a move to the ambitious Cavalry FC in 2023. He would enjoy great success in his three seasons with Cavalry.
I asked Shamit about his growth as a player with Cavalry and the success he achieved with Cavalry FC. During these years he captured a Canadian Shield in 2023 and a League Title in 2024, he also featured in the famous victory over Liga MX side Pumas UNAM in the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup. The 2-1 victory marked the first time a CPL side defeated a Liga MX side in an official competition.
"Yeah, those (moments) were great. And I think, Cavalry is probably where I grew the most as a player. I think just because I was hitting, you know, my stride, my confidence, you know, the coaching staff and the sports science staff were able to get the best out of me in terms of just, you know, what I needed to do to prepare, the confidence I need to play in these games, being in the right positions, being in the right system."
"And so I really enjoyed my time there, had a lot of success. And I think, you know, I was in that Canadian League for a while now, previously with FC Edmonton, now with Cavalry, had a bit of success. I was thinking now could be the time to kind of do something different because I have won everything in the Canadian League to a certain degree. I had some success at the CONCACAF level, would have loved to have more, but we still had some sort of success with playing in it. Then beating Pumas, so yeah, I thought it could be the right time after that to kind of change things up and put myself in a new environment."
Leaving Cavalry FC and Cosmos Opportunity:
After a three year spell with Cavalry filled with much success, Shamit Shome would make the decision to leave the club. I asked Shamit on what led him to make that decision.
"It was a mix of different things. The first thing I'll say is I actually wasn't expecting to leave Cavalry necessarily this past window. It kind of caught me off guard in January. I was hoping to stay another year, possibly. Contract talks and all that kind of came out of the blue and didn't go the way we wanted. So then I was put in the situation where I kind of thought, you know, it could be better to take a break and not rush into going into anything crazy, signing anywhere last minute, because you know, you have to prepare ahead of time. And now it was the end of January and I'm like, well, now I'm kind of scrambling if I want to sign for a team. I didn't want to be in a position of scrambling. I wanted to be in a position of I know what I can bring to a team with my national team experience, club experience, with having success. I thought I'd be a bit patient. I'd say I was looking abroad. I was trying to see if there was a market in Europe, if there was a market in Asia, just a market that would be, you know, a completely different experience than playing in Canada or North America. But then, you know, when this opportunity came up with Cosmos, it was just a really interesting project, to be honest. And I knew about the Cosmos, obviously."
"And, you know, different league, starting at the bottom with USL1, kind of putting myself in that position to work my way up and prove myself, because I think I am still relatively unproven in the USA. And that shows, after MLS, I couldn't find another MLS team, whether it was Canadian or American. So now I'm starting from the bottom, and I'm ready to work my way up, and I'm pretty hungry to do that and prove myself in America."
Cosmos approach:
I asked Shamit how the Cosmos move came about. Seemingly coming out of the blue.
"Yeah, It did. I mean, my agent's been great. I signed with him pretty recently. He was the one that kind of found this opportunity. And he kind of presented it to me with, you know, the Cosmos, don't worry about where they are in the standings necessarily. They're a team that wants to go in the right direction. I just got this feeling of, it's the right fit. When Giuseppe Rossi is the sporting director and he's a fan of you, he wants you to join. I think that goes a long way. Speaking with Giuseppe, knowing what the chairman, what the owner, what direction they want to take this team, to kind of replicate its history and the success they've had. I thought it'd be an interesting project to be a part of and to try to help as best as I could for this year and who knows for next year and whatnot. So we'll see."
"Then it all happened pretty quickly, to be honest. Within a week, I was on a plane and here and now we're waiting on the visa. So we're moving pretty quick, which shows the club's drive and ambition and support and my desire to be here."
Shamit signed with the Cosmos through November 2026, I asked him about the possibility of him extending his stay with the club.
"Yeah, definitely, there's an option out there. So we'll see how it goes, if it's the right fit, if we both like the situation, if they like how I'm doing, what I offer to the team, if I like, you know, being here, which I have so far, then, you know, whatever can happen can happen. But, you know, taking it right now, day by day, waiting to play a game, you know, game by game, but I can't even take it game by game yet, but I will get there soon."
Shamit is still waiting for the VISA process to be finalized so he can be available for Cosmos. I asked him if he was optimistic that he would be available for the September 2nd home match against Sarasota Paradise.
"I hope so. I mean, I've got my eyes on that date because that's the closest home game coming up. I just missed the last one, which I knew would happen. I'm optimistic that some miracle could happen and I can be ready for Omaha (August 29), which is the next away game after this road trip. But we'll see. It's out of my control. It's out of the club's control. I think they're doing the best they can to push it."
"So we just have to wait. And in the meantime, I'm just trying to train and stay fit. There are a lot of guys that stayed back for this road trip. We've been working hard, staying fit, working our way back up with some of the injured guys to make sure we're ready when the guys come back, because, you know, we're having success at the moment, which is great."
Thoughts on Cosmos:
I mentioned to Shamit that it looks like the Cosmos may have underestimated the quality of USL League One and signed too many young and inexperienced players at the start of the season. And with the new additions it looks like the club is gaining a better understanding of the league and the players needed to compete at this level. I then asked him what he has seen in the last two matches (two wins) and how he thinks he can contribute to furthering the teams recent success
"I've been impressed. When I look at the team, our team playing, and I look at the standings, it doesn't match necessarily. And that could be kind of like you said, maybe it's a bit of inexperience, maybe a bit of naivety, not having enough professional experience within the team to how to manage games, how to win games, how to grind out draws and get points on the road."
"But definitely the last couple of games, I've been really impressed. And I think, the new players they've bought in, other than me, the ones that are actually playing, plus the guys that have been here through the tough times, we're really buying into improving and progressing. And we've had success the last two games. So hopefully we can continue. I think there's an optimism within the team, even the guys that are back home watching, we're thinking, okay, if we start getting on a run here, we can have some success. We can jump up the standings pretty quickly and then who knows what can happen. But yeah, for me watching these games, I'm just itching to get in. I think I can help, I think I can contribute, obviously. But it's just about being patient and they're holding it down at the moment, doing great. So credit to them."
"I think I've been honestly pretty impressed with everybody. Everybody's been great so far, from the younger guys to the more experienced guys. I know obviously Ajmeer is having a really strong season. He's kind of been the guy that people have talked with in our team because he's having a lot of success. Seba at his age, the way he presses, the way he runs still is unreal and he's part of the old Cosmos history as well. But no, honestly, overall with the entire group, I've been pretty impressed. They've all been really welcoming for me, you know, especially with being this guy that's come with all this Bangladesh following and support that hasn't played a game yet, that's still waiting on his visa, but is still getting all this traction. They've been really great and welcoming and helping me integrate."
European Interest, and why he chose Cosmos:
I spoke to Shamit on the reported interest from Willem II in the Netherlands and some lower league English teams and what made him finally decide on the Cosmos move.
"I think just in the situation that I was in with me being at home, the first week of August or early August, I'm getting to the point where June, July has passed. Some things have came up that haven't really come to fruition necessarily. Now it's about me just getting back into an environment, getting back to training every day with a team, getting back to playing games, and just really finishing the season strong."
"That's why when the Cosmos offer came, it was kind of, this is what's there right now. Take it or leave it to a certain degree. I could wait and maybe hope to find something else, whatever. But everything kind of made sense in the moment to take the opportunity and run with it. And that's why I signed the contract. I think the club did great. They flew me in two, three days later. And then I was in training, announced, and in the rhythm of things. Other than the little visa issue of just taking time to process, you know, everything's been great. So I wish I could have played the last couple of games, obviously."
I also discussed with Shamit about comments I received from Bangladesh speaking positively about him joining a historic club in Cosmos, while some others saying that he took a step down by signing with a USL League side. He commented on those discussions.
"I'm playing football, I'm competing. It doesn't matter what level it is necessarily. I think just being in an environment will help. And I don't want to compare at all. But if you look at Messi with Miami, he was just as impactful with Argentina. Now, that's not me, please don't say that's me. As long as you're playing football, you're enjoying it, you're doing well. And, you know, it just felt like a good fit to me and that's why I did it. I know there's been talks about that and I understand people's points, but, you know, I'm just excited to be here and playing football. I'm not worried, I'm not thinking about, I could have done this, I could have done that, or I should be playing in a better place. I don't really think like that because that's not going to get me anywhere."
"I'm just excited to be here with my head down, working, training hard, patiently waiting until I can play, and hopefully I can do well and help the team and help the boys."
Playing style:
I asked Shamit if he could describe himself as a player and what he can bring to the table for Cosmos.
"I'm a pretty busy, active player. I like to cover ground. I like to be everywhere, you know, both sides of the box. I'm pretty vocal. I like to communicate. I like to lead and kind of guide guys around the pitch. And, I want to be more involved going forward. I want to have an offensive threat. I want to have more end-product. And I think I can really have that freedom to do that here and to help the team. But again, I think my biggest thing is just kind of to be everywhere, either with my ability to run and cover ground and connect plays, but also just being vocal and kind of helping to guide our press, our defensive organization, our attacking organization. And yeah, that's pretty much what I'd say and I'm pretty tenacious and gritty and I like to do the dirty work, but I'm hoping I can add more end-product and I think, you know, this is the perfect platform for me to do that."
I asked Shamit if head coach Davide Corti has spoken to him about what his role will be when he finally gets on the field.
"We've spoken a little bit about what my role could be and how I could help the team, and it pretty much aligns with what I expected and what I hoped. I think that we're in a good place in terms of that. Now its about waiting to get cleared to play and just doing the best I can in training for myself to get up to speed and get the chemistry with everybody."
I asked Shamit how he is doing from a fitness perspective and if he would be ready for significant minutes upon being cleared to play.
"Yeah, hard to say. I think I'm pretty optimistic that I'm fully fit. One of my traits is that I'm a runner. I want to run as much as possible. I want to cover ground. So I think that plays a role, can I really go 90 minutes of full pedal to the metal? Maybe not. But I'm pretty confident that I can hit that 60, 75, 90 mark."
"If I manage myself, it's just a matter of to be 100% flying, maybe it'll take a game or two, but I think I'm in a pretty good place. And even with the guys being away on this road trip, we've done a lot of work behind the scenes with the guys at home to keep working, to keep fit. I think I'll be good and then with a couple of guys coming back from injury will be good. So there'll be a lot of optimism and confidence and, the additions to the team I think will really help improve the training level, which will help improve our game performances as well."
Canadian Premier League vs. USL League One:
I asked Shamit on his opinion on how the CPL and USL League One compare, and his overall impressions on Canadian and American soccer.
"I've talked to some of the guys on the team about it because they've asked me about the Canadian League. I've asked them about USL1. You know, it seems like it's a little bit more physical, a little bit more transitional. The games open up a bit more here, which makes sense, similar to MLS where towards the second-half games start opening up. CPL, I find is a little bit slower at times, a bit more tactical, a bit more technical at times because everybody wants to build out, everybody wants to try to, you know, play the right way or play in a certain way, because that's sort of the trend and there's only eight teams. Whereas in USL, you get a bit more diversity with teams that are okay with playing a bit more direct, being a bit more physical, being a bit more gritty to get results. And you also have teams that like to play. So I think there's a lot more diversity and a lot more different playing styles in USL1, which is interesting because you're playing different teams each week and I'm still trying to figure out the geography of where these teams are even located in America, which has been pretty funny and interesting too."
I also asked Shamit if there was a big adjustment when he went from MLS to the Canadian League, and if the level is closer than people think.
"I think the level is closer than what people think, but it applies the same to USL Championship, USL League One. It's closer than people think, but football is a game, the way I see it, is a game of percentages, it might be 5% better, or 10% better, which doesn't seem like a lot, but in football, it does spread out and it does show. But I'd say it's not that far off because you look at, you know, when we have the Canada Cup match, CPL teams against MLS teams with the White Caps, Toronto, Montreal, we always give them a good game. Same as USL Championship with MLS teams, USL One with USL Championship teams, USL One with MLS teams. So the gap is closer than people think, you know, 5, 10% and that can be swayed or swung on match day. So yeah, there's a lot of competition and I think the disparity gap isn't too far."
Representing Canada and Bangladesh:
I asked Shamit on his impressions on making his international debut for Canada in 2020 and his experiences representing his native country.
"Honestly, it was amazing. It was something that I really worked towards. The coach at that time was John Herdman, who was really a mentor for me from the U23s to the first team. And he did a lot for Canadian soccer, not with just myself, but with the entire program, really taking them to that next level. A big reason why I became professional in the first place was because of getting a taste with the youth national team. That's kind of where I realized I could take this further than just playing university. I could really go pro. To get to experience the full National team, the full senior team camp and get that experience, that was really special, really amazing. Wish I could have had more in hindsight, but you know, now I've got a new opportunity with Bangladesh, which has been amazing the last year or so, so can't really complain. I'm pretty lucky to have that dual nationality."
I asked Shamit on Canada's performance in the 2026 World Cup and how many players from the squad he played with.
"Really impressed. I thought they did really well. I wasn't surprised, I'd say, with how far they went. I think that was what I thought they were good enough to do. When you look at that team and that quality and you look at Jesse Marsch, I think he's a really good coach. I would love to play under him because I think my style kind of matches what he wants. But yeah, they're going in the right direction. Canadian football is going in the right direction. Very excited for Canada's future."
"Long list you could say, in that twenty-six man squad, probably more than half the squad I played against or that I played with at the youth level. Jonathan David, Alfonso Davies from Edmonton, Liam Miller, Derek Cornelius. The list goes on. It's cool to see all those guys having success. Sometimes I wish it could be me, but that's how it goes sometimes."
Shome also commented on how the opportunity to represent Bangladesh came about.
"Yeah, so it's been around (the opportunity) for a while, people have asked me, would you consider playing for them? And I'd say I was thinking about it, I was open to it, but I wasn't ready to commit because I still also did want to see if the door for Canada could come open again. Then as I got a little bit older, I started seeing that the Bangladesh Federation was really going in the right direction. Hamza Choudhury from Leicester City came aboard, and now they're really getting proper."
"After Hamza joined they started getting some traction, more fan support, more funding support, then I started getting messages saying I should come now. That's kind of where I made the decision. I talked to my family. I'm like, let's just do it. Let's see how it goes. And if I like it, I like it. If I don't, then I can always just decide not to. And to be fair, I really enjoyed it my first time and then the rest is history. It's been great so far. I'm really, really blessed."
I commented to the fact that former USA national team legend Thomas Dooley was recently appointed as the head coach of Bangladesh and his experiences with him during the last national team match against San Marino. A match won 2-1 by Bangladesh, the first victory for the country against a European side.
"Yeah, he was our manager in San Marino. That was his first game in charge. So that was where I met him. But yeah, super cool that there's that American connection there. And he's been he's been great and hopefully really good. He'll be really good for the program."
Role with Bangladesh:
I asked Shamit if his role with the Bangladesh national team differs from his role with his previous club teams.
"There I play a little bit differently. There I play a little bit higher up, more as a 10, which has been really fun and I've really enjoyed doing. But again, that ties into, I need to add more end-product if I'm playing higher up the pitch. I've always been pretty versatile, either playing in midfield or on the wing or as a fullback."
"But now, as I get older, I think I really honed in on being able to play 6, 8, 10 in whichever style, because I can do the defensive work, I can do the offensive work in terms of connecting plays, seeing through balls and all, but I'm just missing that end- product, which I'm really focused on improving. And so we'll see with the Cosmos, if it'll translate more to a Bangladesh style role, more like a Cavalry role or something in between. It really depends on how the team does and how I deal with the team and how the coach sees it, but we've got options."
With the SAFF (South Asia) Championship scheduled for November 2026, I asked Shamit if he would be playing in the tournament, and how his time with Cosmos could help him prepare for it.
"Yeah, that'd be the hope, that'll be after the season, so we'll see. But again, just taking it week by week, you know, I'm just coming back into a professional environment with the team, so I'm really enjoying that. All of this will obviously build up to hopefully having a good, strong end of the season with the Cosmos and then finishing off with SAFF at the end of the year to end this season."
I asked Shamit how he sees Bangladesh doing in the SAFF, being one of the favorites in the competition.
"I think people are calling us the favorites. I think there's an expectation within our group to win. But again, there's good teams. India is a strong team. Sri Lanka is a good team. Pakistan is a good team. So it's not going to be easy. But you know, it's going to be in Bangladesh. There's going to be a lot of craze and hype around that, which is super exciting. So I think the goal is definitely that we win that tournament."
I asked Shamit about how he would describe Bangladeshi soccer to those unfamiliar with it, and how would he equate the level and progression of the sport in the country.
"Hard to say. It's a different, it's a different type of football over there. It's a bit less physical, but very transitional, very open, lots of gaps, probably because it's so hot and humid there that, you know, you get tired quicker. So a lot of gaps open up, very athletic, very direct at times. But, playing football is really growing. It's going in the right direction, you know, with the players that have been joining the national team. There's more players from abroad that are coming back to represent their country, like myself in Canada, there's others in Europe. It's an exciting time to be a Bangladesh football fan and the fans are crazy. If you want to follow international football, I think Bangladesh is a cool one just because it's a little bit unique. And the games are still pretty intense and interesting. I hope that Bangladesh football can have success and keep improving. And I think we're going in that direction. Kind of aligns with Cosmos, right? We're all trying to build and improve and keep going in that direction to become one of the better teams in the league and in that area of the world in Asia."
Bangladesh Community in Paterson, NJ:
I asked Shamit if the large Bangladesh community in Paterson, NJ played a role in his signing with Cosmos.
"I thought it was kind of a cool opportunity. When my agent pitched the offer to me, I spoke to the Cosmos about that, I knew there was this sort of big community here. I knew New York and New Jersey had a huge community. I didn't know it was Paterson, which is right next door to where we're playing. So that's been pretty cool. You know, being from Edmonton, you don't really see that where you have a big community like that. Here, it's everywhere. It's been nice to integrate into the community. But, I'm also Canadian. I'm also interested in the American culture. There's a lot of history in Paterson, in New York and New Jersey in general. So yeah, I'm excited to be to be here to experience the American lifestyle because it is different than Canada."
I asked Shamit for a message to the Bangladesh community in Paterson on how they can help grow the sport and the team in the area.
"Cosmos are a huge brand. There's a huge opportunity to kind of bring back the success that they've had in the past. You know, it's next door to where a lot of the Bangladesh community is. So why not come out and watch a game, you know, regardless of if I'm playing or not, you know, whether I'm here or not football is football."
"Bangladeshi people love football, so why not come watch your local team, support the boys. And it'll be more fun and entertaining than you think, other than just your Bangladesh national team games, which are once every couple of months. You get your fix by coming out and supporting. And that just helps the community grow, helps the team, helps the players, so definitely try to come out and support."
Popularity in Bangladesh:
We discussed Shamit's popularity in Bangladesh and if he thought it will translate to more fans in the stands at Hinchliffe.
"I hope so. I get a lot of love and support in Bangladesh from people in Bangladesh, from people abroad. So I hope they support me, but most importantly, they support the team, especially the local ones here. They have a football team to support. Now there's a Bangladeshi guy on it, which is cool. But I hope it can help drive interest and help motivate myself and the team to do better."
"But again, you know, a big part of getting more fans to come out is winning. So the last home game helped. I'm sure we'll get a bit more traction from that. Hopefully we can keep it going and keep improving. Because at the end of the day, we all want fans in seats supporting us. It's good for the fan atmosphere. It's good for the players to get motivated. It just makes the atmosphere better. So I'm hoping that'll translate, but we'll see."
Biggest Influences:
We discussed the individuals that influenced Shamit as he pursued his professional career.
"I'd say there's probably, I could say three or four that I can name. One of them was my University of Alberta coach, Len Vickery. He was kind of my mentor from a young age, took me from the club level and kind of that's how that U of A pathway kind of grew. Colin Miller was my first coach with FC Edmonton. He was the one that gave me a shot. And back in that day, a lot of academy players didn't really get a shot. There's a lot of players that were better than me that were a couple years older that didn't get a chance, but for some reason I was the one that got that chance and that was Colin Miller that gave me that chance. Remi Garde in Montreal probably got the best out of me to when I was having success playing in MLS. And I think it was just, I understood what he wanted out of me. He got the best out of me and it wasn't easy at first. You know, he yelled at me, he got on me. And then I kind of figured it out and then we were able to have some success together. And then John Herdman, obviously, with the Canadian national team, he also helped with having success within Montreal, getting to the national team. And the last one I'll say, is Tommy Wheeldon Jr. with Cavalry, because that's where I played my best football. That's where I had the most success. And I learned a lot about how to build a successful team, build a successful culture, and be a good leader individually as well."
Biggest Career Moments:
As Shamit embarks on a new stage in his career, I asked him if he could talk about the biggest moments of his footballing career up to now.
"Oh, that's an interesting one. I'd say three moments. One would be winning the Canadian Cup with Montreal in 2019. You know, I played a big role in that season overall and in that Cup. I still remember the final in Toronto. It went to PKs actually. And then the other one would be Calvary winning the regular season in 2023. Winning the final in 2024. The best one I'd say would be the Cavalry title in 2024 because I played every game that season. It was the most fit, the healthiest I've been. So I think that's probably the best moment."
Career Motivation:
Being a veteran, I wanted to know what Shamit's goals were for the current phase of his career.
"Honestly, the way the way I look at, you know, my career and what how I take every day is just to be the best person I can, the best player I can, best teammate I can be, and then the rest will play itself out, regardless of where am I playing, what country, what team. I think if I just give my best every day and try to get better every day, give my all, always show up and be consistent, then anything can happen. And so that's kind of how I approach this. And, you know, it's kind of cool being in this window where it's only two months left in the season. I can really just double down and focus on my football and being here and present in the Cosmos and with the National team coming up. But I think it's a really cool opportunity to have three months to just focus, whereas usually some of these guys have done it for 10 months, so you get a little bit tired, you get a bit fatigued. I'm coming in fresh and I'm coming in really focused and zoned in on what I have to do for the next couple months."
Future after Football:
While playing for Montreal in MLS, Shamit simultaneously attended the Concordia University and obtained and Engineering degree. I asked Shamit about the challenges that presented while juggling a professional soccer career.
"Yeah, obviously very challenging. You know, when I look back at it sometimes, I think, how was I able to do it. But then when I think about it as well, anything's possible. You have time as long as you're committed and you want to do it. And so the big thing is that I wanted to do it. I was interested in engineering from a very young age. And so that's what made it easier. That allowed me to manage it."
"It wasn't the easiest, but I'm really glad I did it, because it's something I enjoy and it's something that I want to transition into after football for sure."
Thoughts on Promotion/Relegation:
I discussed the upcoming/promotion relegation that is expected to implemented by USL in 2028 and asked Shamit if he thinks it could propel the sport in the United States and improve the quality on the field.
"Yeah, definitely. I think that's huge. I think that was one of the reasons why it made sense for me to come to the Cosmos and join USL1 to be in this market of promotion relegation that's coming up. I was in England for two weeks right around when it was the end of the season, and so that promotion relegation was there, and I didn't really know much about it until I was there and I could really experience the craziness that it involves, from the 5th division promotion relegation to the 3rd division promotion relegation. It's crazy. So if any of that translates with the USL, which I hope it will, I think that'll be super interesting and fans will really enjoy it. And it's a good competition factor for the USL to have against MLS, a nice differentiating factor that I think will drive the quality because, teams are going to want to get promoted and teams are going to want to stay in the top division. So it'll just drive competition, drive everything to improve."
Message to Cosmos fans:
I asked Shamit what he would say to the group of Cosmos fans that have remained faithful despite some negative results on the field, and what he will bring to the table to help turn the situation around.
"I'd say keep supporting us, keep believing in us. I think we're going in the right direction. I think we'll improve this year and for the future. We've got a lot of quality within the team already. You know, the management, the superiors, the ownership group, they really want to take this forward. I think it shows with the players they have bought in. Not just myself, players like Ozzie, Chilaka who have had a really big impact on the team. So I think we're all trending in the right direction and hopefully we can finish the season strong and hopefully we keep getting you guys to come out and to support us. So we'll do our best. I know I'll do my best. I feel like I've been more on the camera and more in the news than I have been on the field. Believe me, I'd rather be on the field, but that's just the situation right now. So I'm doing what I can to make sure I'll be ready when that time comes."
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