Luke Rodgers provided pace up front for the Red Bulls, and much-needed movement off the ball. His extended absence due to plantar fasciitis just underscored how badly those traits are missed; and until he returns _ if he can return at all _ coach Hans Backe is mulling using Dane Richards up top to provide what they’ve lost.
“I haven’t really decided, because Dane is also a threat from midfield with his runs in behind,’’ Backe told the Post, adding wherever he uses Richards, the Jamaican’s speed will be vital. “I haven’t really decided; (but) every time, you see in this league you need pace up front. You can’t hurt anyone if you don’t have pace.
“That’s probably why so many teams are asking us for Dane, because most of the teams have to have pace up front. Of course we can play him half-right in midfield.’’
When Backe tried to acquire Rodgers last season from Notts Country _ where he had briefly coached the diminutive striker _ many fans questioned the need for a journeyman 29-year-old who’d never risen above the third division of English football. The doubts grew louder when Backe continued his pursuit this offseason, a move that threatened homegrown phenom Juan Agudelo’s playing time.
But Rodgers has proven far more pivotal than anybody could’ve predicted, and the Red Bulls far more reliant on him than anybody would’ve wanted. In the dozen games he paired up front with team captain Thierry Henry, the Red Bulls went 5-3-4 for 19 points, outscoring their foes 22-11. In their other games _ many started by Agudelo _ they’re just 1-3-10 for 13 points, and been outscored 19-26.
“That’s a little weakness we have to admit, that we have been unable to create that synergy with other players,’’ said GM Erik Soler, who felt that Richards _ one of the fastest wide midfielders in MLS _ can offer even more speed and at least some of the timely runs and off-the-ball movement that the Red Bulls haven’t gotten from Agudelo or Mehdi Ballouchy.
“He does,’’ Soler told the Post. “And he had a similar kind of season last year. He was good at the start; and he had some weaker (games), and if you look at the statistics he wasn’t scoring goals. And then he suddenly started playing very well at the end of the season. Now he scored the two goals and he looks sharp. So of course with his speed and his work rate he can have a little bit of the same thing.’’
They should only be so lucky. Richards has a history of coming up big late in the season for the Red Bulls. It was his inspired performance against Houston _ arguably the best postseason effort in club history _ that helped an eighth-seeded team somehow reach the 2008 MLS Cup finals.
Last season he had a career campaign, largely due to his stretch run. He scored four goals in a five-game span, capped by his game-winner on Oct. 2 against Kansas City. Then, after the Red Bulls tied Real Salt Lake and lost to Philadelphia, Richards scored again in the regular-season finale on Oct. 21 versus New England.
Could Richards be setting up for a similar finish? He assisted both goals in a 2-2 tie with Chicago on Aug. 13, and then in the next game notched a second-half brace, as the Red Bulls rallied from a 2-0 deficit to earn a come-from-behind 2-2 draw at New England. A reprise of last year’s red-hot run over the final eight regular-season games would help toward reaching the postseason…and perhaps even making an extended run.
