Thanks to injuries and inactivity, Austin da Luz seemed the most overlooked member of the Red Bulls’ huge rookie class last year. Finally healthy this season, he’s making up for lost time, making his first league start last Saturday and no less an authority than Thierry Henry proclaiming him the best player on the field.
Da Luz missed most of last season, limited to just U.S. Open Cup play before getting hurt. But with eight players missing to call-ups or njuries _ including starting midfielders Dwayne De Rosario and Dane Richards and backup Carl Robinson _ he’ll get the first extended action of his career, including trying to snap a six-game winless streak against visiting New England.
“I’m just excited to have this opportunity. I’ve begun to take advantage of it, and hopefully I can continue to do that in the next couple of weeks, and that begins (tonight),’’ said da Luz, a left-footed midfielder who was a first-round pick out of Wake Forest, but somehow got lost in the shadow last season.
Second-round pick Tim Ream and academy signee Juan Agudelo both earned U.S. National Team call-ups before the end of the calendar year, with the former playing every second of MLS action for the Red Bulls. Tony Tchani, the No. 2 overall pick, showed off enough of his prodigious potential to be traded for De Rosario, a two-time MLS Cup MVP.
Even lower-round picks Irving Garcia and Conor Chinn became fan favorites with their exploits in the U.S. Open Cup and friendless. But da Luz used his time wisely, improving the defensive holes in his game to go along with his already-crisp passing and sharp crossing.
“I think my technical ability is always pretty solid,’’ said da Luz. “I’ve worked hard in training, to work on the defensive side of things and help the team out that way. I think I brought those two things together, so you have a good balanced game on both sides of the ball.’’
The 23-year-old did just that in Saturday’s 1-1 tie with Columbus. It was a promising enough debut out on the left flank that Joel Lindpere was freed to operate in the center of the pitch, and Henry felt he was not only more than good enough to hold his own until the starters return, but the best player on either team.
“Austin da Luz was playing amazingly. I thought for me he was the best player on the field that day,’’ said Henry. “You dig in, you fight. My mentality is to try to win every game….I think Austin da Luz was the best player on the field. He took his opportunity and I thought he played well. So we need to do what we have to do with the players we have.’’
That would be snap their six-game winless skid before the head out on a four-game road swing. The Red Bulls thought they’d broken their slump last Saturday against Columbus, before a sloppy turnover coughed up a counterattack equalizer with just 30 seconds left in stoppage time.
“We’re sick of tying games. It’s been too long since we’ve had a win,’’ said da Luz, whose Red Bulls haven’t tasted victory since April 30. “There was a lot of fire in the locker room after Saturday, and hopefully that can carry over.’’
