The Red Bulls’ import turns out to be the one of importance in MLS.
With the league’s spotlight searching for someone to step up on stage, now that David Beckham is out, Juan Pablo Angel is filling the bill, albeit sheepishly.
The Columbian striker, by way of England’s Aston Villa, performed more heroics last night, snapping a 75-minute scoreless deadlock with his one half-chance of the night. His 15-yard one-touch conversion gave the Red Bulls a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Fire at Giants Stadium, and lifted him into a tie for the league lead with 14 goals.
“I don’t know the kind of superlatives I can lay on him. He’s an ideal player to have,” Red Bulls coach Bruce Arena said. “He brings a work ethic that’s second to none to our club. He produces on game days and knows how to deal with coaches, players teammates and press.
“He’s been the perfect package, to date. He hasn’t been 100 percent (ribs), yet he plays and you don’t hear him complain. He’s been superb.”
His winner was a pure clutch play. There were few chances as the zero previous goals on a night when the Red Bulls were desperate to avert their first three-game losing streak of the season. Suddenly, Dane Richards controlled a feed down the middle and led it left towards Angel. Just inside the box, Angel deftly knocked it past oncoming Matt Pickens with his first touch, scoring his fifth in six games.
“I was just waiting for one opportunity, begging for it, and it came,” Angel said. “I took [Pickens] by surprise.”
“We limited Juan to one chance and it was a goal,” Chicago coach Juan Carlos Osorio said.
That goal tied Angel with with DC United’s Luciano Emilio and Kansas City’s Eddie Johnson for the league lead at 14. With seven games left, Angel stands only two short of the Red Bull record set by Aldopho Valencia in 2000. Roy Lassiter holds the MLS record of 27 set in 1996.
“I’d rather give up all my goals and make the playoffs,” Angel said.
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There were 53,018 fewer fans last night compared with the 66,237 for the Red Bulls’ last home game, when Angel scored twice in a 5-4 triumph over Beckham and the L.A. Galaxy.