The stinging pain in his left foot hasn’t gone away, but Luke Rodgers had no complaints after the Red Bulls 5-0 drubbing of Toronto FC in his first match in three weeks.
The Englishman had a Gordie Howe hat trick of sorts, scoring a goal, setting up another and picking up a yellow card in an eventful 56 minutes last night at Red Bull Arena.
“It was brilliant to score,” Rodgers said. “I’ve been out now for three weeks and just to get back on the pitch was brilliant and obviously to score was a bonus. I’m really pleased.”
But he’s not full healthy yet. Red Bulls coach Hans Backe said the plan was to give Rodgers 45-60 minutes and he was a bit concerned to see him limp off the field.
“But the energy he has and his work rate, the phenomenal goal, helps the team, definitely,” Backe said. “He has done two practices after being away for three weeks so I think it was a great performance from Luke.”
Rodgers goal to put the Red Bulls in front 2-0 was a stroke of brilliance. His assist, though? Well, not so much.
Jan Gunnar Solli sent a low pass from the right side that Rodgers shanked, but the ball continued through to an open Thierry Henry, who took a touch and slotted it inside the far post from six yards out to give the Red Bulls a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute.
Just five minutes later, Solli again played a low pass to Rodgers, who lifted the ball in the air with his first touch and blasted a volley into the side netting from 16 yards out.
“I just reached over, it bounced up perfect and it was an instinct finish, really,” Rodgers said.
The combination of Rodgers and Henry has clearly paid dividends this year. In the nine games they’ve started as a tandem up front, the Red Bulls are 5-1-3, outscoring opponents, 21-8. They are 1-2-7 and have been outscored 15-13 when they’re not on the field together.
“I think Luke is the player that runs to space and stays in front of the goal and Henry is all over the pitch,” said Joel Lindpere, who put the Red Bulls in front, 3-0, in the 52nd minute and set up both Juan Agudelo goals. “They are totally different type of players. Maybe that’s what we need.”
Henry, though, downplayed the importance of having them both on the field at the same time.
“It doesn’t matter if Luke is playing or not playing or if I’m playing or not playing,” Henry said. “As I was saying just before Joel scored two goals for us the other day and Luke wasn’t on the field and I wasn’t on the field. As I said so many times, it’s a matter of not conceding goals. That’s the trouble with us.”
Rodgers said he rushed himself back on the field because of the Red Bulls recent struggles and described the pain from the plantar fasciitis as “like having a piece of glass in your foot and pushing off it all the time.”
Still, to get a convincing win with multiple scorers and to earn a clean sheet to boot, made the pain a little more livable.
“It’s a massive win for us,” Rodgers said. “They’re a good team and I just thought we were on top of our game today. I like that all the goals came from different people and it was great to win at home. I don’t think anyone can wish for anything else.”