The Red Bulls attack _ which had scored an MLS-low two goals _ eurpted in a 3-0 rout of San Jose Saturday, and they did it behind Luke Rodgers, the Player of the Week with a brace and an assist.
“I think we all needed it as players, as a team,’’ Rodgers told the Post. “We’re only four games into the season, but I do think we needed this result early because it can lift us to the kind of football we want o play and win games.’’
The North American Soccer Reporters voted the English newcomer the Player of the Week for Week 5. He scored the first two goals within 15 minutes, then set up Thierry Henry for the third, helping the French star snap his long goalscoring drought.
“We only want to do what (the coaches) want us to do, which is play well and win. Nobody wants to play bad and lose,’’ Rodgers said. “That’s it. If we can carry on from Saturday’s performance, there’s no reason we can’t be where we want to be at the end of the season.’’
Rodgers replaced Juan Agudelo in the lineup, and in the second minute he took Dane Richards’ bouncing cross and snapped a header past Quakes goalkeeper Jon Busch. Then he outraced Busch to Henry’s low cross to tap home for a 2-0 lead in the 15th minute. He capped the scoring by drifting a far post cross to Henry for an 87th-minute statement goal.
The British newcomer had his transfer held up last year, his visa denied by INS because of a 2009 affray conviction and also accidentally disfiguring a girl with fireworks back in 2002. But he’d played for Hans Backe at Notts County, and the coach was determined to bring him to New York. This weekend he repaid that faith.
“It’s very nice that the manager has that confidence in you. It makes you feel confident yourself,’’ said Rodgers. “All I want to do is the best I can for the club. I want to do really well. I didn’t come as a holiday to see New York. Yeah, I like to joke around, but when there’s a game it take it very seriously. You can’t catch me messing around on matchdays. I’m very serious on the pitch.’’
Rodgers played 11 years in England bouncing between the third and fourth division. But Backe has steadfastly maintained that Rodgers’ 5-foot-7 listed height _ and perhaps legal woes _ kept him out of the Championship, but that the striker’s actual on-field play was worthy of that level.
“He normally is on a championship level. (Notts) bought five or six players of championship level to get promotion, so he can play on that level. Of course the Premiership is a little bit of a different class, but definitely on a Championship level,’’ said Backe, who Rodgers is a good fit in MLS. “It suits him well in this league, his playing style, his work ethic, his work rate.
“He’s an explosive player, he’s always on the move, take chances. He’s a very honest striker. Of course it helps to score after one minute. Being bold not only as a goalscorer, but he’s a very strong striker, you can see him fight with the center backs as a target, get hold of the centerbacks. He’s a fairly complete player. I think he’ll be involved in a lot of finishing.’’