UPPER MONTCLAIR, N.J. – Red Bulls forward Luke Rodgers exceeded all expectations last Saturday in Columbus. Even his own.
Rodgers battled injuries throughout preseason and did not play a single match leading up his MLS debut against the Crew, but gutted out 83 solid minutes in scoreless draw after head coach Hans Backe expected no more than 45 minutes from his new English import.
“It was rather something, wasn’t it?” Backe told MLSsoccer.com. “I thought he was tremendous for us. Really didn’t think he’d last that long for us, especially with the way he plays, pressing the back line.”
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS: New York, Columbus battle to 0-0 draw
And truth be told, nor did Rodgers.
Around the 20-minute mark, Rodgers was starting to feel winded and tight. Backe asked him several times how he was holding up, and despite the discomfort and his tired legs, he waved off his coach.
Then a few minutes later, as he told MLSsoccer.com, “My leg loosened up and I started to feel alright.”
[inline_node:332094]“Then I could play my game and play more like I’d like to. From then on, I felt a lot better.”
Backe was impressed with how active Rodgers was, especially given the handful of full training sessions Rodgers had heading into the match. The Red Bulls held on for a scoreless draw in large part due to Rodgers effectively eating up minutes and being a pesky player in the final third.
“We held on for a good result, the lads played rather well and we did a good job with staying tight,” Rodgers said. “We almost scored a late one for a win with Joel [Lindpere], but the keeper made a good save. That would have been massive to get three points but we still played well and got that point on the road.”
Rodgers earned the start in the absence of regular starters Juan Agudelo (international duty) and Thierry Henry (injury), but he doesn’t anticipate being in the starting lineup again this Saturday when the Red Bulls host the Houston Dynamo at Red Bull Arena.
“With Juan coming back, he scored in the season opener and then against Argentina with the national team – he’s playing well right now and with confidence,” Rodgers said. “He’s a fantastic player. Then of course, there is Thierry as well, back and training this week. We’ll see, but I don’t assume that I’m in the starting XI.”
“With those two coming back, I could well be out come Saturday,” he added. “I don’t take it as a given.”
Kristian R. Dyer can be followed at twitter.com/KristianRDyer
