“Goals” isn’t often the sort of word a ‘keeper likes to work into his vocabulary, but Frank Rost is willing to make some exceptions.
Rost returned from the break with two specific goals in mind: recover from the quad injury that has kept him off the pitch since early August, and support his teammates as they continue to make a run to the postseason.
“I hope the team will win the next match against Vancouver. That’s the important thing,” Rost said. “Not Frank Rost or any other player. Only the three points against Vancouver.”
Despite a lengthy professional career in Bundesliga that first kicked off during the 1995-96 season in Germany, this whole injury thing is all new to Rost. Never before has he had to sit out significant periods of time for treatment or rehabilitation. Frankly, if Rost had it his way, he’d never have to do it again. But as any experienced player knows, injured or not, this is just something that comes with the territory.
“This is a part of our sport,” he said after Tuesday’s training session. “You can be injured, you can’t play. I have to accept this. I look to the future and in two weeks maybe I can play.”
Prior to joining New York, the German goalkeeper appeared in 30 or more matches over the last four seasons. What’s more, he averaged 31 apps between 1998 and 2006. The Red Bulls signed Rost as the team’s third designated player on July 13. He made his first appearance three days later on July 16 in what amounted to a scoreless draw against Chivas USA.
Arguably the biggest highlight on Rost’s early Red Bulls resume came on July 30 and 31 when he helped backstop the team to a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain and a 1-1 draw against Arsenal, respectively. The four points in the standings was enough to lift New York over Paris Saint-Germain to claim the 2011 Emirates Cup.
Unfortunately for Rost, the flight home resulted in a leg injury that has kept him sidelined since he left the pitch during halftime of the Aug. 6 match against Real Salt Lake. The official prognosis – a quadriceps tear – would take time to heal. Time, and patience.
“Never had [an] injury like this, so I have no experience,” said Rost. “I have to be patient, and that’s it. That’s a difficult thing for me, to be patient.”
Having ruled himself out for this Saturday’s home match against Vancouver, it’s looking like the Sept. 17 meeting in Dallas may be the earliest date in which he will be available to get back out there. In the mean time he will continue to run through individual workouts and dedicate the necessary time required to heal.
Exciting as it was to take home the Emirates Cup in just his second week with the Red Bulls, Rost knows there’s still business to attend to Stateside once he’s fit to play.
That seems to be getting closer and closer with each passing day.
