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WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
"It's so much easier -- all I have to do is sit in the blocks like Usain Bolt because I know they'll find me."
-- Dane Richards, who scored and assisted in the New York Red Bulls' 2-0 win over San Jose, on playing with new teammates Rafael Marquez and Thierry Henry. (New York Post)
Registered: 03/25/01
Posts: 15629
Loc: Miramar, FL, USA
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Richards red hot
GORDON WILLIAMS, Star Writer
Dane Richards
Jamaican winger Dane Richards' impressive play has drawn praise from club coach and teammates, including French star Thierry Henry.
And, despite international football's transfer window closure keeping the Reggae Boy in Major League Soccer (MLS) this season, reports indicate that he may be a target for clubs in Europe when it reopens in January.
"Since I've been here, I've been impressed with him," Henry told reporters after Richards supplied the cross last weekend that led to the World Cup winner's first MLS goal since joining the New York Red Bulls recently from FC Barcelona.
The Frenchman is not alone. Red Bulls coach Hans Backe said Richards' key asset - blinding speed - would help overseas clubs.
"He has this advantage with his pace and everyone would like to have pace in the team," explained the Swede when asked if the winger's quality was good enough for bigger clubs following the Red Bulls' game against Toronto FC (TFC) on August 21.
"So, it is perhaps a possibility to play in the European leagues. I'm not really sure how he will adapt, but with his pace he has a chance anyhow."
Prior to the end of the transfer window on August 31, the Red Bulls, currently locked in a run to the MLS play-off, downplayed speculation that Richards was being lured away from North America's top professional football league.
shuffling players
"I'm not so sure," Backe said while in Toronto. "Most of the time it's agents who get the names out, shuffling players around. I haven't heard anything."
According to Backe, Richards was "absolutely great" despite the 1-0 loss to the Galaxy on August 14. A week later, he was directly involved in two Red Bulls goals in a 4-1 win over TFC. On August 28, Richards scored his first goal of the MLS season in addition to assisting on Henry's strike in a 2-0 victory over SJE.
When asked about transfer talks prior to the game in Toronto, Richards insisted his focus was on winning the 2010 MLS title with the Red Bulls, which recently strengthened their squad by adding designated players Henry and Mexican Rafael Marquez. However, the Montego Bay native and former Cornwall College star admitted his show against one of the world's richest clubs had boosted his confidence and maybe his value.
"The Man City game did a lot for me," Richards said.
In that match, his pace tormented England international left back Wayne Bridge. Richards set up the Red Bulls' first goal and scored the second in a 2-1 win with a right-foot rocket from 25 yards. Richards also scored in Jamaica's 3-1 win over Trinidad and Tobago on August 11.
Pressed further, Richards said he would prefer that his agent address the issue of transfers. Efforts to contact his agent have been unsuccessful.
Richards has been invited to play for Jamaica against Costa Rica on Sunday at the National Stadium and Peru on September 7 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
With the likes of former France and Arsenal great Thierry Henry and ex-Barcelona and current Mexico captain Rafael Marquez among the ranks, it's a surprise to some that Jamaican striker Dane Richards is the man grabbing all the headlines these days at US Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit New York Red Bulls.
The diminutive Richards, 26, can do no wrong in the big city these days and underlined his class during his last game against the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, when he helped himself to a delightful goal before serving another on a platter for Henry in a 2-0 win.
Richards sped through the Earthquakes' back-line before dispatching a powerful shot beyond the goalkeeper and helped Henry to his first MLS goal in what was dubbed by many to be his best game in a Red Bulls jersey. Before that, Richards was a constant thorn against post-season and preseason European opposition, such as Juventus, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspurs.
Despite the new-found attention, the former Seba United player is not allowing his feet to leave the ground, and took time out to credit his improvement to his new teammates and his desire to keep improving his game. Richards is full of confidence but is also hoping to replicate his positive club form into the national team as he gets ready to tackle Costa Rica in Sunday's friendly international at the National Stadium.
Keep working
"The feedback I have been getting is that I have been playing well so, hopefully, I can continue and bring this good form into the national team and help us to a win on Sunday," said Richards. "But I can't let it (praises) get to my head, I just have to keep working. This is my job and if I stop working hard then I will lose my job.
"It's unbelievable, I used to watch these guys (Henry, Marquez) play World Cup and so on and now I'm playing in the same team with them. They bring with them a vast amount of experience and class and each game and training session you learn so much from them. They have and will definitely help to improve my game," Richards said.
The striker highlighted Henry as his biggest inspiration and shared that he has learnt a lot from the Frenchman during their time together at the club.
"Henry is a class player, even in practice he does some stuff that is just unbelievable," said Richards. "He is one of my favourite players but I also know that I can't allow myself to be over-awed by this because at the end of the day I have to go out there and show my worth.
"He (Henry) always tells me that once I'm behind (the defensive line) there is nobody in the league that can catch me so I just focus on making the right runs, and it's been very successful to date and I want to continue doing this," he added.
Richards is now looking to continue working on his game and is already sure of the areas that need his immediate attention.
"I know that my speed is my strongest point, once I get behind the defensive line I'm going to cause problems for them, so I'm looking to use that and at the same time work on my shooting and first touch," said Richards.
