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Richards wants Boyz to clinch early berth
IAN BURNETT @ THE CONCACAF GOLD CUP in the USA
Thursday, June 09, 2011
MIAMI, Florida — He's merely 1.70 metres tall, slightly built, yet one of the most feared wingers in the blossoming American Major League Soccer.
He has frequently overshadowed big-name New York Red Bulls teammates such as former France, Arsenal and Barcelona front man Thierry Henry, as well as former Colombian international Juan Pablo Angel, and now Dane Richards is forcing analysts of the teams competing in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup Tournament to stand up and take notice.
Dane Richards at a training session at the FIU Stadium yesterday afternoon. (Photo: Ian Burnett)
Dane Richards at a training session at the FIU Stadium yesterday afternoon. (Photo: Ian Burnett)
#slideshowtoggler, #slideshowtoggler a, #slideshowtoggler img {filter:none !important;zoom:normal !important}
Known for his blinding speed, the 27-year-old proved a nightmare for Grenada's left back David Cyrus at the Home Depot Centre on Monday night. He assisted on Ryan Johnson's sitter, for Jamaica's second goal in their opening 4-0 win.
However, had the Reggae Boyz front men not been wasteful, Richards could have had many more assists on the night, as his little feet blazed past the Grenadian backline at will, but Johnson and company failed to do justice to his offerings.
"I tried to set up my teammates, which is always good," he told the Observer following last evening's training session at the FIU Stadium, venue to tomorrow's second game against Guatemala. "I didn't manage to score, but the three points were important. I wouldn't say I was excellent, but I had a good game," he said.
But as any sportsman would say, missing chances is a part of the game, and though he would have liked to see his teammates convert most of the chances, he wasn't overly bothered.
"Well, it was the first game of the tournament, so we were getting used to each other again in a competitive game. We had a good first half with two goals. We created a lot of chances, but we didn't finish them, but that's a part of the game, the good thing was to get the three points because they were very important."
Now Richards, who was outstanding in Jamaica's triumph at last year's Digicel Caribbean Cup Tournament in Martinique, wants the team to continue from where it left off against Grenada tomorrow night.
"It is really important (to win the game) because if we can qualify from this Friday a lot of players can get some rest and we could stay away from card trouble and we could, not just think about to qualify, but play the game with discipline and finish our chances when we get them," he added.
"The team spirit is good, we kind of took it easy this morning (yesterday morning at the gym and swimming pool), came out this afternoon and the players looked sharp in their possession and that's basically how we want to play against Guatemala, so we are looking good so far," he warned.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport...#ixzz1OnDgnsMW
IAN BURNETT @ THE CONCACAF GOLD CUP in the USA
Thursday, June 09, 2011
MIAMI, Florida — He's merely 1.70 metres tall, slightly built, yet one of the most feared wingers in the blossoming American Major League Soccer.
He has frequently overshadowed big-name New York Red Bulls teammates such as former France, Arsenal and Barcelona front man Thierry Henry, as well as former Colombian international Juan Pablo Angel, and now Dane Richards is forcing analysts of the teams competing in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup Tournament to stand up and take notice.
Dane Richards at a training session at the FIU Stadium yesterday afternoon. (Photo: Ian Burnett)
Dane Richards at a training session at the FIU Stadium yesterday afternoon. (Photo: Ian Burnett)#slideshowtoggler, #slideshowtoggler a, #slideshowtoggler img {filter:none !important;zoom:normal !important}
Known for his blinding speed, the 27-year-old proved a nightmare for Grenada's left back David Cyrus at the Home Depot Centre on Monday night. He assisted on Ryan Johnson's sitter, for Jamaica's second goal in their opening 4-0 win.
However, had the Reggae Boyz front men not been wasteful, Richards could have had many more assists on the night, as his little feet blazed past the Grenadian backline at will, but Johnson and company failed to do justice to his offerings.
"I tried to set up my teammates, which is always good," he told the Observer following last evening's training session at the FIU Stadium, venue to tomorrow's second game against Guatemala. "I didn't manage to score, but the three points were important. I wouldn't say I was excellent, but I had a good game," he said.
But as any sportsman would say, missing chances is a part of the game, and though he would have liked to see his teammates convert most of the chances, he wasn't overly bothered.
"Well, it was the first game of the tournament, so we were getting used to each other again in a competitive game. We had a good first half with two goals. We created a lot of chances, but we didn't finish them, but that's a part of the game, the good thing was to get the three points because they were very important."
Now Richards, who was outstanding in Jamaica's triumph at last year's Digicel Caribbean Cup Tournament in Martinique, wants the team to continue from where it left off against Grenada tomorrow night.
"It is really important (to win the game) because if we can qualify from this Friday a lot of players can get some rest and we could stay away from card trouble and we could, not just think about to qualify, but play the game with discipline and finish our chances when we get them," he added.
"The team spirit is good, we kind of took it easy this morning (yesterday morning at the gym and swimming pool), came out this afternoon and the players looked sharp in their possession and that's basically how we want to play against Guatemala, so we are looking good so far," he warned.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport...#ixzz1OnDgnsMW