HANOVER, N.J. – The road back from injury is hardly ever easy.
Both mentally and physically, each day becomes a grind, as the ultimate goal of returning to the pitch can seem so far away at times. It’s a struggle that both Gideon Baah and Gonzalo Veron were forced to endure after their early season injuries, so it only made sense that both would find their vindication just minutes apart on Saturday.
During a match in which the Red Bulls bagged seven goals, all three substitutes managed to come off the bench and find the back of the net, including Veron and Baah.
“Fantastic from those two,” captain Dax McCarty said. “Gideon really locked things down. It’s been tough for him with his injury, him and Gonzalo both. They’ve been injured and it’s been tough for them to be on the bench and sit and watch from the sidelines. But they’ve worked hard in training, waited for their opportunity, and to see both of them get goals in a huge game is fantastic. It’s only going to make them more confident.”
Both suffering injuries in their March 19 win over the Houston Dynamo, the duo have long been resigned to a role on the sidelines. But as their rehab process continued, the goal of being a consistent contributor never wavered. Now at or near full fitness, the duo is raring to get going.
“I’m very happy to be back,” Veron said through a translator. “Being out with injury was very difficult, but now that I’m back, I will make sure to bring whatever I can to the team and stay injury-free for the rest of the season. Seven weeks is a long time to be out, so I’m just doing my best to help the team. I’m working hard to make the starting XI and brining what I can to help the team overall.”
Added Baah: ““It was a great feeling to score, but on the whole, winning was the most important thing; getting a goal is just a plus. It’s a boost for me as I’ve been trying very hard to get back into the team. Now I’m ready to start contributing more. I just have to stay focused and I’ll get there soon.”
Now working with more weapons at his disposal, head coach Jesse Marsch has some lineup decisions to make, a good problem to have as the team’s depth look stronger than ever.
“With Gonzalo, it’s been a tough year with injuries, but we know he’s an important guy,” Marsch said. “He can be so dangerous and effective in different spots. So for him to get a goal was really important to get him going. Hopefully that can jumpstart his season.”
“Gideon is getting himself going a bit more each day,” he added. “I was really excited to give him a chance to get on the field, and scoring the goal should breed confidence for him and reward him for all the hard work that he’s done. That part was great to see.”
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