HARRISON, N.J. – March 30.
That was the last time Richard Eckersley made a start in Major League Soccer, a span of more than six months that was both a humbling experience and an exercise in patience. But there Eckersley was on Saturday, starting along the New York Red Bulls’ back line for just the fifth time this season in league play and making his presence felt in more ways than one.
Eckersley enjoyed his best performance of the season, helping the Red Bulls post a 1-0 shutout of the Houston Dynamo, only their fifth shutout of the season and a crucial win in the playoff race. It was clear from the onset that the right back was engaged and eager, hitting a gorgeous ball over the top down the right flank to a streaking Lloyd Sam in the opening minutes and holding his own defensively in place of usual starter Chris Duvall.
“Ecks was tremendous today,” said Red Bulls captain Thierry Henry, who scored the game's lone goal in the 47th minute at the end of a sequence initiatied by Eckersley. “I don’t even know how many minutes he played all season. It’s not an easy ask to just train and sometimes know that you won’t be involved, but I have to give him credit, he’s been training hard every single time in training, and you could see that because he was actually fitter than everybody else. Joking apart, he was great, he had a good game.”
Starting in place of Duvall because of what head coach Mike Petke termed mental and physical fatigue, Eckersley showed well against a left-sided tandem from Houston that was comprised of United States national team World Cup veterans DaMarcus Beasley and Brad Davis.
Eckersley not only limited the chances they had going forward, but also kept them on their toes by pushing into the attack. The performance was more like the MLS veteran the Red Bulls’ coaching staff was hoping it acquired this past offseason, not that of the struggling fullback who looked a step too slow during the first four games of the regular season before suffering an ankle injury.
“It’s so frustrating, because I’ve played in the MLS over a hundred times, but it’s soccer,” said Eckerlsey. “You’ve just got to deal with it. You’ve just got to take the rough with the smooth, and it makes you a better person and a better player because you’ve had to come back from a setback.
“It’s one thing as well: moving countries, moving apartments, it’s everything,” he added, discussing his transition from Toronto FC to the Red Bulls. “I probably wasn’t ready to play at the beginning of the season, but I feel more comfortable now. It’s more like a family now. I’m enjoying the last bit of the season. Hopefully.”
Franco Panizo covers the New York Red Bulls for MLSsoccer.com. He can be reached by email at Franco8813@gmail.com.
