DAVENPORT, Fla. – Since signing with the first team, Connor Lade has come to embody the ethos of the New York Red Bulls.
- TICKETS: Red Bulls Home Opener vs. Toronto FC, Sunday March 6
Industrious, tireless, and willing to play just about anywhere on the pitch, Lade continues to provide the blueprint on how to persevere and succeed in this league. Entering his fifth season with New York, Lade is no longer the fresh-faced youngster who was learning the ropes. Nowadays, he’s the one imparting knowledge as a grizzled veteran.
With an influx of new academy signings joining the team during the offseason, Lade is suddenly the elder statesman amongst his fellow Homegrowns. Having watched them develop from afar and up close, the Morristown, New Jersey product now has the chance to call them teammates.
“It’s exciting to see them signed; you always want to see the Homegrown guys do well,” Lade said. “I’ve played with a bunch of these guys before. Coming back in the summers and playing with the U-20s and the academy, I’m familiar with a lot of them. I’ve seen them grow and develop and I followed them throughout college.”
As the fifth Homegrown player to sign with the club back in December of 2011, Lade knows better than most just how to make the leap from the academy to the first team. Since making his Major League Soccer debut in April of 2012, Lade has made more appearances with the first team (55) than any other Homegrown in franchise history. It’s given him perspective that few others can boast, and he’s putting that perspective to good use.
“I’m going to do everything that I can to make sure that their transition to the first team is smooth,” he said of the new crop of Homegrowns. “They’re all really quality players and they’ve got good heads on their shoulders, so it’ll be easy for them to come in and get sorted with the team.”
And while success came quickly for a young Lade, its sustainability was a bit harder to come by. After making 30 appearances over all competitions during his rookie season in 2012, the defender struggle for playing time over the next two seasons. But in 2015—with head coach Jesse Marsch at the helm—Lade saw a return to form, starting in 19 matches over MLS and U.S. Open Cup play.
Once again, Lade appears primed to be a big contributor within the team, and the reasons why are hardly readily apparent.
“I think it’s easy as a coach to take Connor for granted,” Marsch admitted. “He’s just the kind of guy that comes in every day, works his butt off, and gives everything to the team. He helps his team win on almost every day, he does all the little things right, he’s good within the group, so sometimes you take guys like that for granted. But for me, I certainly really know that he’s a big part of what we do here. His ability to commit to the team at the highest level—whether he’s in the starting XI or not—has set the tone.”
At times in his career, Lade’s versatility has been as much a curse as it has been a blessing. Throughout his tenure in New York, Lade has been deployed on both wings in the midfield, as well as both outside back positions. It makes him a valuable commodity to plug-and-play in certain spots, but has afforded him little opportunity to cement his role one position. Still, Marsch contends that his unique skillset is one that makes him a valuable asset to the team.
“You can say he’s a jack of all trades, master of none, but Connor’s ability to do that is better than anybody I’ve ever seen,” Marsch told NewYorkRedBulls.com. “That’s why his flexibility is a strength of his.”
Despite being knocked from his perch as the starting right back last season, Lade’s work ethic and tenacity has continued to set an example for not just the Homegrowns within the squad, but for the team as a whole. No player can control his playing time per se, but Lade has continued to make Marsch’s job difficult in the best way possible.
“Having good competition at every position bodes well for the team; it makes sure that everyone’s on their toes every single day, knowing that your spot isn’t safe. We’ve got a lot of really good outside backs here; it’s one of our deepest positions on the team. To be in that discussion and make the coach’s job difficult, I just come out here everyday and give it my all.
“If you’re making their job hard, it’ll be good for the team. We’re all focused on the same thing and whoever steps onto the field is going to be ready.”
