For a side that has seen big name players moving in and out this offseason, it’s a familiar face that made his presence felt in the very early going.
Since his arrival in the 2012 season, Lloyd Sam has been one of the more dynamic playmakers on the Red Bulls roster. While his bread and butter has been his propensity to attack the flanks with his trademark pace and flare, head coach Jesse Marsch has challenged the Englishman to retool his game and add a different dimension to the New York attack.
“We want him to expand his game and be more than just a guy who stands on the line to play one-on-one,” Marsch stated. “Obviously he’s very good at that so we don’t want to eliminate that from his game, but I think he becomes more multi-dimensional and harder to play against if he can mix up his movements and ideas of how to be dangerous in the attack. “
So far, Sam has responded.
After netting an MLS Goal of the Week contenderagainst Sporting Kansas City on opening weekend, Sam admitted that his new role is a change of style, but a change he welcomes with open arms.
“[I need to start] thinking about scoring rather than being in a situation to create,” Sam said after training. “When someone gets the ball, my first thought last year would be to try getting the ball off him and onto my feet and trying to create. Now I’m trying to get into a position where I’m going to be the one scoring. That’s where the manager wants me. That will benefit everyone if I can get to scoring goals. I’m delighted to score in my first game so hopefully I can get more.”
While the adjustment has reaped its returns in the early going, Sam admits there’s still work to be done. Change, after all, doesn’t happen over night.
“He’s trying to get me more going into goal rather than going down the line to set up crosses. I wouldn’t say that this past game I was in that position enough. We’re trying to work on it to get more opportunities.”
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Marsch added: “He gets a goal from being inside and now using some of his creativity and one-on-one abilities to put himself closer to goal. We’ll continue to work on that and continue to work on his movement off the ball so that he’s not just getting balls to feet.”
In Marsch’s system, Sam’s role on the pitch may be a departure from what Red Bulls fans have come to expect. Despite the change, fans can rest assured that Sam will still be Sam.
“I won’t be in wide areas as much. I’d rather score goals, so that’s obviously a plus. I want to enjoy the games, I want to still be me. If I’m in a wide area I’m still going to take them on,” said Sam.
With goal-scoring firmly on his mind, Sam will look to find the back of net with more regularity in 2015. So can we expect more efforts like the curler we witnessed at Sporting Park?
“It’s going to be difficult to do that every week,” Sam joked. “But I’ll keep trying.”
