AP
Chicago Fire defender Gonzalo Segares, right, pulls New York Red Bulls midfielder, Jamaican-born Dane Richards, off the ball during the first half MLS soccer match on May 24, 2007, that the Bulls won 3-0 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Gordon Williams, Contributor
Cat-quick Jamaican winger Dane Richards finished just a step short in the voting for top first-year players during the regular season of United States Major League Soccer (MLS).
Montego Bay-born Richards is now training with the Reggae Boyz for tomorrow and Wednesday's respective international friendlies against El Salvador and Guatemala at 'The Office'.
Richards has played for the Reggae Boyz before, his last cap coming as a substitute in April 2006 in a 1-1 draw with the U.S. in North Carolina. Earlier this year, he indicated that he was working for a call-up to the national programme, especially with the World Cup qualifiers on the horizon.
"Any chance I get to represent my country I'll take it," Richards said. "I'm just waiting for my chance."
Chances
These matches will no doubt provide ripe chances for Richards to satisfy that desire.
He represented play-off team New York Red Bulls in America's premier football league and was one of two runners-up to Maurice Edu for the 'Rookie of the Year' honour, announced last week.
The voting was done by MLS players, general managers, coaches, referees and media representatives.
The 24-year-old Richards, who played daCosta Cup at Cornwall College and also starred for Clemson University in the U.S., scored two goals and gifted his Red Bulls teammates six assists, most by any MLS rookie.
However, it was his attacking speed and skill, plus a tireless work rate, that impressed throughout the 2007 season and, according to some, should have earned him the award instead of the American.
"I thought Dane showed more than Edu," said Jamaican national player Shavar Thomas, an MLS defender who faced Richards once during the season when his Chivas USA beat the Red Bulls in New York.
"He was surrounded by big names, in a big city, and he still shone."
Word around the MLS indicated that Edu had a good season, enough to deserve consideration for "Rookie of the Year". Yet some observers said they thought Richards had been "robbed" of the honour, especially when each player's input and his team's season were evaluated.
Edu's Toronto F.C., which also included Jamaica's Tyrone Marshall, finished last in the MLS with six wins, 17 losses and seven draws. The defensive midfielder scored once and had four assists. Richards' Red Bulls advanced to the Eastern Conference semi-final.
Impact
Richards, a former Seba player who was chosen in the second round of the MLS draft (19th player selected overall), was not expected to have an immediate impact with the Red Bulls. But when an injury to a teammate forced him into the line-up early, the 5' 7" player responded quickly.
"I got the opportunity and I took it," he said earlier in the year, before explaining that he planned to "keep playing confidently and maintain the starting job."
Richards kept his word. He started 27 of 28 games for the Red Bulls, playing alongside Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel, former U.S. national team captain Claudio Reyna and rising American star Joz Three of Richards' assists led to game-winning goals.
Richards, whose playing style compares to England internationals Shaun Wright-Phillips and Aaron Lennon, became the second Jamaican to win "Rookie of the Year" in the MLS, following forward Damani Ralph's accomplishment in 2003.
Richards, who played 2,335 minutes this season, and Angel were the only Red Bulls nominated for individual MLS 2007 regular season awards.
However Richards, whose darting runs down the flanks forced opposing teams to design game plans specifically to stop him, was also seen as needing to improve his technical skills, particularly accuracy in shooting and crossing the ball.
Gordon Williams is a Jamaican journalist based in the United States.
