By BRIAN LEWIS
Thanks to numerous injuries, poor form and unrealized potential, the longest-tenured Red Bull had somehow become a forgotten man. Then Mike Magee reminded us that when he gets a chance, he can still put the ball in the back of the net.
With the strikeforce decimated _ Jozy Altidore sold, Oscar Echeverry, John Wolyniec and converted winger Dane Richards hurt _ Magee got the nod as a support striker in New York’s biggest game of the year. And he responded with the go-ahead goal in the Red Bulls’ 4-1 rout of nemesis D.C. last night at Giants Stadium.
“This was our character test. We knew it coming in. Our coach put the pressure on us and we accepted it. We knew this was one we had to win,’’ said Magee, whose 45th-minute tally was his second of the season, and his first from the run of play all year.
“It’s huge for confidence. We needed three points to tie them. We feel like we’re better than them, we feel like we should be above them, but the results haven’t gone our way. To come in here and be able to control our own destiny and tie them feels great. Any time you beat D.C. is a really good feeling.’’ Magee has rarely felt good of late, with the 23-year-old seeing knee injuries limit him to 144 minutes last year, and a host of nagging injuries hurting his form and cutting his playing time. When he did play, it was as an attacking midfielder, forced into the role because Claudio Reyna was oft-injured and Jorge Rojas hadn’t yet been signed. Simply put, it didn’t work out.
“Early in the season I’ve been playing that playmaker role,’’ said Magee. “It hasn’t really worked out: I haven’t been fit I haven’t been healthy I haven’t played well.
“I think (Juan Carlos Osorio) wanted to give me a different look. I’ve been doing well in practice, getting goals and showing that if I can get myself around the goal, I can do well. He just wanted to get me closer and it paid off.’’
Clearly. After Dave van den Bergh’s cross glanced off Marc Burch’s head, the ever-opportunistic Magee was there to sweep the rebound into an empty net.
“One of the things with Mike is he has goals in him. If you give him the chance in the area and he finds himself into good position, he can put the ball away easily,’’ said forward Juan Pablo Angel. “I think for him, for his confidence, the goal is going to be very important. We want him to be happy and feel a part of the team and hopefully he can perform for us.’’
When he’s healthy, that’s never a concern for Angel. The Colombian missed a month with disc and hamstring injuries, but scored a brace last night and has four goals in his four starts since returning to the lineup on July 10. Still, Osorio has been searching for a forward to pair with him.
Last night, Magee got the job; and he got the job done.
“I spoke to Mike this week,’’ Osorio said. “I told him the importance of playing as a second striker is getting involved and I think that’s what he did today.’’