MONTCLAIR, N.J. - The shorthanded New York Red Bulls received a measure of good news Thursday when star striker Juan Pablo Angel joined the team on its flight to Colorado, where the Red Bulls will take on the Rapids in a Fourth of July match at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
Angel has been sidelined with a variety of injuries this year. He suffered from two herniated discs and an arthritic nerve-related injury to his lower back. And after scoring the winning goal against Chivas USA at Giants Stadium June 5, Angel hobbled off the field with a strained hamstring. That was his last appearance.
In total, the former Colombian international has two goals and two assists in seven games. Last year, Angel set a club single-season record with 19 goals in 24 matches, good for second in the second behind D.C. United's Luciano Emilio in all of MLS.
"I am feeling better," Angel said following Wednesday's training session. "I have made a little progress over the last week. I am building on it. Hopefully, I will be available for selection very soon."
For the first time in nearly a month, Angel returned to train with the first team Monday and had two more training sessions before Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio was convinced to add him to the travel list.
"He is looking very good, sharp," Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio said of Angel. "It's good to see Juan back."
Without Angel, Jozy Altidore, who was sold to La Liga side Villarreal, and captain Claudio Reyna, the Red Bulls offense has sputtered. Only San Jose and Kansas City have scored fewer goals than the Red Bulls this season and the last time New York scored more than one goal in a game was May 10 in a 2-1 win at Los Angeles.
Angel is still not 100 percent fit and Osorio has ruled out starting him for Friday night's tilt. More likely, though, is coming off the bench to play the final 30 minutes.
"I could see him playing some minutes," Osorio said. "I will not risk him in playing from the start. But it will good to have him with us."
While Angel is on his way back, there is still no timetable for Reyna, who is training on his own. And the club has yet to find a replacement for Altidore, who is second on the team with three goals scored.
With a lack of options up top, Dane Richards has become an important piece of the attacking puzzle. The speedy Jamaican, who was a striker at Clemson before moving to right midfield, has played forward for each of the club's three-game MLS unbeaten streak.
"I like it up there," Richards said. "Not only am I on the right, but I can move to the left or stay in the middle. I can use my speed to the best of my ability up there, to try and get behind players to create opportunities for myself and my teammates."
Using his speed to go at defenders, Richards has had an abundance of scoring chances in his time at forward. But he's been a bit reluctant to pull the trigger on some shots.
"When I get behind the defense, sometimes I get excited," said Richards, who last year was a finalist for MLS Rookie of the Year. "I just need to do better with my composure in the box and I think I'll get a couple of goals."
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