CARY, North Carolina, CMC – Carolina RailHawks coach Martin Rennie, buoyed by the immediate success of his Guyanese forward Gregory Richardson, believes the skilful Caribbean player is poised to have a profitable stint in the United Soccer Leagues (USL).
Last Friday night, Richardson – on his USL debut – delighted coach Rennie when he netted the opening goal for the RailHawks in a 2-0 win over reigning champions Vancouver Whitecaps.
Recently transferred from US Major League Soccer (MLS) club Colorado Rapids, Richardson struck a fine goal just before half time in the First Division fixture.
Richardson collected a pass from John Cunliffe on the left side and took on Vancouver defender Wes Knight on a one-on-one on the left side of the 18-yard box.
The former Joe Public (Trinidad and Tobago) forward executed two step-overs to go past Knight and — from an acute angle — smashed a low shot that deflected off a Vancouver defender into the goal.
“He’s good at dribbling at people one-on-one, and against some of these teams, you have to have someone who can do that,” Rennie said.
“And he can score goals, as well,” added Rennie.
Richardson went on an MLS trial with Toronto FC early this year but signed in the end with Toronto’s MLS rivals Colorado Rapids, where he remained until June 26, when he was waived.
During his time with Colorado, Richardson appeared in one league match, playing 11 minutes as a substitute in the Rapids’ season-opening 2-1 loss to Chivas USA.
Richardson, the first Guyanese to play MLS football, also started and played 79 minutes of the Rapids’ 1-0 loss to Seattle in a US Open Cup game in May.
