Toronto FC head coach John Carver's policy about his starting XI has been clear all season. The players who work hard in training and then perform when called upon in games will keep their places in the lineup. Carver has largely stuck to that merit-based plan, but he has made a couple of exceptions based on particular situations.
Rohan Ricketts is one of those exceptions. The winger suffered what he described as "a dip in form" last month, but Ricketts kept his starting position in spite of the Reds' midfield depth. Since then, however, Ricketts turned in a man-of-the-match caliber performance in Toronto's 2-0 win against Los Angeles on May 31 and was one of the few bright spots in TFC's 3-1 loss in Houston last Sunday.
"[Carver] stuck with me and that's been good for me," Ricketts said. "After a while you've seen me come out back on form again. It's credit to him --- [it's] good management, because everyone has a different form. No one's perfect, but he said he knew I'd come good, it's just a matter of time."
The 25-year-old midfielder is playing his first season in Major League Soccer after spending the first seven years of his professional career in his native England. He played in Arsenal's youth system and went on to play for such notable clubs as Tottenham, Wolverhampton and Barnsley. After being released from his contact with Barnsley in the spring, Ricketts signed with Toronto FC on April 11 and has started all eight of the club's matches since.
Ricketts said the adjustment to MLS from English soccer hasn't been a problem in terms of the style or quality of play. The difficulty thus far (and the reason for some of his struggles on the field) has been getting his fitness up to par after playing in just 10 games for Barnsley in the 2007-08 season.
For a club that has put such a premium on conditioning as Toronto FC has this season, Carver knew it would take some time for Ricketts to collect himself.
"Let's not forget, he's not had a preseason," Carver said. "I think Rohan came into the club and [initially] he played very well. I think he played on adrenaline and a little bit of desire in his stomach because he'd had a couple of wayward years."
While Carver sent on a substitute for Ricketts in each of the winger's first six matches, he didn't further cut into Ricketts' playing time since that would have further set back his match readiness. Carver compared Ricketts' situation to that of defender Marco Velez, who played poorly in his first few league games but has developed into a key member of the Reds' backline.
"With Rohan, he'd gone off the pace a bit because of his lack of that preseason base," Carver said. "I wanted to stay with him because the only way we're going to get there was by playing him and ... trying to get through that sticky period.
"I stayed with him, I was patient. People were shouting for me to give Jarrod Smith a chance [at winger], but like with Velez, I gave [Ricketts] an opportunity because I'd seen certain things."
Ricketts was appreciative that Carver gave him the time to round into form, but he knows that he will have to keep up his play in order to keep his minutes in a crowded Reds midfield. He described Carver's system of a performance-based starting roster "fair," and mentioned he had lost playing time due to a similar strategy on a past club.
"I was first-choice winger and got a little injury," Ricketts said. "The person who came in, he was a friend of mine. If I was him and I'd done well, I wouldn't want to be taken out just because I'm Rohan Ricketts and I'm supposedly a bit better than him. If someone goes on the pitch for 90 minutes and they do enough to stay on the pitch, then they deserve to stay on the pitch. I've got to try and keep my place."
If Ricketts continues to play as he did in Toronto's last home game, he won't have any problems keeping his spot. The Reds went into the match with the Galaxy missing midfielders Laurent Robert (suspension), Amado Guevara and Carl Robinson (international call-ups), but Ricketts carried the midfield and was arguably the best player on the field that day. His passes kept the L.A. defenders off guard, and he collected his first MLS assist when his direct free kick was headed in by Julius James for the game-winning goal.
Ricketts, however, dismissed the idea that he was becoming a team leader just based on one game or that he stepped up in the absence of others.
"I've got to try and do it regardless of whether players are here or not. I'm not really worried about other people, I'm trying to do my job," Ricketts said. "If it seems that way, as people have said, I feel against L.A. I took more responsibility, but the reason people are saying that is because other people ain't here. If they were there, they'd just say Rohan played well today. It's perception."
The next step for Ricketts is to build on his passing and speed up the wings and become a true scoring threat. Finishing has been something of an issue for Ricketts in his career. Though he has always been characterized as an offensive-minded winger, Ricketts has just two goals in his pro career, and none since 2005. Carver believes that it is just a matter of time before Ricketts finds the back of the net.
"In fairness, his goal record isn't great," Carver said. "But he is a good provider. I want him to chip in, yeah, that's for sure. But I think he knows that. He's desperate to get himself a goal, and he will. Once he gets one ... they start on a roll."
Mark Polishuk is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
