HANOVER, N.J. – Taking on the role of underdog is familiar territory for Connor Lade.
Standing at 5-foot-6, the defender may be easy to overlook for many. But after enduring trying times during a rollercoaster career, the 25-year-old is ready to take full advantage of his latest opportunity.
Lade has started eight of the Red Bulls’ last nine matches at right back, and nine in all in 2015, the most since his rookie season in 2012 when he made 22 league starts (26 appearances).
It’s led a string of stellar performances for the Red Bulls since Lade became a starter on a full-time basis on the heels of a four-game losing streak in June. In the last eight games in which Lade has made the XI, New York are unbeaten in seven with six wins, including two straight clean sheets.
“He’s gone through some highs, he’s gone through some lows, but somehow he’s found a way to persevere,” goalkeeper Luis Robles said with a smile. “And now he’s excelling at the opportunity that’s been given to him.”
A product of the New York Red Bulls Academy system, Lade signed a Homegrown contract with the first team in 2011.
And in the same way that he has earned his current starting opportunity – through an injury to starter Chris Duvall – Lade was thrust into the starting lineup, just months after finishing a four-year career starring at St. John’s University, as a rookie due to an injury to Roy Miller.
“It was tough,” Lade said of the transition from collegiate to MLS play. “It’s a tough process, but we had good players who gave me advice and told me what you should and shouldn’t be doing. I was just thankful that Hans [Backe, former Red Bulls head coach] had trust in me and put me in there.”
Lade would end up making 30 appearances over all competitions that season, showing off his versatility as he was deployed in several different positions.
“It was definitely more than I expected from my first year,” Lade said.
After a heart-breaking playoff exit to D.C. United that season, there was little time to rest for the young Lade as a training stint with La Liga side Sevilla was in the cards. Playing with the club's reserve side, Lade spent two weeks in Spain before the next seminal moment in his career unexpectedly came along.
“As soon as I got home, I wasn’t even home from the airport, when I got the call that I was invited for the January [US national team] camp,” Lade recalled. “Everything just happened really fast.”
On the surface, it seemed as though nothing could go wrong for the emerging young talent.
But as he quickly found out, the extra attention he had garnered, coupled with the demanding conditions that go along with it, came at a price.
“Going into the next year I might’ve been a little burned out,” Lade admitted. “It was tough playing a lot of soccer without a break. I picked up some injuries, and it was tough to get back into it.”
While the Red Bulls enjoyed a stellar year on the pitch, winning the franchise’s first ever trophy via the Supporters’ Shield, Lade endured his own personal struggles. Making just six appearances in 2013, his standout rookie year seemed like a distant memory.
“I think he’s been somewhat unlucky the past two years as he’s dealt with a bunch of little injuries,” captain Dax McCarty said of Lade. “His rookie year was a huge year for him, and I know he dealt with a lot of fatigue going straight through the year, to going to Spain, then going to national team camp. It didn’t do him any favors. Even when he was healthy, we had players who were above him on the depth chart, so he had to bide his time and be patient.”
Come 2014, Lade could wait no longer. Still finding playing time hard to come by, he was sent on loan to NASL side New York Cosmos in the hope that he would get more game action. But the move was better in theory than in practice, as frequent recalls and injuries stymied what seemed to be a golden opportunity for Lade.
Despite the pitfalls, Lade’s team-first attitude never changed.
“I try to be a good locker room guy and always have a good attitude when I step on the field,” Lade said. “I always come to work to play hard and keep my spirits high. When that chance comes, you have to take it.”
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Coming from veterans to newcomers, Lade’s impact on and off the field continues to speak volumes to his character.
“Any person in this organization that knows Connor appreciates him wholeheartedly,” Robles said. “Whether it’s his attitude, his energy, or just the positivity he brings each and every practice and each and every game.”
Once again an integral piece of the Red Bulls' greater puzzle, Lade has solidified his spot at right back with a foundation built through his fair share of challenges and setbacks.
“That’s a professional career for you,” McCarty added. “Sometimes it’s not always peaks, it’s a lot of valleys too. He’s learned that, and it’s made him a better professional. I think it’s made him realize how lucky he was to be able to play a ton of minutes his first year because not everyone gets to do that.”
And Lade knows that while he may have the full confidence of new head coach Jesse Marsch and the rest of his teammates, his time with the first team is not a guarantee. It’s his approach to the game won’t soon change.
“I have to keep my head down and keep working hard for the guys because you never know when you’re going to be on the down slope of that roller coaster,” said Lade. “I’m just trying to take advantage of it every chance I can get. “
