Hard work is at the heart of success. Those who have succeeded in sports, particularly in soccer, can attest to it.
After starting the 2006 season on the bench, midfielder Brad Davis has found his way back into the team's the starting lineup. He works tirelessly in practice, and his efforts pay off on the field.
"For the last four years, I've worked a lot out there, and gotten some experience," said Davis. "Now I am not a center midfielder but a left midfielder. I've worked on it; we do crossing drills all the time, so every time I get more comfortable out there being able to distribute the ball."
Already in his fifth season in Major League Soccer, Davis is finally seeing his efforts pay off. He assisted Eddie Robinson for the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday, bringing his assist total up to five for the season, which makes him one of the league leaders in that department. A former MetroStars (now New York Red Bull) player, Davis will look to continue his level of play this Saturday against his former team.
"That was my first team, so I still have some fans out there who cheer for me," Davis said. "Our focus is to win, coming off a good game last Saturday. That, tied to the fact that my health is coming back, gives me and the team a lot of confidence heading into the weekend."
The veterans on the team greatly appreciate Davis' help.
"You need everyone to step up, not just one or two guys," said midfielder Dwayne De Rosario. "Davis is playing great, but if everyone gets to play at the high standard that we are used to, I don't think anybody can touch us in this league."
But the work is never done for Davis. Among other aspects of his game, he constantly practices his set pieces during drills, looking to improve his accuracy for situations like last Saturday's where he put a perfect pass from the right side to Eddie Robinson, who headed the ball for the game-winning goal.
"It's tough, but that's our job, and that's one of the reasons we're in the lineup", said Davis. "Set pieces are part of the game, and to have the guys that we have, who can finish the play, you have to have somebody who can serve them the ball. As long as we do our job and put the ball in the box, someone is going to score."
Scoring, everyone knows, is this team's primary need. Will New York be the place to turn up the attack? Davis thinks so.
"I think we can win by either 2-1 or 2-0. Our guys are prepared and know what they have to do. All we have to do is execute (coach Dominic Kinnear's) instructions, and we will be OK."
