Andy Rose may be in his third season with Sounders FC, but he has been a virtual midseason addition to the Supporters’ Shield leading club in recent weeks since returning from a meniscus tear that sidelined him several weeks.
On Wednesday, he turned in yet another solid performance in netting two goals in a 4-2 win over Chivas USA, making his second start in the last four MLS matches and third across all competitions since returning to action on August 10.
“What I’ve said to myself throughout the injury was that when I came back I wanted for it to feel like a new signing for the team. I’m really trying to push guys and trying to get into the rotation as best I could. The team’s been rolling and is such a deep team this season, but I thought I could bring things that maybe I could get a few games here and there. If you prove yourself, the coaching staff we have here are the type of guys that are going to give you the chance in the game. All you can do is take the opportunity when it comes.”
Rose suffered his knee injury in a reserve match on June 1 and made a near-immediate impact when he returned to the field last month. After seeing some time in a substitute role against the Dynamo on August 10, he earned the start against the Chicago Fire in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal three days later. In that match, he scored two goals to help Seattle to a 6-0 victory, securing a spot in the club’s fifth final in six seasons.
He proved immediately that he was physically ready to get back on the field. Even more than the physical aspect of his return was his readiness to approach the game with a renewed mental vigor after an introspective eight weeks away.
“When you’re away from the game, you can figure out exactly what it means to you, how badly you want to succeed and how badly you want to win for the team,” he said. “Not every player in the league gets to be on a team like this. Being in this situation, you feel privileged and you want to make the most of it.”
Matches like Wednesday, when he scored his third and fourth career MLS goals, show just why Head Coach Sigi Schmid has the faith to rely on Rose to fill the gap when regular starters need a rest.
However, to Schmid it was much more than the two goals that drew praise.
“Sometimes people get hung up because he scored two goals and that means he played well,” Schmid said. “I don’t think he played well because he got the two goals. I thought he was sharp. He collected the ball. He looked forward. He was the guy hitting a lot of passes into our forwards and putting guys in. The icing on the cake was he scores a good header and he gets in on the back post as well. I was very pleased with Andy.”
While the accolades are just rewards for a job well done, they aren’t what drives Rose.
“I’m not the kind of guy who needs those plaudits. I’m happy to do all the dirty work for the team. As long as the team’s winning, I’m the sort of player who’s happy and to be honest the majority of the guys in the locker room would say the same thing about themselves,” said Rose, showing a maturity beyond his 24 years. “When you have a chance to contribute on the score sheet, it means a little more, I guess, but mainly I’m happy with the three points.”
