Defender Is Making Big Strides for Galaxy
The soles of his shoes are bright green. They make Ezra Hendrickson easy to spot, those shoes flapping like mad down the field.
The Galaxy defender looks too awkward to play soccer. Too tall and too thin.
But there is something else. An exuberance. A daring.
“When you are running at a defender,” he said, “it is a very good feeling.”
Odd as he looks, the 6-foot-3 Hendrickson has five goals and seven assists this season. That ranks him among the top 20 scorers in Major League Soccer and makes him one of the league’s most dangerous defenders.
“He’s unorthodox, and that can help him get by players,” D.C. United Coach Bruce Arena said. “Just look at the results. There are attacking players in this league who won’t score five goals all season.”
Hendrickson will try to boost his offensive totals tonight against the Miami Fusion at the Rose Bowl. Look for those green-bottomed shoes along the flank or streaking toward the box.
“Where other people say he looks funny, I say he has a great stride,” Galaxy Coach Octavio Zambrano said. “He has speed and a good sense for attacking.”
It was Zambrano who claimed Hendrickson off waivers from the New York/New Jersey MetroStars last season. He got a player who learned the game on the island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a player who switched from forward to defender at Drake University.
The MetroStars chose Hendrickson in the first round of the 1997 supplemental draft, then quickly gave up on him. Zambrano figured he deserved a second chance. With veterans Robin Fraser and Danny Pena playing central defense, the Galaxy coach posted Hendrickson outside and gave him freedom to push forward.
“He knows how to take risks,” Zambrano said. “He knows how to seize the moment.”
The gambles haven’t always paid off.
On those occasions when Hendrickson gets burned, his height makes miscues all the more glaring. Everyone in the stadium saw him slip against the New England Revolution last month, leaving Johnny Torres open to score.
But there have been spectacular bursts of offense. Two goals in that New England game. Four game-winning assists this season.
On a team that features Cobi Jones and Welton, he gets noticed for more than just size.
“When I got him off waivers, a lot of people questioned me,” Zambrano said. “As a coach, it’s gratifying when you take a chance on a guy that a lot of people dismissed.”
Hendrickson doesn’t mind being thought of as gangly. Now that he has earned a starting job, he prefers to be underestimated.
“I know what I can do,” he said. “As long as they leave me open, I’m going to keep doing it.”
