Former Clemson star faces a new challenge

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Dane Richards of the New York Red Bulls will miss this week's Carolina Challenge Cup with a knee injury. The former Clemson standout is expected to miss two months.

There's been a raging debate on the Clemson campus for the past several years about which Tiger football player is the fastest — Tye Hill, C.J. Spiller or perhaps Jacoby Ford.

As it turns out, it might not be any of the above.

Perhaps the fastest 'football' player to don a Clemson uniform in the last five years was former Tiger midfielder Dane Richards.

'Certainly over the years the football team has had some lads with some pace,' said Clemson soccer coach Trevor Adair. 'But I would put Dane right up there with the best of them. He didn't have much interest in running track when he was here, but in my 13 years at Clemson I've never had a faster player than Dane. I would love to see Dane and C.J. Spiller race.'

It is Richards' foot speed — in soccer jargon his 'pace' — that has made the Jamaican national team member one of the most feared players in Major League Soccer.

A year ago, playing on the right flank of the New York formation, the former Clemson All-American blew past more than his share of defenders in MLS.

'There's no question that teams were afraid of his pace,' said Red Bull coach Juan Carlos Osorio. 'He's very quick as well. That's not the same thing as pace. There might be players who are as fast as Dane, but I think Dane is the quickest player in the league.

'He stretches a defense, and that creates more space for himself and other players. A defense will tend to draw back when he's got the ball or when they think the ball is coming to him, and that makes him dangerous.'

In his rookie season with the Red Bull, Richards started 27 of the 28 games, logging an impressive 2,355 minutes. Richards finished with two goals and six assists and was a finalist for MLS rookie of the year.

'He had a fantastic rookie season,' Osorio said. 'Other teams were so afraid of his pace that he created space for other players on the attack.'

Charleston Battery defender John Wilson, who played for D.C. United a year ago, said Richards has more than just speed in his offensive repertoire.

'He's got a good all-around game,' said Wilson, who played at Clemson from 1995-98. 'His dribbling ability is very underrated and he's starting to learn how to serve the ball much better. He's not just a guy that can run fast.'

At 5-7 and 155 pounds, Richards bristles at the notion that he's just a player that can run faster than his opponents.

'I don't want to be known as a guy who can only use his speed on the attack,' Richards said. 'I want to be the best all-around player I can be. I'm working on my game every day. My dribbling. My serving. I want to be a good defensive player as well.'

After making his Jamaican national team debut in 2002 at the age of 18, Richards attended San Jacinto Junior College in Houston where he scored 45 goals in two seasons.

Adair watched him during a playoff game and immediately knew he had found an impact player for the Tigers.

'One person couldn't defend him,' Adair said. 'If he got the ball on the flank in some space, it was over for the defender.'

In two seasons with the Tigers, Richards scored 23 goals and added 18 assists, including 11 goals in 19 games as a senior.

'Every time he touched the ball he drew two or three defenders,' Adair said. 'That created a lot of space for other players on the field, and that hasn't changed in the MLS. His pace just creates that kind of challenge for the other team.'

A second-round pick of the Red Bull last spring, Adair knew his former All-American would have an immediate impact in MLS.

'Of the 61 players we've had turn pro, I figured that Dane's speed and ability would be a factor at the next level,' Adair said. 'With better players around him like Claudio Reyna and Juan Pablo Angel, I figured that Dane would be very successful.'

Unfortunately, Richards' speed will not be on display during this week's Carolina Challenge Cup at Blackbaud Stadium. Richards injured his knee during a 'friendly' match with Red Bull Salzburg, a team with a loose affiliation with New York, and is expected to miss at least two months.

'I was very upset when it first happened,' Richards said. 'I was very disappointed because I always try to come into the preseason as one of the fittest guys on the team. It's my first serious injury, and to be honest, I'm not taking it very well. The doctors seem to think I'll be back in late May or early June. I've never gone this long without playing, so the toughest part will be waiting until I can get back on the field.'

Reach Andrew Miller at apmiller@postandcourier.com.