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NYRed Bulls Media Day with reserves Jerrod Laventure

MetroFanatic: Why don't you give us a few words about your saga last year as an on-again, off-again player. What was it like, what did you do in the interim?

Jerrod Laventure: Basically, my deal last year with the reserves was on a game-by-game basis. I would come in a day or two before the games, practice with the reserve and first teams, and travel with the team on gameday. It was a difficult time, you would go a week, sometimes two weeks without being at one of the training sessions. But I kept myself involved, and I kept myself committed to playing at this level. Obviously, the work I did last year paid off with the contract I got this year.

MF: What are the strengths in your game, how do you think can you contribute to the team?

JL: I definitely think my speed is one of my strengths. My size and height give me the ability to win tough balls in the air. I'm a target player, a guy you can play the ball to who can bring it down and do whatever needs to be done to put it in the net. There are different parts of my game I'd like to work on, I'm a forward so goal scoring is something you're always working on, something you're always thinking about.

MF: Have you spoken with coach Johnston about your role on the team this season?

JL: Like I said before, I'm a target player, and with my size I think I fit in well with the kind of team coach Johnston wants to field. When I've talked with coach Johnston about what he expects from me, he tells me that as a forward, I need to to score goals, because that's what I'm here for.

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#28 Jerrod Laventure

Position: Forward

Height: 6' 0" (182 cm)

Weight: 170 lbs (77 kg)

Birthdate: January 15, 1983

College: Seton Hall

Transactions: Signed from reserves, 2006.