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STRIKING WHILE IT'S HOT

Laventure tries to make his mark

The player who has scored more goals than any other Red Bulls player in sanctioned MLS games this season isn't likely to start for the team against the Houston Dynamo Saturday.

In fact, Jerrod Laventure, who hit for a hat-trick in the Red Bulls reserves' 4-1 win over F.C. Dallas Sunday, will be fortunate to sit the bench.

But that's the life of a second-year developmental player who is trying to move up the ladder of a team that has gone from famine to feast when it comes to strikers.

Since the end of March the Red Bulls have added former MetroStars midfielder-forward Clint Mathis and Colombian and Aston Villa striker Juan Pablo Angel to their roster, pushing former Seton Hall star down the pecking order.

So, what's a 24-year-old like Laventure to do? Score goals and play well whenever he can. And that is usually in practice and reserve matches. After the Red Bulls host the Dynamo at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the reserve teams will take the field at Giants Stadium immediately afterwards.

Laventure most likely will play in that game.

Yet, the Middle Island, L.I. native realizes how important it is to play well and score in those encounters.

"It does wonders for your confidence," Laventure said in an interview earlier this week. "As a forward, you basically get a couple of chances each game to score.

"You work hard all week long. The game is one game and now I've got to show up on Monday. It paid off. Hopefully, I can keep going on a consistent basis.

"Hopefully that translates into first team games or getting on the bench, coming off the bench. It just helps you tremendously."

Since the addition of Mathis and Angel, things have gotten much more crowded up top.

"I started out being one of three forwards. I was pretty happy with those odds," Laventure said with a chuckle). "But now adding Clint Mathis and Juan Pablo, I think it's a great thing. It's only going to help our team. We add strength up top in an area we definitely needed. And the competition is going to get greater. This is the time where you get to really show your character as a soccer player. You either fold or you can work harder and make yourself better and that's what I definitely intend to do."

It's not easy working hard all week and discovering you're not even sitting the bench. Yet, Laventure is learning to cope with such disappointments.

Asked what keeps him going, Laventure replied: "Only just the realization that you will get your time. There are always things that happen during the season and you always have to be ready. Like last year when things weren't perfect for me. I wasn't always an a team. When I did have a couple opportunites, I did seize the moment when I got in there. You just have to know that you're going to get in and definitely sure that it will happen. I'm not going to be out of the 18 players the whole season. There are going to be times when guys go down with injuries. Anything else can happen. You've got to keep reassuring yourself that your time will come and keep working hard and you've got to be ready when that time comes."

The 6-1, 170-lb. Laventure last season did make the most of his limited opportunities. He played but 70 minutes over five games as a late-match sub, scoring one goal and assisting on another. If you want to extrapolate that over an entire season, he would finish with 38 goals and as many assists, a rather unlikely production rate for anyone in any league in the world.

"The one thing for me last year was that I was healthy for most of the time," he said. "I just stayed consistent in practice. I was always the guy that you could depend on to get a goal or two. So, when the time comes when we need a goal or need a forward, we needed some scoring up top, the coach knew exactly where to go. That's pretty much the same thing I've done this year. It's just a matter of staying consistent, scoring goals in practice and in reserve games. Hopefully, my time will come."

His goal wasn't just an ordinary garden variety. It certainly was a memorable one. Laventure chipped home a long-range shot in the waning minutes of the 2-0 win at the Columbus Crew July 19. It was the Red Bulls' lone road win of the season.

Laventure, who replaced Edson Buddle in the 85th minute, put the game away with a 90th minute insurance goal -- his first and only in MLS. Jean Philippe Peguero flicked on a long punt from goalkeeper Jon Conway to Laventure, who took the ball on one bounce and lifted a sublime chip from 28 yards over goalkeeper Noah Palmer and into the side netting. It earned him BigAppleSoccer.com goal of the week honors.

"It was a real good goal. Right now, I have to put it behind me and focus on scoring on that next great goal," he said with a laugh. "When it happened, it was good. I enjoyed it. I celebrated it. I have to put it behind me and focus on scoring that next great goal."

Laventure met one great personal goal last December, when he journeyed to Haiti with teammates Jozy Altidore and Seth Stammler and Grammy Award winning musician Wyclef Jean on a goodwill trip. Laventure's parents come from Haiti, so it was an eye-opening experience to visit their homeland for the first time.

"That's one of those experiences you have in your lifetime that you never forget," Laventure said. "It's something that I always wanted to do. I wanted to see what my parents had to go through growing up. It was an eye-opening experience. It changed my life. It made me definitely appreciate what I have now. and it definitely makes me want to work harder every day because I've seen what they have to go through every day just to survive.

"I don't think most people in the United States get to see thing in third-world countries first hand. Being able to do that is a great experience. Sometimes you can't find the words to describe it. Just to go there and see how things are like, you realize how much you are spoiled and how much we take things for granted, sometimes."

For Laventure, the big highlight of the trip was seeing a statue of his great grandfather, Horacios Laventure, a general in the Haitian army, in Port au Prince.

"Being able to see that was a great experience," Laventure said. "Just sensing a lot of pride in my family after seeing that, realizing how much of an affect he had on the country, it's pretty amazing.