Jorge Rojas Talks Turnaround

By: Dave Martinez | May 14th, 2009

Jorge Rojas, a Venezuelan National team captain, and Red Bull midfielder, has played against some of the finest competition there is during his soccer career. Nurturing his craft in the CONMEBOL region for years, his Vinotinto routinely faced some of the worlds greatest teams, including Argentina and Brazil.

No stranger to adversity, Rojas hopes to build on this weekends dismantling of San Jose towards a successful 2009 season. “We are working hard for the next game,” said Rojas. “I think many things were done differently from other weeks.”

And that is putting it lightly. The Red Bulls debuted a modified 4-4-2 with the midfield wingers pushing a forward position, feeding the dangerous tandem of Angel and Kandji. Mike Petke saw his first start at home all season. Dane Richards road the bench. The result was 4 goals in one half. “First, the tactical system the Professor (Coach Osorio) used was a bit different from what we usually play. The coach’s changes, what he did differently, was what helped us be more unpredictable,” said Rojas, author of two of the four goals scored this past weekend. “The other team didn’t know how we were playing. We were moving all over the place, we moved inside, and outside.”

“Second, I think the mentallity here is that after the two consecutive losses, we knew we deserved more (for our efforts).” And those losses include a crushing defeat at the hands of DC United, where a lead was lost and a game went with it.

“And third, it was probably the control of the ball, the security we gave the ball, the ball movement itself; that’s what helped us maintain a good game and achieve what we did.”

The two goals Rojas netted were the first of his Red Bull career. And he places all the credit on the team and game plan itself. “The way we attacked, the way we played, and the way the game presented itself plays a part,” he explained. “Opening the game with a goal was really good because the other team is not only forced to defend itself, it is also looking for the tie. It was a combination of all that.”

With the season seemingly gone into a free fall, this past win serves as a reward for the teams efforts, and a glimmer of hope for what’s to come. “After the string of losses, we changed things, and took a win at home, which is what we wanted.”