Whatever emotions Lloyd Sam may have about facing his former club, he’s keeping them in check.
The 31-year-old acknowledges last month’s trade from the New York Red Bulls to D.C. United caught him off guard. After four years and 121 MLS matches with New York, the idea of abruptly bolting for the club’s traditional rival took some time to sink in.
But over the past six weeks, Sam has grown accustomed to his new surroundings. As United (6-8-9) prepares to face the Red Bulls (10-9-6) on Sunday at RFK Stadium, the England native is downplaying the inevitable feelings that come with facing his former club.
“Now that I’ve gotten over that, it’s not like it was when I first came,” Sam said. “Obviously, closer to the time it would be a bit weird to see them on the other side, but right now we just need to beat whoever is in front of us — and it happens to be New York this week.”
Having bounced around the top three tiers of English soccer for nearly a decade, Sam signed with the Red Bulls in the summer of 2012. Posting improved numbers with each campaign, he enjoyed a career year last season as he recorded 10 goals and seven assists for a New York team that finished atop the regular season standings.
Sam then took a step back as the Red Bulls struggled to start 2016, scoring one goal in 16 matches while losing his starting spot to rookie Alex Muyl. On July 7, the Red Bulls sent Sam to United in exchange for allocation money in a move the veteran remains reluctant to dwell on.
“I feel like now I’m proper settled in,” Sam said this week. “I’ve forgotten about obviously the previous regime that I was in and all of that.”
With four starts under his belt, Sam has found a rhythm playing on the right flank in United’s 4-1-4-1 formation. Chemistry with veteran right back Sean Franklin came naturally for the newly acquired midfielder, whose ability to create danger in the final third is well documented.
Although a maiden goal for United has yet to come, Sam picked up his second assist in a D.C. uniform as the club notched a 2-0 win over the MLS Cup champion Portland Timbers on Saturday.
“He’s settled in very nicely,” United coach Ben Olsen said. “You can see it on the field — he’s made us a better offensive team. Off the field, I think he’s just fine. He seems to get along with the group and he’s got a really good energy about him, a contagious smile and he’s always yapping, so I think that’s a healthy thing. I think we needed that type of positive energy that he brings.”
It’s liveliness the club will rely on against the third-place Red Bulls, who sit nine points ahead of United in the Eastern Conference standings. While Lloyd may be understating the occasion, his new teammates know what a victory would represent to him.
“I’m high on Lloyd — I like him a lot as a mate and a lot as a player,” forward Patrick Mullins said. “I know it’s about the three points for us, but I definitely want to get a win for him as well because I know it’s against a former club.”
With 24 goals scored in 23 matches, United boasts the second-worst offense in MLS. But the club sits in the sixth and final playoff spot in a forgiving Eastern Conference, and an attack bolstered by recent acquisitions Sam, Mullins and Kennedy Igboananike has shown promise in recent weeks.
It’s a situation Sam has come to embrace, with the initial surprise of a midseason move firmly in the past.
“At first it’s a shock, but you soon realize that I’m not the first or the last person that this is going to happen to,” Sam said. “It’s the business we’re in. You get over it, and it’s a good group of players here and the staff have treated me so well since I’ve came in. When you’ve got a great group like this it’s so much easier. We just want to stay above that red line.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.