Red Bulls M Richards honored

Nov 10, 2008 - 11:26 PM NEW YORK (Ticker) -- New York Red Bulls midfielder Dane Richards was named MLS Cup Playoffs Player of the Week on Monday.

A 2007 MLS Rookie of the Year finalist, Richards had a hand in all three goals as the fourth-seeded Red Bulls recorded a 3-0 triumph over the top-seeded Houston Dynamo on Sunday in the second leg of their Western Conference semifinal series. With the victory, New York advanced to the conference finals, where it will face third-seeded Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday.

Richards, 24, opened the scoring in the 25th minute by beating two defenders to the ball before unleashing a shot past goalkeeper Pat Onstad for his first postseason goal.

Eleven minutes later, Richards sent a cross which deflected off the arm of Ricardo Clark in the penalty box. Forward Juan Pablo Angel converted the subsequent penalty kick to give New York a 2-0 advantage.

Richards assisted on the Red Bulls' final tally, sending a low cross to forward John Wolyniec, who tapped it into the net to cap the scoring.

Playing in 23 matches this season, Richards netted a career-high three goals and team-high six assists.