Joe Public striker Gregory Richardson went one better than Landon Donovan Tuesday night at the Gillette Stadium. On Saturday the U.S. captain grabbed two goals against the New England Revolution, but Richardson managed the full hat trick in his side’s 4-0 victory.
“I can’t explain it,” Richardson, a native of Guyana, told Monique Walker after the 6-1 aggregate win that dumped the Revs from the CONCACAF Champions League and took Joe Public into the group stage. “It’s one of my best performances. It’s the first time I ever play [an] MLS team and plus the high stage. I just knew they couldn’t handle it. My speed alone, I would have killed them.”
Richardson’s team became the first Caribbean club to knock a U.S. team out in the history of CONCACAF club competition, and the first to score three goals against a U.S. team. Makeshift Revs’ forward Khano Smith said the loss was “a blessing in disguise,” as it will allow New England to rest and focus on the remainder of the MLS season. The crowd of just over 3,500 indicates that the Massachusetts public is similarly enthused by the competition.