AMSTERDAM – After scoring his first goal in more than a year to aid a road rally draw on Sunday, Aalborg winger Chris Rolfe says he finally feels back in the game.
The former Chicago Fire ace suffered a hamstring injury late last season that nagged every time he seemed to be on the road back. He eventually returned to SAS Liga action last month, making a short start and two sub appearances before Sunday's heroics.
Rolfe entered at the hour and quickly helped build the rush that saw his side cut a 2-0 FC Nordsjælland lead in half. A few minutes later, the 28-year-old skillfully motored past a defender to fire AaB level from long distance.
"It was good to be able to get on the field and to help the team get a point on the road," Rolfe told MLSsoccer.com from Denmark. "I felt sharp and comfortable with the ball and felt like I brought some energy to the team when we were down 2-0. The standard that I set for myself is always just out of reach, but I think I showed yesterday that I'm ready to help the team in some capacity."
The 3-3 draw has the team unbeaten in four and out of the cellar. They are also making ground in the survival race, with just a few goals in differential now separating them from a safety place with six games left.
With nine goals scored in their last three outings, the hill to climb no longer seems daunting for Aalborg. Rolfe says the recent turnaround is quite easily explained: They were underachieving by playing out of character for most of the season.
"I think we've had a talented group of players available here all season," he declared. "After some very defensive games, we made some changes to our lineup that increased our ability to attack and that has made us more dangerous."
Rolfe & Co. will attempt to escape the drop zone when they host Europa League chasers FC Midtjylland on Saturday.
