Hejduk hails team-mate Padula

Columbus Crew ace Frankie Hejduk is delighted with the performance of Argentine defender Gino Padula this season.

Hejduk believes Padula has adjusted well to the Major League Soccer.

“He’s been that rock for us defensively,” right back Frankie Hejduk said. “We have an understanding that when I go forward he stays and when he goes forward I stay. Sometimes on teams you see both backs flying forward and it unbalances the team.

“He knows when to go forward, when to go back and vice versa for myself. It’s good to have a natural left footer out there. He’s calm. He’s collected and he’s experienced.”

“Gino helps us because he’s a passing fullback where Frankie’s a running, active up and down the line fullback,” Crew coach Sigi Schmid said.

“Gino is a fullback who positionally is very stable and he’s a very good passer of the ball. Left fullback and defensive midfield were the two positions we were searching for the longest when I came to Columbus and to be able to add Brian Carroll and Gino and really stabilize those positions were very important.”

[Source: MLSnet.com]