The striker knows that he needs to start performing
Justin Rennicks has been with the New England Revolution for quite some time now. So much so that he is saying that new acquisitions remind him of himself when he was younger.
But the road to the first team hasn’t been a golden path straight to stardom, Rennicks has had to put the work in.
Rennicks was signed to a Homegrown contract back in 2019 becoming the sixth player to make their way from the academy to the first team. Still, up until this season, he only had 7 MLS appearances to his name and had yet to score a goal.
The striker became one of the younger first-team players to benefit from the inception of New England’s second team, Revolution II. In the 2021 USL League One season, Rennicks tallied 27 appearances (26 starts) and netted five goals and three assists.
The 2022 season was an opportunity for Rennicks to prove that he belongs in MLS.
“Right from the start it was like ‘this is the season’ where I got to pick things up,” Rennicks said. “It’s been slow for me but this season, really started bringing everything I got, not that I wasn’t before but now it’s just like a different mindset.”
In his fourth season since he signed his contract back in 2019, Rennicks said that he knows how to play with his teammates and that his ability and strength were where they needed to be.
When asked about his mindset by Seth Macomber, Rennicks said a lot of it involves the mental side of the game.
“So it’s keeping your mind in the right area,” Rennicks said. “I was always training the same way but maybe being more focused in some areas, maybe less antsy in some, not rushing the ball too much.”
So far 2022 has treated Rennicks well. He has started four MLS matches and secured the first goal of his MLS career.
“I knew I always had the ability to play it was just about getting the opportunity,” he said. “They gave it to me this year and I took it and ended up getting a goal in my second start.”
The striker found the back of the net in New England’s 3-2 loss to Inter Miami CF down in Florida. Rennicks told Macomber that he didn’t keep the ball afterward since it wasn’t “anything too crazy.” The striker also explained his choice of celebration after the goal.
“The sleep was people sleep on me,” he said.
Rennicks also mentioned that getting his first goal was always something that was in the back of his head.
“Getting it off my chest is good and hopefully I can get more,” he added.
Rennicks will look to get the nod in an important matchup on Wednesday as the Revolution face off against New York City FC in the Round of 16 of the U.S. Open Cup. If Rennicks scores another goal, it’s safe to say that he will have awoken fans in New England to his abilities as an MLS striker.