Stephen Edelson

@steveedelsonAPP

The moment was years in the making for Sean Davis.

There was all the hard work at every level that put him in that position at StubHub Center last Sunday night.

And the tireless preparation and top-level coaching that enabled him to react in an instant and curl the ball inside the far post.

Factor in the incredible support from family, friends and teammates, and the result was a joyous celebration for the 23-year-old New York Red Bulls midfielder in the 74th minute against the LA Galaxy.

And so went his first Major League Soccer goal, in his first game starting in place of the injured captain Dax McCarty.

Davis, a Holmdel native, will try for an encore in front of the home faithful when the Red Bulls take on the Montreal Impact at 7 p.m. Saturday at Red Bull Arena.

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``For it all to come together in that moment was really special,’’ he said. ``At halftime we came into the locker room and were discussing the first half and what we could improve upon, and I remember asking Dax specifically what he thought, and he said, `there’s so much room for you to get forward. Be aggressive, get yourself around the box.’ Fortunately I did. I found a good spot. I found a good pocket inside the box. From there I was able to take a nice first touch and curl one inside the far post and it was just a really rewarding feeling.’’

With McCarty expected to miss up to six weeks with a broken leg, Davis becomes an important piece in the Red Bulls lineup, as they push toward the postseason, tied for third with Montreal in the Eastern Conference, four points behind first place New York City FC, with 10 games to play.

For Davis, signed as a homegrown player on Dec. 11, 2014, after an All-ACC career at Duke, the progression has been a rapid one.

As a rookie, Davis made his first appearance in an April match against San Jose, and went to play in 14, including four starts. Last Sunday’s game was his fifth start this season, as head coach Jesse Marsch and his staff continue to show faith in him.

``I think our relationship has grown a lot from that first day of preseason my rookie year,’’ Davis said. ``The coaches have a lot of trust in me and I have a lot of trust in them.

"There haven’t been too many in-depth discussions because they know I’ve been able to learn a lot with them the past year-and-a-half. And not only from them, but from the three guys in the middle, Dax, Felipe and Sacha (Kljestan). They’re all incredible players, and in my opinion the best midfielders in the league. And I’ve been able to watch them and learn a lot, so not a lot needs to be said. I’m pretty comfortable with what I need to do and I’m confident that I know what it takes to succeed at this level.’’

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After playing at Holmdel High School as a freshman, Davis spent three semesters in the U.S. U-17 residency program in Bradenton, Florida, becoming a regular for the U-15, U-17 and U-18 teams over the years.

He also played two season for Red Bulls U-18 squad and was part of their U-23 team that won the NPLS title in 2014.

Competing at such a high level throughout his career, Davis can see first-hand how much new talent is flowing into MLS right now.

``I’ve been able to create some amazing relationships and friendships with guys across the league from different competitive matches, tournaments, different camps, in college,’’ he said. ``So it’s fun to watch all of us grow and grow into this league. The league is getting better every single day and every single year. So to watch guys grow into their roles and find their feet within the league is really cool because you know what you’ve been through to get to this points and you know they’re going through similar challenges and obstacles and adversity.’’

While Davis is emerging as one of the league’s top young players, it’s all about the team right now, with a singular focus on getting to the MLS Cup final, having fallen a game short the past two seasons.

``We’re at the point where we know the playoffs are approaches, we have 10 games left now,’’ Davis said. ``We’re happy with what we’ve been able to accomplish, but I think the guys are hungry for more and we know how important this time of year is.’’

Staff Writer Stephen Edelson is an Asbury Park Press columnist: sedelson@gannettnj.com



