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Rivero said last week he’s not feeling any pressure. Do you buy that?

JJ: Athletes are good actors as well.

CC: He’s being savvy. There’s no doubt in my mind he’s thinking about that all day, every day. Being a striker, that’s what you’re judged on, that’s what your (salary) is based on. And being a designated player, there’s added pressure in MLS.

JC: I don’t know that in the heat of the moment when you’re playing whether you think about that — the soccer equivalent of grabbing the stick too tight. We like to say that when people are snakebitten. I can understand him saying he’s not feeling pressure. It must be wearing on him, but he’s the last person who is going to admit that. You feel for him, quite frankly.

What kinds of things did you do to get yourself out of a scoring slump?

JJ: When I started to get older, I realized the more I concentrated on trying to score the harder it became. When I put my mind to scoring, I never scored. So it was more about the technique of striking the ball and taking the risk to take more shots (in games). I used to go out and shoot the ball into an open net just to get my scoring touch back. Or I’d go play with friends, six-aside. That worked just as good. In a game it was about getting in between the six (yard box) and the penalty spot. That’s where the ball usually ends up. Getting into those dirty areas, looking for a rebound or whatever.

CC: I remember when I went from Cambridge to Plymouth (in 1996), I scored on my debut on a penalty, but then I went nine games without getting a goal and the pressure was on because they’d purchased me. The next season I had 19 goals, but it happens. It’s about completely breaking it down to get back to basics, simplifying, and putting yourself in positions to get more chances. I was very fortunate to have had an assistant in Northampton, Kevin Wilson, who’d played (striker) for Chelsea. He’d have me in very close (to goal), no goalkeeper, just hitting the back of the net. You start off basic and you end up quite complex.