Lloyd Sam assist in New York Red Bulls victory

Lloyd Sam continued his fine run of form in Major League Soccer as New York Red Bulls beat San Jose Earthquakes 2-0.

Victory lifts Jesse Marsch’s side to top spot in the Eastern conference. They have won three of their five matches to date and are one of only two sides—the other being Real Salt Lake—to remain unbeaten in the MLS campaign to date.

The Ghanaian has been one of the league’s outstanding performers so far this season, having scored three goals and contributed one assist.

He was influential once again as the Red Bulls secured three points upon their return to home action at the Red Bull Arena.

USA international Sacha Kljestan opened the scoring for the home side after 29 minutes with a fine finish.

NYRB doubled their advantage six minutes later when Sam, demonstrating the kind of penetration that has made him such a valuable asset this term, sent a cross in to Vincent Grella.

The left-sider made no mistake with a cool effort, although the San Jose defence ought to take some of the blame.

Marsch’s outfit saw out the rest of the contest in some comfort as the Earthquakes failed to pull themselves together after the quickfire double.

Sam was replaced by Sal Zizzo on 76 minutes, with the coach perhaps keeping an eye on the Red Bulls’ next fixture—the high-profile glamour clash with LA Galaxy.

Sam moved to the United States in 2012, after stints with Charlton Athletic, Sheffield Wednesday and hometown club Leeds United. The former England U20 international hasn’t featured for Ghana, but recently revealed that he would be open to a Black Stars call-up should Avram Grant deem him worthy.