To excel, some players just need to find a footballing home, and it seems Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel has found just that in the Big Apple, New York City. Breaking every conceivable scoring record for MLS' Red Bulls since his arrival in the close season, the 31-year-old's performances have ensured that the long faces, frustration and unmet potential that defined Angel's time in England now seem a long way in the past.

"Juan is the ideal player to have in your team," enthused current Red Bull boss and former US coach Bruce Arena, who secured Angel as one of two salary-cap exceeding 'designated players' permitted to each team. "He brings a work ethic that is second to none, he produces the goods on game day and he knows how to deal with coaches, team-mates and press."

Arena may be missing the obvious though. Angel's greatest asset since arriving through New York Harbour to join a Colombian population of over 100,000 has been his prolific goalscoring. With 17 strikes in 20 games he has become the top single-year scorer in the 12-year history of the New York franchise previously known as the MetroStars, and he recently became the first Red Bull to score in six consecutive games.

Admirably humble, Angel - who has even donned the captain's armband when Claudio Reyna suffered an injury - hardly seems aware of such accolades. "It's nice to break records, these things make you happy as a footballer and a forward," he said. "But I'm far more concerned with doing well as a team and contributing."

The same day that Angel sealed the Red Bulls' all-time single-season scoring record, his goals helped catapult the side to within touching distance of a spot in the play-offs (MLS has a 'post-season' of home-and-away series culminating in a one-off cup-style final to decide the champions). Once a club defined by mediocrity, the Red Bulls are charging through the Eastern Division thanks, in large part, to the play of Angel and team-mates Reyna, US U-20 standout Jozy Altidore, Dema Kovalenko and the mercurial Clint Mathis. A win against new boys Toronto FC on Thursday night would put their place in play-offs beyond doubt.

While LA Galaxy are still hoping that their multi-platinum star David Beckham can become a force to reckon with in American soccer circles, Angel is already lighting up the East Coast with style, panache and a startling level of professionalism. He is also playing with a smile - a far cry from the forlorn figure he so often cut during his years in the English Premiership.

Hero to Villain
After scoring 45 goals in 54 appearances for his hometown club Atletico Nacional of Medellin, a young Angel landed at the Monumental with Argentine giants River Plate. His strike record in Buenos Aires inspired some of the fans to don homemade angels' wings to show their appreciation and affection; it also brought interest from overseas and some of Europe's top clubs.

He eventually ended up as record signing at Aston Villa, where he went on to score 66 goals in 205 games through seven seasons (2000 - 2006). The strike record is second only to Dwight Yorke in the club's recent history and although fans took to his likable nature, endeavour and commitment, Angel's goals often came in patches and he occasionally looked out of place in the all-action Premiership.

Now, in the New World, Angel is oozing confidence. He is even challenging Becks in another arena - that of sporting sex symbol. Angel was recently named as one of the Ten Sexiest Men in America by the Spanish-language version of People Magazine.

Receiving no shortage of stick in the Red Bull locker-room for his most recent off-field accolade, the 2007 MLS all-star, player of the month for May and a frontrunner for 2007 top scorer and maybe even league MVP honours has found a club where he can truly express himself. His gratitude to the Red Bulls is plainly obvious. "Frankly, I would give back all my goals if it would help the team have success," he says. "I've never been the kind of player who wants all the glory for himself. It's glory for the team or it's glory for no-one."

It's that kind of spirit, and the obvious improvement in form, that might force a national team recall from Colombia boss Jorge Luis Pinto, who has previously omitted the 31-year-old in favour of younger forwards. With South American qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010 right around the corner, Colombia could well benefit from the re-found form of her one-time favourite son and the USA's hottest foreign property.