Welcome back to the View from South Ward. I’m not going to go over much general MLS news this time around. Honestly, there is too much going on at Red Bull New York to really pay attention to what’s going on elsewhere.
The Red Bulls came into this week’s match winless in their last three. Tempers were running high. The feeling of frustration was palpable – and that was just after the scoreless tie at home against the Philadelphia Union. Watching Saturday’s episode of MLS 36, Dax McCarty’s loss of words, not normal for him, said it all.
Want to know who else was frustrated? Red Bulls supporters. After the Union match, they took to the internet in droves to express their displeasure.
On Facebook:
“We couldn’t score in a brothel lately. Just a lack of creativity in the final 3rd” – John Harris
“Anyone get annoyed with the amount of times Fabian Espindola loses the ball? Maybe it’s cause I expect more out of him. But he’s always trying to take on players and ends up coughing it up.” – Nick Zanghi
On Reddit, in /r/rbny:
“Someone needs to take a chance! We get within 25 yards of the goal, and all of a sudden everyone wants to become Barcelona and play these short passes. Put a shot on frame, make the keeper work!” – Gref
“I’m starting to get more and more into the team, and last game was the first I’ve really sat down and watched. Can’t say it was a great game to become more of a fan.” – imnotthesmartestman
Even my own family got in on the action. My fiance’s cousin, the man I blame for my Red Bull’s related suffering, Jason Israel, said via a text message, “The best player on the field for the Red Bulls was the Union’s Conor Casey. His bad touches, and his propensity for coughing up the ball, was the best offensive asset the Red Bulls had.”
I remind you, faithful reader, that this was after a scoreless draw. I would add more quotes from after the loss to Chivas USA, who were slapped with another discrimination lawsuit, but most use unsavory language and inappropriate for this space. All you need to know is that during the post-game press conference, Coach Mike Petke formally apologized. Essentially, The Red Bulls conceded 3 goals to the worst team in the MLS simply because they have a major habit of playing down to their opponents.
Now, a month ago, it seemed that the Red Bulls had it figured out. Since then, Eric Alexander went back into hiding, Fabian Espindola seemed out of rhythm with his own feet and Thierry Henry’s scoring problems turned into a much different looking Titi, one that didn’t look like he wanted to be anywhere near a ball or on the pitch at all. The only saving grace has been Luis Robles. Even though the extremely talented Ryan Meara has made an apparent full recovery, Robles should not feel any fear for his job.
Another bright spot was the RBNY debut of Bradley Wright-Phillips, who finally got his P-1 visa almost six weeks after being acquired. His play was refreshingly aggressive although it earned him a yellow card and no goals. It was a good start for a player that has had a troubled past and looks to reclaim a starting role on a professional roster. What struck me about BWP’s play was the speed and creativity shown. When he came on as a sub, he seemed that he was the only player on the field that wanted the ball and wanted to win. In stark contrast, Espindola, the man who was replaced by BWP, sat at the end of the bench, angry, and staying away from his coach. It was as if he knew BWP would outclass him, and he would lose his starting spot at striker.
So then, when Thierry Henry and coach Petke had an impassioned argument that apparently nearly turned into an impassioned fist fight during training this week, it became clear that changes were coming. Also the absence of Jamison Olave, due to injury, forced changes in the backfield. All this was set in front of the backdrop of a bitter rivalry with basement dweller DC United.
The starting XI looked quite a bit different from matches in the past. Lloyd Sam finally got a chance to start, and was incredibly productive, scoring the first goal, and regularly providing service for the strikers. Speaking of which, the aforementioned BWP started and Tim Cahill was back at his natural position. That’s right sports fans, apparently for his mid-week temper tantrum, Henry started this match on the bench.
Petke, who has been called everything from incompetent to clueless, took a gamble. He rolled the dice and it worked out according to plan. The only low spot that I saw was that newcomer David Carney looked absolutely terrible for the Nick DeLeon goal. Only time will tell if it’s simply rust from not playing in a professional match for over a year or a larger matter.
As for Henry, he was brought on in the second half after poor officiating got the better of Cahill. He looked like a different man. He was involved with the play, he was aggressive to the ball, and he created chances. He wasn’t able to break his goal drought, but it certainly looks like he will sooner rather than later if he keeps his renewed enthusiasm for the game going.
Here was the main difference in their game plan; The midfield wingers provided service to the strikers of significantly higher quality than they had in previous matches. There were overlapping runs on the attack, especially from Kosuke Kimura, who came on as an injury substitution for Brandon Barklage, who was having a good game himself. It was refreshing to see.
So, here’s the punch line; The Red Bulls controlled possession for much of the 2nd half despite trying to shoot themselves in the foot. Ibrahim Sekagya drew a red card after he pulled down Dwayne De Rosario in the box needlessly. They dominated despite playing with 10 men for the majority of the second half.
If I have seen anything this summer watching the Red Bulls, it’s the fantastic inconsistency. One match they will play like they are destined to win the MLS Cup, the next they’ll play like they’ve never played together. But, for this match at least, there were more bright spots than blemishes and renewed the hope of a strong finish to the season.
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