“The king is gone but he’s not forgotten”
-Neil Young
When the New York Red Bulls walked off the pitch on Saturday, they did so knowing it would be captain Thierry Henry’s final game for the club. Once again, Red Bull came up short in the playoffs and must take a long look in the mirror this off-season. Coach Mike Petke mentioned in post-game interviews that this would be the end of a cycle for this team, signaling wide spread changes that will come, and a new look team will take the field for the 20th MLS Season in 2015. Before we get into the inevitable changes, let’s analyze what went wrong for the Red Bulls in what was otherwise a very good showing in Foxboro.
- Knock Down
The Red Bulls employed an old school approach to the Away leg, and it allowed Tim Cahill to showcase what he does best. The object of the game was to find Cahill at the top of the attack. He would attempt to hold the ball up and allow the Red Bulls time to bring numbers forward into the attack. Many times this year, New York attempted this with the suspended Bradley Wright-Phillips, but to no avail. Wright-Phillips just doesn’t have the passing ability to make such an approach possible. Cahill possesses the strength and passing skill necessary to pull it off though. Almost all of the chances he created followed this format. Ball is passed forward and won by Cahill in the air. Cahill would distribute to the wings and make runs into the box to await the cross. This was a very effective method against the Revolution because it bypassed the midfield and kept Jones and Caldwell out of the play. If not for a very nice diving hand, and a terrible miss from Cahill in the second half, the Aussie could have easily scored a hat trick.
- Set Piece Failing
The goal conceded came in such a strange manner. The Red Bulls have defended very well on set pieces all year, and that was without Cahill who generally bosses anything in the air. The Revs played a short corner to Lee Nguyen who quickly played back to Chris Tierney. Tierney played the ball right back in first time. Upon first inspection, Cahill jumped too early and the ball bounced off of Charlie Davies arm and into the net. That Cahill was beaten in the air on the play is just confounding. Yet, it happened just the same. All of the marking in the box was correct. So what happened? Players kept their marks, but upon closer inspection, Lloyd Sam runs in front of Cahill just as the ball is coming in. It left Davies unmarked and the ball dropped down perfectly to him. Robles had no chance on the ball from such close range. The score was tied and it left the Red Bulls with a mountain to climb.
- Pressing
In the second half, the Red Bulls had to turn up the intensity. They needed at least a goal to force extra time, and two for the win. The high pressure system does help create counter attack opportunities, but it leaves the defense open when it fails. The second Revs goal is indicative of the failings of the high pressure approach. As Lee Nguyen carried the ball into the Red Bulls half, Richard Eckersley stepped forward to make the tackle, which he did. However, Nguyen was able to recover the ball and spread it wide to Chris Tierney. It created mismatches in the box as Olave had to move over to cover for Eckersley. The cross in from Tierney could have been caught by Robles, but Ambroise Oyongo attacked the ball at the same time, knocking the ball away from the Red Bulls keeper and keeping the play alive for the Revs. New England reset their attack and the next Tierney cross came in early, not allowing the Red Bulls defense to setup. The result was a free header for Davies in the box that Robles could do nothing about.
The Revs were able to capitalize on the few chances they created, and ultimately it saw them through into the next round. The Red Bulls finishing woes that were present all season, despite having the Golden Boot winner and joint all-time MLS record holder, saw them eliminated from the playoffs once again. The game plan they brought to New England was solid, and should have been enough to see them through. The Red Bulls enjoyed the better of shots and possession, but could not make the most of their chances in the series. As I said at the top, there will be widespread changes coming to this team in the offseason. What the future holds is quite uncertain. The Red Bulls must learn from the failings of 2014 if they are to make their second appearance in the MLS Cup Final.
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Image Credit: Bill Twomey/New York Red Bulls
