Only three weeks into the season, the MLS schedule provides fans with an original MLS rivalry, New York Red Bulls v. DC United, on national television. DC leads the all time series 42-26-11, however, since 2010 the Red Bulls hold a slight edge with a 7-6-4 record. This will be the first meeting between the two rivals since the Eastern Conference Semi-finals last season when the Red Bulls eliminated DC United 3-2 on aggregate, including a 2-0 win at Red Bull Arena.
The two teams will be coming off a bye week, so while 16 teams have already played two games, these two have only played in one regular season game so far. DC United won their season opener 1-0 over Montreal in a gritty performance, reminiscent of last year’s team, while the Red Bulls pulled off an impressive tie in their season opener on the road at Sporting Park.
With the two teams itching to get back on the field, fellow LWOS writer Joseph Goldstein and I will preview each team for the upcoming matchup.
New York Red Bulls
The New York Red Bulls return home this weekend to face old conference rival DC United. While New York has a .500 record at home against DC, that number is somewhat misleading. Over the past 4 years, NY leads the series from Red Bull Arena with a 4-2-2 record. That success was bolstered by Thierry Henry, who terrorized United during his tenure. The King is gone, but the Red Bulls still have the pieces they need to hurt United. Let’s take a look at how the Jesse Marsch Red Bulls can walk the tightrope to success against DC.
Last year, United emerged as a classic MLS counter-attack side. They became very quick in transition and often played better with less possession while parking the bus. They have continued to perfect their transition game as seen in the Week 1 versus the Montreal Impact. One of the things United does well is to skip levels to start the attack. Defender will clear the ball up to a forward or a midfielder close to midfield stripe. They will then drop the ball back a level to Perry Kitchen or Davy Arnaud as the forwards start their runs, usually with a one touch pass. At this point, another quick pass is sent up field to the forward now in full stride. This is classic MLS football on display, and no surprise that the man in charge is an OG of that MLS era.
While the ‘defend and counter’ approach has always been successful in MLS, there are ways to beat it. The Red Bulls philosophy this year, is just the approach to do it. The Red Bulls put a great deal of importance on the pressure of a five-man midfield to force turnovers and clog up the middle. From that point, they have players who can maintain possession and transition into attack, but found opportunities few and far between last week as the team has yet to really gel. It will be critical this week that they shut down the first to levels of DC’s transition if they are going to keep a clean sheet.
Another plus for the Red Bulls, is DC’s lack of strength up top. Jairo Arrieta will once again be the main man for DC, and while he can cause fits with his movement off the ball, he has shown to be prone to physical defenders. Miazga/Zubar and Perinelle should be able to shut him down if he tries to come inside, but he could also pull them out of position and exploit their slow legs. I think we will see Dax McCarty dropping a little deeper to help cut off the angles and keep Arrieta away from the ball. Pontius and Rolfe were also both quite active against Montreal, but both suffer from the same problem or having trouble dealing with pressure while attempting to shoot. Rolfe is much more capable of dealing with the pressure with his ball control, but he still needs to create space to become dangerous.
While DC’s backline was celebrated last year, this was more of a product of the play of Bill Hamid. If the defense is playing well, Hamid would be called into action much less frequently. For instance, Nick Rimando who had a fantastic season last year only made 71 saves on the year. He may have played 6 less games then Hamid, but the DC keeper had 110 saves by comparison. Rimando averaged 2.95 saves/game with only 25 goals against. Hamid 3.66 saves/game while giving up 34 goals in what is generally considered the weaker Eastern Conference. It is a long way of saying that DC’s defense isn’t all it is cracked up to be. That’s great news for Bradley Wright-Phillips after being shutout in week 1. New York will still need to rely on their wingers and midfielders to create however, and Wright-Phillips might do well to be a magnet for defenders.
The harder part for New York will be giving up fewer opportunities to DC. While the high pressure approach to disrupt play will undoubtedly be key to winning the game, it could also well be their undoing. Pressing is akin to gambling, and it could lead to players getting caught out of position. DC is built to play that way and the speed of their counter is critical. The Red Bulls will need to play smart and leave less space behind the backline to limit breakaways and keep Luis Robles happy. Kemar Lawrence will be a very capable left back, and should acclimate well. His performances in the preseason showed he is a much stronger defender than the departed Ambroise Oyongo. Whether or not he can provide additional offensive bite, as the injured Roy Miller is a bigger question mark. If Matt Miazga does start, he will need to keep cool and be smarter in his challenges. He has shown flashes in the past and has a huge upside, but he isn’t ready for prime time yet, and could be the difference in a satisfying win or a crushing loss for the Red Bulls fan base.
Either way, the importance of the game will be measured more off the field than on the field. It is early days, and results now matter much less than they do come August, but with the blue team lurking and the fan base foaming at the mouth, Marsch and Curtis could use a strong showing now to help the fans forget some of the offseason and settle in to the new look Bulls.
DC United
Experiencing a roller coaster first week of the season, perhaps a bye week may have benefited DC the most. DC United lost a two leg CONCACAF Champions League match up with Costa Rica’s Alajuelense and then grinded out a gritty win at home against Montreal to open up the regular season.
Ben Olsen has built a defensive, counter attacking team over the past few years that frustrates opponents into errors and not always easy on the eyes, however, the formula worked in 2014 and seems to be the modus operandi for the club this season. The team’s strength begins at the back with goalkeeper Bill Hamid coming off his best pro year and a defensive back line that does a good job of stifling opponents away from the box to help mitigate the number of opponent chances inside it. Bobby Boswell and Steve Birnbaum were shaky in their CONCACAF Champions League matchups with Alajuelense, however, improved greatly from the first leg all the way to the opening day win over Montreal. The fullbacks, Sean Franklin on the right and Chris Korb on the left, do a good job of helping to start the counters and getting forward but their ability to track back and help defend should Lloyd Sam and Mike Grella become offensive options for the Red Bulls will be a key strength.
The midfielders fit Olsen’s mold, defense first minded players, however Chris Rolfe plays the attack minded position of the group, usually out of the left wing position. Rolfe will be key in getting the DC offense going as he helps lead counters and makes the key passes that create chances for his teammates. Perry Kitchen the defensive midfielder will play as first line of defense against last year’s MLS leading goal scorer, Bradley Wright-Phillips, which may hurt his ability to press forward. Fellow midfielders Davy Arnaud and Nick Deleon should continue their roles on the field of playing defense and looking for their chances to spring teammates.
The weakness for DC in this matchup will be the forwards, Jairo Arrieta has been a spark of energy, however, he was brought in to be the team’s third option at best. Fabian Espindola sits out with his six game suspension to start the season, while Luis Silva is out with a hamstring injury and Eddie Johnson continues to be out of form while tending to medical issues. Arrieta as the de facto top striker worked against Montreal with Chris Pontius as his support. The wild card in this matchup is the youngster Conor Doyle who has provided glimpses of potential star power in his limited play so far this year. The Red Bulls back line is a work in progress and unfortunately DC may not have the firepower to take advantage of that.
In the playoff loss to the Red Bulls, DC dominated possession in both legs, however the Red Bulls were the more offensive minded and made their shots count despite the fact that shots on target were pretty even, 9-8 in Red Bulls favor. For DC United to have a chance they will need to continue their defensive prowess and frustrate Wright-Phillips and eliminate Lloyd Sam’s effect in the game. The game could be decided by the effectiveness of DC’s substitutes as Doyle, Miguel Aguilar and Michael Farfan or Jared Jeffrey could provide the spark that changes the momentum in this matchup of rivals.
The two teams contest the Atlantic Cup, in which the regular season series winner is awarded the cup. DC won last year, two wins at home and a loss in New Jersey. This year’s regular season games include this week’s, April 11 at RFK Stadium and August 30 at Red Bull Arena again.
