From Last Word on Soccer, by Kevin Drastura
It wasn’t easy, but the New York Red Bulls finally got the better of the Philadelphia Union. It was a back and forth match as both teams were exchanging goals and leads. Feeling like a heavyweight fight, both teams were desperate for the three points. In the end, the Red Bulls were able to seal the deal and launch themselves to top of the Eastern Conference. This extends the Red Bulls unbeaten streak in MLS to 14.
New York Red Bulls vs. Philadelphia Union Player Ratings
Dax McCarty: A
What a performance it was for the captain. Once again Dax McCarty had a solid defensive performance being the rock in front of the Red Bulls back four. This was an impressive offensive performance for Dax as well. Not only did Dax have a beautiful assist to set up the goal by Bradley Wright-Phillips, Dax also headed home the game winner for New York.
Sacha Kljestan: A
It was business as usual for Sacha Kljestan. Once again he is making a very strong case to be MLS League MVP this season. Kljestan not only tallied his sixth goal of the season, he also assisted on the game winner to Dax for his 17th this season. Sacha’s 17 assists is the most in MLS. That assist was also Kljestan’s sixth game winning assist this season which is tied for the most in MLS.
Bradley Wright-Phillips: B+
BWP is back. After going goalless against the Montreal Impact last week for the first time since early August, Wright-Phillips found himself back on the score sheet. After a long ball over the top Wright-Phillips took it off the half-volley and blasted it home. It was BWP’s 21st on the season and has him currently tied with New York City’s FC David Villa for the league lead. BWP was also very solid on the ball and caused many problems for Philly’s back line with his speed.
Chris Duvall: B
This might have been one of Duvall’s best performances all season. Duvall was good on the and did a great job of getting forward and assisting in the Red Bulls attack. He also did a great job defensively dealing with a Philly team known for having strong attacking wing play.
Mike Grella: B-
It was another solid performance by Grella. For the second time this week Mike Grella was in the starting lineup and was heavily involved in the Red Bulls attack. Grella could’ve had two goals easily as he put two great shot on net. Unfortunately, he ran into a goalkeeper named Andre Blake who made spectacular saves on both attempts.
Kemar Lawrence: C
This was another mediocre performance from Kemar Lawrence. While he did have some solid moments defensively, Lawrence is still struggling when he pushes forward. On several occasions Lawrence was able to get himself into to a good space to launch a cross into the box. However, it seemed on almost every attempt it ended up into the seats at Red Bull Arena rather then into the penalty area.
Damien Perrinelle: C-
This was not a very good performance for Damien Perrinelle. This match saw both goals come against the Red Bulls with Perrinelle having a strong involvement. The first saw Perrinelle cause a slight deflection of a shot at goal causing it to skip by Luis Robles. The second goal saw the French center back just get flat out beat for a header inside the six yard box. That close to goal Perrinelle has to do better.
