Well, this past Sunday was the end of the road for the New York Red Bulls. Despite being the number one seed in the Eastern Conference in the playoffs, the Red Bulls had a rough time against the Montreal Impact. In the end, the Red Bulls can only put the blame on themselves. In both legs, the Red Bulls had a number of opportunities that could have put them in the drivers seat to advance.
New York Red Bulls vs. Montreal Impact Player Grades. Leg Two
Aurelien Collin: A
Just as Collin was in the Regular Season, he was absolutely outstanding. Many times throughout the match, Collin kept this team in the game. Making several vital tackles in odd man situations, he kept the score 0-0 for as long as he could. Unfortunately, the Red Bulls had to send more men forward which led to Montreal’s eventual two goals.
Bradley Wright-Phillips: B-
BWP’s lone goal in Sunday’s match was some form of consolation Red Bull supporters can take away from this match. This goal gave the Red Bulls a glimmer of hope late in the match. The talking point involving BWP in the playoffs will certainly be the miss in leg one. A shank wide of the goal from inside the six yard box will certainly have the MLS Golden Boot winner shaking his head for quite some time.
Alex Muyl: C-
There is no doubt Muyl has tremendous potential. However, in a match where the Red Bulls needed to be more offensive minded, Jesse Marsch‘s decision to start him was the wrong move. While Muyl had the hustle to more often then not win the ball in the attacking third, he once again lacked the skills to create a solid chance. If Muyl develops more offensively I can see him being a major weapon. In the mean time, Muyl has quite a bit to work on this off-season.
Sacha Kljestan: C-
It was the wrong time of the year for Sacha Kljestan to have his worst stretch of form. Despite having Montreal smother him all game, the missed PK in the end ultimately doomed the Red Bulls. A scored PK to level the aggregate scoreline changes the entire complexion of the match. Red Bull Arena is in a frenzy and the pressure switches over to Montreal. That was the second straight missed PK for Kljestan and one that will certainly haunt him for a while.
