It is a perfect six out of six points for the New York Red Bulls to start the 2017 MLS campaign. The Red Bulls saw out a 1-0 victory against a very tough Colorado Rapids side in their MLS home opener of 2017. In sub-freezing conditions the Red Bulls got the only goal of the match via an own goal from the Rapids.
New York Red Bulls Player Grades vs. Colorado Rapids
Felipe Martins: B
It was another solid performance from Felipe. Going another full 90 minutes for the Red Bulls, Felipe has had an outstanding start to the 2017 season. Felipe continued to win 50/50 balls and be constantly disruptive in the middle for the Red Bulls.
Daniel Royer: B
It was another strong outing for the Austrian winger. He put a lot of pressure on the Colorado back line and showed great pace down the wing. Royer continues to be a tough man to deal with and has certainly been the best attacking midfield option the Red Bulls have though the first two games this season.
Derrick Etienne Jr.: B-
It was an impressive first start for the Haitian International. Similar to Royer, Etienne did very well out on the wing against the Rapids. He showed a great touch and confidence and did very well to pull the Rapids’ defense out of position and opening up spaces for others.
Bradley Wright-Phillips: C+
This was a solid game for BWP. Wright-Phillips did very well to get behind and cause trouble for the back line of Colorado. However, he ran into an extremely impressive performance by Rapids goalkeeper Tim Howard. Howard made a number of spectacular saves on BWP and several others and it took an own goal to be the deciding factor.
Sean Davis: C
It certainly was an average day at the office for Sean Davis. It seemed for every one or two positive plays he would make, he equal it out with one or two negative plays. While he did improve a bit in the second half, it was still an overall shaky outing for the young defensive midfielder. There are still many glimpses of positive play from him. Cold weather and early season form was certainly an impact as well.
