The New York Red Bulls are advancing to the CONCACAF Champions’ League Quarterfinals. The Red Bulls topped Club Deportivo Olimpia 2-0 on the day and 3-1 on aggregate to advance to the next round. It will only get more challenging for the Red Bulls from here. However, the Red Bulls proved they are ready to roll this season as they dominated play on a wet and chilly night at Red Bull Arena.
New York Red Bulls Player Grades vs. Club Deportivo Olimpia
Player Grades
Marc Rzatkowski: A-
Midfielder Marc Rzatkowski had arguably one of the strongest performances on the field vs. Olimpia. Box-to-Box he was very disruptive on the defensive side when Olimpia was attacking, as well had a solid night attacking. Rza showed great endurance as well, high pressing for the entire 90 Minute match. He certainly has Red Bull supprters excited for what he can do this season.
Sean Davis: B+
This was a very strong performance for midfielder Sean Davis. Getting a goal on a fortunate deflection, he also commanded the midfield in the attacking half. He showed impressive vision with a number of solid passes. Davis showed his speed as well, making a number of exceptional runs that led to opportunities for the Red Bulls. With the arrival of Kaku as well as the hyper surrounding it, Davis is showing that he is not ready to be moved back to the bench just yet.
Bradley Wright-Phillips: B+
BWP season after season continues to baffle supporters. In the match against Olimpia, he scored the very important first goal to put the Red Bulls in the driver seat. BWP ripped a shot from 19 yards out to leave the Olimpia goalkeeper rooted to his spot. This all while he was being covered by three defenders. After an assist in the first leg as well, BWP is off to a great start for 2018.
Luis Robles: B
Once again, goalkeeper Luis Robles came up big when he needed to. For the majority of the match, the Red Bulls dominated. However, some sloppy play in the second half called Robles into action. He kept Olimpia off the board to preserve a very impressive and much needed clean sheet. The newly appointed Red Bulls captain should be very excited in how he has started this season off.
Alex Muyl: B-
It is no doubt Muyl’s hustle made a difference in this match. His pressing ability, caused numerous turnovers for Olimpia. Muyl also seemed to have improved his first touch tremendously. He made several touches and runs that led to dangerous chances for the Red Bulls. However, this man NEEDS to work on his shooting this season. Of the three shots he took, all of them flew into the seats at Red Bull Arena. One looked like he was trying to blast it all the way to Newark Airport for a cross-country flight. Muyl needs to get his shot down if he intends to be a regular starter for the Red Bulls this season. However, he does seem to be progressing in the right direction.
