D.C. United Scouting Report: New York Red Bulls

The 2015 New York Red Bulls are a very different team from the side that eliminated D.C. United from the MLS Cup Playoffs back in November. Aside from the obvious (no Mike Petke, no Thierry Henry, no Tim Cahill) this is a squad that has undergone a face-lift and appears to be changing itself once again. New Red Bulls Sporting Director Ali Curits and coach Jessie Marsch are looking to create a new Red Bulls team.

Perhaps what’s most interesting about this situation is that for all of the drama and the big changes, this team still looks and operates very much like the 2014 Red Bulls. It is a club that relies on their wide play to open up space for forward Bradley Wright-Phillips (27 goals in 2014) and likes to have a center-midfielder that tightly controls passing. As long as Dax McCarty continues to run the midfield this team will a very specific style no matter who is coaching.

For the Red Bulls in this match, that is a good thing. New York are at their best when McCarty can dictate the pace of the match and use midfielder Loyd Sam to break down defenses. Sam scored a rocket of a two weeks ago in the Red Bulls 1-1 draw against Sporting Kansas City. Without Cahill and Eric Alexander, Sam will be asked to become more of a consistent contributor in 2015 for Marsch’s side. Although his physical skills are obvious, he has not had much of a chance to should what he can do technically. United left-back Chris Korb may struggle against him on Sunday.

The one piece that is new to the Red Bulls attack Sacha Kljestan. Kljestan, who came back to MLS from Anderlecht on a Designated Player deal, was brought in to be the linking player between the midfielders and BWP. Wright-Phillips thrived when he was asked to do one simple thing: score. Henry would often defer to Wright-Phillips feeding opportunities in the box.

But Kljestan is not the same player as Henry and might also not be as willing to defer to Wright-Phillips. The two did not look particularly comfortable playing with one another against Sporting KC and might still be working out some of their differences. Although partnerships on the soccer pitch do take time, if United can exploit this lack of communication then they may escape Red Bull Arena with some points.

On defense, the Red Bulls lacked cohesion and chemistry against SKC. Management traded away both of their center-backs in the off-season and brought in Damien Perrinelle and Ronald Zubar from France. Neither looked particularly comfortable during that match, which again should be expected given their lack of experience with one another and playing in a new league.

If the Red Bulls want to take the pressure off of goalkeeper Luis Robles, one of the best goalkeepers in MLS, they will need for outside backs Roy Miller and Chris Duvall to help Perrinelle and Zubar. With two experienced outside backs, the Red Bulls should be able to keep this match close. Although Duvall is still very young, he showed some promise last season in his ability to make decisive clears and use his height advantage on set pieces. Miller, when he is not being booked, can match an opponent’s speed with taking good angles and cutting out passing lanes.

Despite all of the justifiable rancor from Red Bulls supporters, this is still a very dangerous squad and a team that will give United some serious headaches this afternoon. The key will be how their new pieces are fitting in and what small adjustments Marsch makes.