Inability to finish leaves Red Bulls at 1-1 against SKC
by Stephanie Lovelle, New York
There was no time to ponder over the departed faces of last year’s New York Red Bulls side as they opened their 2015 season with their first and only match against Sporting Kansas City playing to a 1-1 away draw.
The Red Bulls came out with confidence and aggressiveness amid a booming Sporting Park but things could have turned ugly for head coach Jesse Marsch’s side as early as the 8th minute but veteran keeper Robles was able to pull off the save to keep the score at 0-0. Here was the first case of the evening where players failed to be mindful of who they should be marking. Such mistakes, in addition to poor clearances, have been a huge factor in New York dropping crucial points and it’s a matter that must be resolved before they get too deep into the season.
Ideas were not lacking for the Red Bulls but there was an inability to follow through with their chances, squandering opportunities by taking those extra touches or pulling the trigger just a bit too quick when space was plentiful.
Their best chance of the half came from a 37th minute counter attack where a corner clearance landed right to Mike Grella who was able to pick out Bradley Wright-Phillips who provided the through ball to Felipe. However, his first touch would fail him, forcing him into an angle better suited for Sporting keeper Marin to put an end to the chance.
Wright-Phillips had chances of his own but was caught offside on three occasions, an issue that could have earned last season’s top goal scorer a higher tally. Concerns grew as it seemed virtually impossible to get the ball to Wright-Phillips, a likely product of Thierry Henry’s moving on.
The deadlock wouldn’t be broken until the second half in the 50th minute but it would be New York who’d see themselves trailing 1-0 after poor marking.
However Marsch’s side managed to stay composed, unfazed by Sporting’s early second half goal.
Lloyd Sam, who was kept quiet for much of the match, managed to make some noise in the 54th minute.
Sporting left Sam with the space and time to take a well-placed, right corner shot from outside the box to even the score.
There was a certain wake-up call from the goal and a win looked to be clear in New York’s future after Matt Besler was shown a second yellow. But the Red Bulls aren’t exactly a team to grab points with consistent ease.
Despite the man advantage, the final five minutes saw the Red Bulls scrambling to keep Sporting from taking back the lead with Robles having to make another huge save in stoppage.
The Red Bulls should have done more to come away with the three points but Marsch and the team can take comfort in the point won. There were good things to be seen in New York’s play from their ability to regain possession and a seemingly new found pace to their game. The task at hand will be to find ways to get Wright-Phillips on for goals and also to have the newer additions know their roles and become more efficient. But the season’s a long one and constant improvements are nothing less than expected.
