As the Red Bulls traveled to Foxboro to meet Eastern Conference rivals, and leaders New England Revolution, Jesse Marsch handed starting debuts to 4 players. The starting 11 chosen by Marsch may have revolved around a squad rotation idea, but affected the outcome of the match, and brought the Red Bull’s undefeated run to an end. Here is how each Red Bull player fared:
Luis Robles 6.5
Robles had a pretty quiet night with no saves recorded. He rushed out to intercept a cross destined to Rowe’s feet in the 58th minute. There was nothing Robles could have done in the two New England goals.
Kemar Lawrence 6.5
After giving way to Roy Miller midweek, Lawrence was once again featured in Marsch’s starting 11. The Reggae Boy did well in the first half getting involved in the attacking third, and providing support. A couple miscues in the second half, first one missing on a head ball clearance that allowed the Revs to create a dangerous situation, the second one being a bit passive in New England’s second goal. Lawrence should have been quicker stepping up into space to close out Nguyen, who had plenty of time to serve Bunbury.
Matt Miazga – 6.5
Missing his usual partner in the center of the defense, Miazga, much like his team mates, had a hard time settling down in the first 20 minutes of the game. He was beaten by Davies in the Rev’s first goal, but it’s hard to say if he could have done much more to prevent Davies’ diving header. The young center back ended up settling down, and kept his concentration for most of the match. Miazga missed a tackle in the 74th minute, but was able to recover and complete the tackle.
Karl Ouimette – 6
Making his starting debut, the Canadian showed signs of nervousness in the back line. Having to deal with Davies is no easy task, and Ouimette showed himself very shaky at times. Ouimette went into the book in the 52nd minute for bringing down Bunbury, when the winger was certain to get away on the right side.
Connor Lade – 6.5
A steady confident first half for the New Jersey native. Lade was confident on the ball, making the high percentage pass, and containing Juan Agudelo. His only blemish was in the 70th minute when he was beaten by Davies following a corner clearance by the Revs defense. As the last man, Lade over committed, and showed his ingenuity on being easily beaten on a chip by Davies; Kemar Lawrence ended up catching up with Davies and getting Lade off the hook. Came off in the 83rd minute for Abang in an effort by the Red Bulls to get another man into the attack.
Dax McCarty – 7
Without his usual partner by his side, McCarty did the best he could to keep the Red Bulls midfield play fluid. The Revs pressured high in the initial phase of the game, and his midfield partner, Sean Davis, looked rattled by the Revs pressure. If the Red Bulls were able to steady the ship in the final 20 minutes of the half, a lot of the credit has to go to McCarty who adjusted his release time. Defensively covering tons of ground as always, but the highlight has to go to his in extremis tackle on Agudelo when the Revs winger threatened to go at the Red Bulls goal.
Sean Davis – 6
Also getting his first start of the season, the 22 year old Academy product, showed some nervousness early on as the Revs initial pressure seemed to be too much for the youngster. His turnover in the 20th minute put Charlie Davies on a 1 on 1 situation with Ouimette, but the Revs forward couldn’t take advantage situation. Much like rest of team, Davis settled down in the last 15 minutes of the half, and was able to tilt his performance meter to “not too bad”. He gave way to BWP at the hour mark following the Rev’s second goal.
Felipe – 6.5
Playing in the offensive tip of the midfield triangle in the first half, Felipe wasn’t as involved as he likes to be, and the Red Bulls midfield suffered as a result. The Red Bulls could have handled the initial pressure from the Revs had the Brazilian been in his usual midfield position. Marsch moved him back to his usual position in the 60th minute, and New York had a better handle of their midfield. A shot in the 88th minute gave some trouble to Shuttleworth, but there was no other Red Bull in the vicinity to clean it up.
Sacha Kljestan – 6.5
Much like Felipe, Kljestan played out of his familiar position in the left midfield. His touches were limited, but Kljestan had a decent half at left midfield. Kljestan did well to get himself behind the defense in the 27th minute, but his final decision was poor, and the Red Bulls wasted a good opportunity. The fact that he had more time to make decisions with the ball on the left worked in his favor, he was also forced to play much simpler, as targets were limited, and he wasn’t responsible for the last pass as he usually is. Kljestan got his second goal of the season, showing great composure, and skill to make a run behind the Revs defense, and to dribble away from Shuttleworth for an easy tap in.
Dane Richards – 6
Getting his first start of the season, Dane Richards failed to make any sort of an impact in the Red Bulls’ attack during the first half. He gave way to Lloyd Sam in the 63rd minute, but not before picking up a yellow card in the 44th minute.
Mike Grella – 7
Grella started the game as the lone forward, and knew he would have to put in a lot of work to create opportunities. During the Red Bulls’ best period of play, Grella had the best looks on the Revs goal. The first one an off balance shot blocked twice by a Revs defender; the second, a clean look at Shuttleworth’s net, which Grella wasted over the bar. His heads up play header beat the Revs defense and released Kljestan on goal for the Red Bulls only goal of the game.
Bradley Wright-Phillips – 6.5
BWP came in the 60th minute right after the Revs second goal. His entrance in the game reverted everyone to their familiar positions, and the Red Bulls did regain most of the midfield play as a result. BWP also came into the game at a time the Revs were closing their defense into a protect mode, which gave him much less space to operate in. It was his challenge on a head ball that pulled Farrell out of position, and allowed for Grella to put through Kljestan on the Rev’s goal.
Lloyd Sam – 6.5
Sam came in the 63rd minute for Dane Richards with the clear intention to be the catalyst to New York’s attacks. Always dangerous on the dribble down the right, Sam couldn’t connect with his services into the box as he saw all of his open play crosses intercepted by the Rev’s defense. He was able to spring BWP on a good through pass in the 68th minute, but BWP wasn’t able to do anything with it.
Anatole Abang N/R
The Cameroonian came in the 83rd minute for Connor Lade, when the Red Bulls needed another man up front.
Alfredo Fumacas
Twitter : @Talkingtodadoll
