New York Red Bulls coach Jessie Marsch was generally pleased with his team’s performance in their 1-0 win over the Colorado Rapids (photo credit: John May)
Following the March 11th match against the Colorado Rapids at home, New York Manager Jesse Marsch had a few words for the media concerning the 1-0 victory as well as the Red Bull attacking system.
Marsch, concerning the own goal, noted:
“We’ve scored a couple own goals from a couple early crosses into the box…to put defenders into situations that are difficult”.
Marsch seemed hopeful for the Red Bulls to be the ones on the score sheet as the season develops and players become more accustomed to the new system.
On the question of who will be the go to strike partner for Bradley Wright-Phillips:
“Gonzalo has been here for a while and fits well into our system and can partner with Brad [or]fit into our midfield spots. Part of the reason for bringing in Fredrik Gulbrandsen is because we think he can be a really good partner for Brad. Sometimes we’ll use Sacha up there, which we’ve done already”.
Honing in on the depth of the current squad, Marsch noted the fluidity of New York’s attack which regularly shifts between two and three up top and acknowledged the plethora of options at the Red Bulls disposal.
On shifting between the 4-2-2-2 and the 4-2-3-1:
“We thought having an extra number in the midfield to…slide in underneath and get him [Kljestan] on the ball [to]slow down the game for us a little bit in the attacking third of the field”.
He acknowledged the 4-2-2-2 left the Red Bulls a bit stretched in midfield and limited their effectiveness moving into the final third, by shifting Kljestan into the central midfield role New York had the luxury of getting their key creative player more time to unlock the Colorado defense.
Fredrik Gulbrandsen, who had a short but bright debut, offered hope for the upcoming season:
“Hopefully I want to play alot for the team, that’s the most important [thing]. I’m a team player and I want them to win games”.
Bradley Wright-Phillips commented on how his role has changed playing alongside another forward up top:
“I figured I get more touches to help close down defenders. It’s good I welcome it, I like both formations”.
An aura of contained jubilation swept across New York’s dressing room as the team came off of their second win, an especially positive result given the struggles of the Red Bulls early stages of seasons past.
The New York Red Bulls will return home to play Real Salt Lake on Saturday, March 25th but not before traveling to play the Seattle Sounders on Sunday, March 19th.
New York Red Bulls
Colorado Rapids
