Youngster Jamieson scored his first professional goal in the tie against the Red Bulls.
Red Bull undefeated streak: more than just wins
by Anna Ferkingstad, New York editor
Two months into league play and the New York Red Bulls remain the only unbeaten team in the league. What’s misleading about this fact? Aside from the Montreal Impact, they are tied for the least amount of games played. However, what’s impressive about their unbeaten streak? A lot. New York is a starkly different team from previous seasons and only trail two points behind two team that have more games under their belt, the Columbus Crew and DC United.
Jesse Marsch and players put two words to it – “high pressure.” A new motto for the club, it appears that the offseason coaching change from Mike Petke to Jesse Marsch ushered in a completely new style of play for New York. Is it working? Ask the San Jose Earthquakes or DC United, both teams dropped 2-0 scorelines against the red and white Red Bull side.
In their most recent match against the LA Galaxy and coaching legend Bruce Arena, the New York Red Bulls held 61% of the possession. The final scoreline of 1-1 between the two sides may not be flashy but it revealed a lot about both the strengths and weakness of the supposed redefined Red Bull lineup. Both to the goal New York scored and the goal they conceded can be contributed to their high pressure style of play.
In past years, the LA Galaxy has been the MLS’s team to beat. They rely on composure and tactical skill to connect through the center and then forward. New York countered this immediately, though, with a compact triangle midfield (of Dax McCarty, Felipe and Sacha Kljestan) that worked to clog passing lanes and force LA to play wide and over the top. Immediately following the opening whistle of Sunday’s match, the Red Bulls dominated the speed of play.
Robbie Rogers received a caution for a high kick in the 81’. Photo by: Scott Marsh
Despite New York’s relentless defensive efforts on transitions, the Galaxy opened the scoring in the ninth minute. Eighteen year old Bradford Jamieson scored in a fired shot into the bottom right hand corner, after defenders failed to challenge him outside of the six yard box.
New York did not respond with a goal until the second half but LA’s early lead gave them at most, momentary momentum.
A notable attacking opportunity from New York came in the 13th minute when LA’s goalkeeper Jaime Penedo was forced to deny Bradley Wright-Phillips point blank.
Following the match, Marsch said that he thought that Sunday’s first half was the strongest opening 45 that New York had played so far that season.
“I thought that we controlled the game from the opening whistle. For 90 minutes… we were on top of the match,” Marsch said following the game.
The final 45 minutes opened with less frantic play from New York and a high number of shots from both sides. The game ended with New York tallying 14 attempts on goal to the Galaxy’s eight. Ten of these total shots from New York occurred in the second half.
The Red Bulls tied the game 1-1 in the 58th minute with a header from Felipe. Photo by: Scott Marsh
The Red Bull’s goal came in the 58th minute when a deflection fell to the head of center midfielder Felipe. The goal brought new energy to New York’s attack and increased the tension between the two teams. Against the backdrop of a loud Red Bull Arena crowd, the full 90 minutes saw aggressive and risky fouls from both the Galaxy and New York. Six yellow cards were awarded in total, two to New York and four to LA.
“[Felipe] is only 24 but he’s wise beyond his years,” Marsch said about the midfielder who scored the Red Bull’s lone goal.”I think that he shows everyday that hes grasping what we want to do.”
Going forward, the challenge for the New York Red Bulls will be the packed schedule of the upcoming week. Three games in seven days means substitutes will need to step up and the fitness of starters will be tested. Playing high pressure for 90 minutes requires the full effort of every player on the field. It is likely that Marsch spends the whole season figuring out which players best fit this demanding method of play.
The performance against LA demonstrates just how effective and potent this year’s Red Bull lineup is. The speed of Lloyd Sam combined with the skill and finishing abilities of Wright-Phillips give New York an offensive thrust while their midfield and defensive offer quick support. The pairing of Damien Perrinelle with the fresh and very young talent of Matt Miazga has given the Red Bulls something they lacked last season, consistency in their third of the field.
New York may be the only remaining undefeated team, but its necessary to point out the weaknesses of the club. In the 2-2 draw against DC United and last night’s 1-1 scoreline with LA, the Red Bulls had to come back from behind to earn the point. The goal New York conceded in the ninth minute to the Galaxy’s Jamieson demonstrates that constantly thinking in a high pressure mentality won’t always work. New York will have to find a balance between applying pressure and being able to withstand it themselves.needs to find a balance.
Captain Dax McCarty is the core point of the team’s midfield’s triangle formation. Photo by: Scott Marsh
With a high press, players can get so used to chasing the ball that they sometimes forget to take their time when they have the ball at their own feet.
As the minutes of the game slide past, this can mean sloppy passes or delayed plays as people grow tired or frustrate. In several instances on Sunday, Red Bull players looked as if their mind was not working as fast as their legs.
They either gave away the ball in the midfield immediately after intercepting it or played an extra pass instead of looking forward.
The exchanges between the Red Bulls and the Galaxy in the center of Red Bull Arena looked like a game of pinball. Felipe’s goal for New York was a result of this ‘pinball effect.’ Being in the right place at the right time, the midfielder said after the game that his goal was largely the result of luck. When pressing high, however, lucky goals can be the difference between a loss, tie or win.
The primary strength to the Red Bull’s current style of play is that many MLS defenses do not know how to handle it. New York’s ability to possess through the center then find outlets in outside players like Lloyd Sam and Sal Zizzo create attacking chances that split central defenders. Will the brevity of this week’s schedule end the team’s unbeaten streak? Marsch and the Red Bull side take on the Colorado Rapids Wednesday at Red Bull Arena before traveling to New England to face the Revolution at the weekend.
