Barnetta having a laugh
First match, first red card. If Ilsinho was looking to make an impression upon the Philadelphia Union supporters he certainly did it. Shortly after joining the Union the Brazilian international made his presence felt in perhaps a way that the club did not envision. Despite a red card the Union were able to hold on to a 0-0 draw against the New York Red Bulls at the Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex in Clearwater, Florida.
A 44’ minute red card was the only real talking point in Wednesday night’s slow affair. Ilsinho picked up a second yellow card after a rash challenge that ignited the Red Bulls players and technical staff. A scuffled ensued for the remainder of the half, with players on both sides getting in each others faces, as well as Coach Jim Curtin having a few select words for the New York Red Bulls staff. The ref waived any potential stoppage time as the first half came to a close.
The Red Bulls dominated much of the first half. Their league-renowned “gegenpressing” put the Union players under pressure in their own half, and resulted in several wasted chances. Philadelphia had a few decent opportunities of their own in the first half, however didn’t threaten the Red Bull back line often. In their best chance of the half, Herbers received the ball in the channel, and dropped it to Nogueira who rifled the ball over the Red Bull net.
Interestingly enough, the Union looked much stronger in the second half despite playing with ten men. The game got stretched later on, especially with the extensive Red Bull pressing. C.J. Sapong came on with great effect, offering himself as a target and allowing the Union to bypass the NY press. Several moments of individual skill led to most of the Union chances. Fernandes linked up with Sapong well. The two were causing major problems for the Red Bulls back-line but couldn’t convert. The Union had a few free-kicks on the left side, a few shots from this position troubled Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles. Despite their efforts none of their shots ended up hitting the target.
On the other end, the Red Bulls broke with pace at each opportunity. Roland Alberg and Warren Creavalle did their best in the second half to cover the back line, and considering the result did well enough. Yaro and Anderson were often isolated on the counter attack however, and Union goalkeeper John McCarthy ended making a plethora of saves. While none of McCarthy’s saves were full-stretch, he still had a fantastic game, and made some crucial decisions on when to come off his line. A strong performance from McCarthy ended up keeping the Union and Red Bulls all-square at 0-0.
Philadelphia will continue their preseason tour on Saturday when they travel to Tampa Bay to take on Toronto FC.
