Red Bulls grab historical rivalry win with only 10 men
by Anna Ferkingstad, New York editor
After 90 minutes of high energy play, the New York Red Bulls walked away from the first ever ‘Hudson River Derby’ with a deserved 2-1 victory. The Red Bulls entered Sunday’s game after their first defeat of the season last weekend against the New England Revolution. New York City, on the other hand, is now winless in their last seven games.
The southend Red Bull tifo before opening whistle. Final game attendance announced at 25,217.
Coach Jason Kreis and NYC FC are still searching for rhythm as they continually deal with a combination of injuries and an ever rotating line up. Spanish striker and designated player David Villa started against the Red Bulls for the first time in four matches for City due to a nagging hamstring injury. Other injury absences for NYC FC include Adam Nemec, who traditionally starts in the striker position alongside Villa.
Moments before the opening whistle, the south end of Red Bull Arena dawned a tifo reading “20 years late and a stadium short” for the sea of red and white home fans. Final attendance was announced at 21,214 with a strong showing from NYC FC fans who traveled across the river to Harrison, New Jersey for the highly anticipated game.
Red Bull advantage
The Red Bulls entered Sunday’s game off of their first loss of the season, a 2-1 scoreline against New England.
The Red Bulls entered the rivalry match with not only home field advantage but momentum (something NYC FC desperately lacks). The RBNY team seen so far this season has approached every game with high energy and ambition in the attack. Under coach Jesse Marsch, the club looks more confident and consistent than in previous seasons. The triangle midfield of Felipe, Dax McCarty and Sacha Kljestan) has also received praise for its effective ability to shut down opposing defenses.
Preparing to face this RBNY midfielder, Mix Diskerud and City were at an immediate disadvantage. A large portion of the offensive line (with the exception of Villa) lack a composed first touch while the connections through the midfield and to the attack and can be slow and without fruition.
Wright-Phillips brought the game to 2-0 in the 52nd minute after connections from Lloyd Sam and Sacha Kljestan.
The opening whistle released a Red Bull side that only fed off the excitement and noise of the predominantly red and white crowd. Bradley Wright-Phillips scored the first goal of the match in the 4th minute after his movement off the ball left him wide open inside the six yard box. Sam then beat his defender to feed BWP a cross right in front of goalkeeper Joshua Saunders.
The Red Bulls played with the same high pressure mentality that has allowed them to be successful in their past games. Fast transitions coupled forced City to look to pass quickly and more intelligently in their attempts to challenge RBNY’s defensive line. City’s 3-1 defeat to the Seattle Sounders is one demonstration of how they are yet to formulate the clean and consistent touches that are capable of breaking down the Red Bulls.
City began to generate more opportunities as the half progressed, including drawing a second yellow from Matt Miazga’s in the 36th minute. Meaning, RBNY had to drop to 10 men for the remainder of the game and switch to a modified 4-4-1. Despite the disadvantage, the Red Bulls grabbed a 2-0 lead in the 56th minute with another goal from Wright-Phillips.
What NYC FC did wrong
High on the list is their failure to capitalize more on the one man advantage. Miazga’s red card offered an opportunity for City and Kreis to grab the roaring victory they have long been seeking. High pressure defense is draining for players even when playing with 11 men. 10 men only further tests the fitness of each individual player.
New York adjusted well to the card but gradually decreased their energize plays forward as the half progressed. NYC FC recognized this and tried to create their own counter opportunities but they continually lost the ball among those final connecting passes. City’s inability to finish more than one goal can be assigned to several explanations, including Khiry Shelton’s lack of experience, Mix Diskerud’s lackluster performance and Villa’s injury.
NYC FC grew more comfortable with the atmosphere as the game progressed, cleaning up their touches and chances.
Villa, who has been struggling with a hamstring strain, was a member of the starting line up at Red Bull Arena after missing three consecutive games. He entered the match against Seattle as a second half substitute but has not started since the mid April 1-1 draw against the Philadelphia Union. It can still appear like Villa is playing by himself up front in the absence of his striker pairing, Adam Nemec, who is working to recover from his own ankle injury.
Khiry Shelton has a lot of potential but this is his first year in the league. Shelton and the Red Bull’s central defender Miazga are only 19 years old. Shelton often utilizes his speed but is yet to show the same off the ball movement that makes strikers like Wright-Phillips so potent.
“The potential for [Shelton] is extremely high,” Kreis said. “He is nowhere near the finished product.. but that comes from being a first year player. We recognize that there is a big future in front of him.”
What NYC FC did right
NYC FC scored their lone goal of the evening in the 76th minute when forward Patrick Mullins slid to connect with a progression from substitute Kwadwo Poku and defender RJ Allen. Standout performances from City include Mullins, Allen and goalkeeper Josh Saunders.
“Everytime [Mullins] plays he gives us everything he has and it’s appreciated. Quite frankly I think we need more guys who are really willing to give you everything they have,” Kreis said.
Despite it being only his second start of the year, RJ Allen looked to be the most composed player of New York’s defense. He
Goalkeeper Josh Saunders denied Wright-Phillips in a 1 v 1, to keep the game at only 1-0 for NYC FC going into half.
utilized the space on the left wing, supplying balls to both Shelton and Villa. Allens started in the absence of Javier Calle and Jason Hernandez, who have both seen playing time in Kreis’ defensive line and are currently dealing with injuries.
Without the performance of Saunders, NYC FC would have lost by a lot more than 2-1. Wright-Phillips was denied point blank by Saunders on two separate occasions during the first 45 minutes. One of Saunders’ most notable saves of the came in the 46th minute when he had to face BWP in a 1 v 1 play after Wright-Phillips snuck behind City’s defensive line.
Looking Forward
A huge part of the Red Bull’s win was the work of midfielder Lloyd Sam on the wing. Although he did not score a goal, Sam was a the core of both Wright-Phillips’ opportunities. The effective partnership of Wright-Phillips and Sam goes back to last season, where their ability to finish goal after goal made New York nearly unstoppable in the playoffs. Wright-Phillips commented on his opening goal by stating, “I was just happy to get at the end of [the cross]. I didn’t have to do much. Lloyd did all the work.”
RBNY’s 4-5-1 against the shifting 4-5-1 and 4-4-2 of City meant a congested midfield for the majority of the 90 minutes at Red Bull Arena. The Red Bulls saw a lot of success in their recognition of Sam, Mike Grella (before he was substituted following Miazga’s red card) and outside defenders Chris Duvall and Kemar Lawrence against the touchline.
Both coach Kreis and Marsch commented on the future of New York City FC team. Marsch stated that from the Red Bull perspective, City is only going to continue to improve. “It’s not easy. The ability to stay on track… is so important when you are an expansion team,” Marsch said. “You need to go through tough moments and that’s the only way to do it.
Kreis said, “I will continue to try and take every ounce of positivity that I can and continue to move forward. At some point a bounce or two will go our way.”
Both teams will face their next MLS opponent Friday evening. NYC FC hosts Chicago Fire at Yankee Stadium with a 7pm kick off while the Red Bulls travel to Toyota Park for a 9pm match against FC Dallas. RBNY will stand as the only Hudson River victor until the two teams face again on June 28th at Yankee Stadium.
