Sacha Kljestan opened the scoring for the Red Bulls in the 29th minute, grabbing his first goal of the season.
Red Bulls remain undefeated, toppling San Jose 2-0
by Stephanie Lovelle, NY beat reporter
The mood was quite alright on a cool, Spring night in Harrison, NJ where the New York Red Bulls pulled in three points against the San Jose Earthquakes in front of a crowd of 16,406 at Red Bull Arena, jumping back to the top of the Eastern Conference table.
The 2-0 win was a performance coach Jesse Marsch could be proud of as the Red Bulls continue their 2015 run undefeated, a feat only Real Salt Lake shares so far this season.
“It’s been a good start to the season and we’ve been concentrated on staying focused,” said Marsch on the Red Bulls promising early start. “We created chances and made sure not to give anything away. Today’s win was a great one and we’re only looking forward.”
Bradley Wright-Phillips assisted Kljestan’s goal in the 29th minute. Wright-Phillips is currently 5th in the league for most shots on goal.
The first half started off smoothly in the home side’s favor, a trend that would stay apparent for much of the night. San Jose’s first corner would cause a slight scare for the Red Bulls but Koval failed to make a connection with the ball, cutting the Red Bulls a break.
The grasp the Red Bulls held on the match often left San Jose’s defense on their toes and forced keeper David Bingham to be sharp, but there was only so much that could be done to keep their hungry opponent off the scoreboard.
The Red Bulls work ethnic would pay dividends in the 29th minute with Felipe seeking out Wright-Phillips in the box. Well-positioned but unable to get enough on the opportunity, the ball would fall to an unmarked Sacha Kljestan, who confidently put his first goal of the season home. But the Red Bulls would not be through just yet. Mike Grella, who didn’t have the most ideal start to the season, would score his second goal in the 35th minute off of a beautiful cross from Lloyd Sam, to give the club a 2-0 lead.
The evening’s two goal scorers (Mike Grella and Sacha Kljestan) celebrate Grella’s netted shot in the 35th minute that gave New York the 2-0 lead.
San Jose were rarely able to get much going, often finding themselves double teamed or outdone by the speed and timing of the Red Bulls defense.
The first half success for Marsch’s side could be very much be owed to their ability to retain and win back the ball.
Marsch showed plenty of praise post-match for his team’s defensive efforts, singling out Matt Miazga in particular as the youngster improves each week.
Good vibrations would nearly spill over into the early mintues of the second half for the Red Bulls with Bingham needing help from the crossbar to keep the visitors from conceding a third.
San Jose wouldn’t give Luis Robles too many troubles in goal during the second half but they would begin to show greater presence on the field. Inability to hold up with possession as well as they did in the first half would catch Marsch’s eye but the Red Bulls would continue to hold strong on defense and create turnovers in midfield.
Marsch opted to bring in fresh legs late in the match stating his players held a great grasp on the game but the 76th minute sub Lloyd Sam for Sal Zizzo will be something to keep an eye on however, Marsch does not expect it to be too serious.
San Jose made their push for goals within the final 10 minutes of the match but were still unable to capitalize on anything. Likewise, the four minutes of stoppage a would show to be opportune for Wright-Phillips. The ability for the Red Bulls midfield to overwhelm San Jose’s provided a nice stretch of chances. Wright-Phillips, however, was unable to produce despite plenty of chances laid out by his teammates.
The victory moved New York to the top of the Eastern Conference, with the team yet to grab a loss in their 2015 season.
While the goal tally could have been much greater for the home side, the Red Bulls walk away pleased with the result but Kljestan urges that the team not get too into their early success. “I don’t want us to get ahead of ourselves because we are unbeaten,” said Kljestan who also expressed a need for improvement from the squad. “We don’t want to be that team and we’re not that team.”
And just as much as it’s important to not get comfortable, Marsch states that the time is now to look forward.”Talking about the past is not really worth any of our time. Now it’s only time to talk about what this team is becoming and who they are, and what they are showing to each other and to the fans,” said Marsch.
The Red Bulls win tonight is one Marsch believes has set the standards high for his side and while the 2-0 win was enough, he and his team will seek to work on their finishing, the only thing that has truly prevented them from pulling in more goals so far this season.
Looking forward, the Red Bulls will return to action on Sunday, April 26th when they host the LA Galaxy.
