Chester, PA
There is no love between the New York Red Bulls and Philadelphia Union. For the Red Bulls, there are signs of a rivalry, but they have NYCFC as a derby game, and as their closest competitor. For the Union, there is no local derby. The biggest game for Union fans is when the Red Bulls come to town. However, rivalries won’t be the focus of either team. 1st place is in sight for both The Union, and The Red Bulls, and a win Sunday night would put the victor one step closer to NYCFC, and a first place finish.
Both teams came out with virtually a full starting line-up, similar to the Open Cup match a few weeks ago. In that game the Red Bulls came out of the gate firing on all cylinders. The first half was all Red Bulls, dominating possession and shots. But things fell apart in the second half for the Red Bulls, their famous pressing dropped off, and the Union suddenly finding space to get forward. In the end the Union won 2-1, in a game that was the Red Bulls to lose. This game would mirror that one in many ways.
Here are the starting line-ups for both teams:
Luis Robles
Sal Rizzo (15), Damien Perrinelle (55), Aurelien Collin (78), Connor Lade (5)
Dax McCarty (11), Felipe (8)
Alex Muyl (19), Sacha Kljestan (16), Mike Grella (13)
Bradley Wright-Phillips (99)
Cj Sapong (17)
Chris Pontius (13), Roland Alberg (6), Ilsinho (25)
Brian Carroll (7), Tranquillo Barnetta (10)
Fabinho (33), Richie Marquez (16), Ken Tribbett (4), Keegan Rosenberry (12)
Andre Blake (1)
The Union started on the front foot this time. They almost got in behind the Red Bulls on several occasions, and dictated the flow of play in the early goings. The first chance of the game fell to Roland Alberg, who was put under pressure and scuffed his shot. CJ Sapong was able to pounce on the loose ball, and squeezed the ball past Luis Robles to the delight of the Union fans. The linesman flag was up, however, and he was flagged for offsides.
The Red Bulls looked to use their usual press to pin the Union in, however the Union were able to bypass this pressure by playing early balls forward to Sapong, and find runners behind the Red Bull back line. While the Red Bulls pressed well on several occasions, it was evident they did not have the same tenacity on show in as in the first half of the Open Cup game.
Things began to heat up, in the 20th minute. Tranquillo Barnetta impeded a Mike Grella run, resulting in a Red Bull free kick. Grella took some exception to the play, and proceeded to throw Barnetta down in retaliation. Both teams came together for an exchange of friendly words before the game restarted. The following free kick brought a great save from Andre Blake. He did well to get down to his right and save a tough shot. Bradley Wright-Phillips pounced on the loose ball, and would have scored if not for a last ditch sliding tackle from Richie Marquez. Red Bull players pleaded for a penalty, but the ref shook his head and gestured for a corner kick instead.
A great bit of combination play in front of the Union box resulted in a shot, poor though it was, from the red bulls. Sacha Kljestan played a 1-2 with Wright-Phillips to find space, and play Connor Lade in for a shot to the left of the Union defense, which was right at Andre Blake and saved easily.
The Red Bulls took the lead in the 27th minute from a Sacha Kljestan goal. Ken Tribbet was dispossessed in the back, and not for the first time. Wright-Phillips, who won the ball, played it to Kljestan who had all the time in the world to slot past Blake.
Chris Pontius orchestrated a counter attack which almost saw the Union equalize. After winning the ball in the back, he pushed the ball up field, and tackled the ball off of Sal Zizzo. Once at the Red Bull 18, he laid the ball off for Alberg, who proceeded to play the ball wide for Ilsinho. The Brazilian’s shot was closed down by Robles, who made a good save to keep the Red Bulls level.
In a bizarre event, the Red Bulls extended their lead from a Sacha Kljestan free kick. The Red Bulls lined up 5 men on the ball, and Kljestan hit the shot. His attempt hit Barnetta in the wall, and deflected past Blake, who was frozen in place.
End Half:
The first chance of the second half fell to the Red Bulls. Ken Tribbett was disposed again, which put Mike Grella 1-on-1 with Richie Marquez. Grella ended up getting enough space for a shot, but it was too high and flew over the net.
Brian Carroll had one of his few chances of the season in the 52nd minute, but he wasn’t able get over the ball, and his shot rose over the cross bar. A poor Red Bull clearance rolled nicely for him, but he wasn’t able to keep it on target.
The Union began to threaten the Red Bulls in a search to close the gap. Chris Pontius was played on the diagonal, and ran at the Red Bull back line. He cut across the first defender, and put himself in a great spot to shoot. Aurelian Collin was able to get the slightest of touches, which deflected the ball toward his goalkeeper, Robles, who made a great save with his knees to clear the ball.
The Union caught a break in the 66th minute when Sal Zizzo took down Chris Pontius as he was barreling down on a cross. Keegan Rosenberry put the ball behind the Red Bull defense, and Pontius was surely going to score had he been unimpeded. Sapong stepped up to take the penalty, and made no mistake, firing down the middle to make the score 2-1.
The Union wasted no time equalizing the score. Fabian Herbers made a great run in the channel and received the ball with time and space. He ran into the Red Bull box and picked his head up, rolling the ball across the Red Bull goal. Sapong just missed the initial cross, but drew in Damien Perrinelle and Luis Robles. This left Chris Pontius wide open at the back post, and he made no mistake, tapping the ball into an empty net.
The crowd suddenly came to life. By the end of the first half the atmosphere had left the stadium with the Red Bulls entering the locker room up 2-0. At 2-2 the stadium filled with noise, and echos of Union chants.
The chants turned to anger in the 72nd minute when Ilsinho received a straight red card for an elbow to Connor Lade. It was one of the softest elbows Ilsinho could have given, but the league has made it very obvious that and motion by the arm, to an opposing teams head or face, will result in a red card, and they have at least been consistent with this ruling this year. Lade also received a yellow on the play.
Chris Pontius continued to be a driving force for the Union, creating space and opportunities. He took on 3 Red Bull defenders, carrying the ball to the end line. His shot from a tight angle forced a great reaction save from Robles, and a corner kick .
The Union piled on the pressure despite being down a man. After a failed corner attempt, Barnetta received the ball near the corner of the box. He drifted past a few defenders, each hesitant to give away a foul. His half chip, half curling effort forced a phenomenal save from Robles, to paw the ball from the top corner.
Robles came up with another fantastic save to keep the game level shortly thereafter. Barnetta linked up with Herbers, and wasn’t closed down properly. His shot wasn’t the best, however, and Robles was able to swat it away.
A free kick from the Union rolled right across Robles’s goal, and only needed the smallest touch to be redirected as the Union once again failed to strike. Both Brian Carroll, and Sebastien Le Toux had chances to shoot, but the pace on the cross made it difficult for either to get the touch necessary.
As the game began to wind down both teams started to look anxious. Neither team wanted to concede the winner, so no one committed many men forward. While the Union had more chances to score, the Red Bulls looked a threat through Mike Grella, who only needed a small amount of room to get a dangerous shot off, and continuously attacked Richie Marquez and Ken Tribbett in the Union defense.
The Union’s last chance to take the lead fell to CJ Sapong in the dying minutes. Barnetta played Le Toux behind the Red Bull back line, at which point Le Toux rolled the ball across the box for Sapong, who looked tired and was unable to get the final touch. Zubar came across to make a fantastic challenge to prevent Sapong from hammering the ball away.
The ref blew the final whistle, ending the action. The Union fought back bravely, and could have even took the lead, but a weak first half held them back, as the game finished 2-2.
Thoughts:
Tribbett is incredibly calm on the ball, and likes to play passes from the back rather than clearing safely. On a couple occasions he was closed down by the Red Bulls, and eventually it came back to bite him on the first goal of the night. For me, his style of composure is something that is missed in the MLS. I am a huge fan of his, and believe him to be very important for the Union, especially with the absence of Vincent Nogueira.
The Union have been hasty in their challenges, and gave away some silly fouls. The result of which is a second Red Bull goal, and a few other good chances as well.
In the first half the Union had 6 offsides calls. Either the Red Bull offsides trap is working wonders, or the Union need to time their runs better.
Sacha Kljestan had 53 touches in the first half in the 10 position, meanwhile Alberg had 20. This shows how potent the Red Bull attack is. Everything goes through the middle, and they create opportunities through their #10. Albert, alternatively, has not had as much an impact.
Controversy abound! Should a red card be given, when Ilsinho was just trying to hold off Lade? Harsh call but the league has made their mind on these types of decisions. On second view it was a definite red.
Even with a red card the Union have bossed the second half. Pontius has been electric for the Union, and maybe should have stayed on the field. He has been involved in every attack the Union have created.
Summary:
Goal NYRB: Kljestan 27′
Yellow PHL: Carroll 36′
Yellow PHL: Ilsinho 43′
Goal NYRB: Kljestan 44′
Sub PHL: Fabian Herbers (11) on for Roland Alberg (6) 64′
Yellow NYRB: Damien Perrinelle 67′
Goal PHL: Sapong 68′
Sub NYRB: Chris Duvall (25) for Sal Zizzo (15) 68′
Goal PHL: Pontius 70′
Yellow NYRB: Lade 72′
Red PHL: Ilsinho 72′
Sub NYRB: Gonzalo Veron (30) for Alex Mull (19) 80′
Sub PHL: Sebastien Le Toux (9) for Chris Pontius (13) 82′
Sub NYRB: Ronald Zubar (23) for Bradley Wright-Phillips (99) 83′
Sub PHL: Warren Creavalle (2) for Tranquillo Barnetta (10) 90+2′
