2013 Atlantic Cup - New York Red Bulls vs. DC United

Thoughts on the Atlantic Cup

And the NY Red Bulls season going forward

 

The Atlantic Cup, NY Red Bulls vs. DC United. A series of matches that had been normally tipped towards DC United until recent years, concluded Saturday night in Harrison, NJ. A must win game for the Red Bulls after what one could only call a humiliating defeat at the hands of Chivas USA. For DC United, a chance to salvage some pride from a dismal season while sticking it to their hated Eastern Conference rivals to the north. 

From the onset, and to the shock of many, Thierry Henry began the game on the bench after a midweek spat with coach Mike Petke. Bradley Wright-Phillips got the start along with Tim Cahill, who had been pushed up top in what appeared to be an attempt to spark life into a team that barely showed up for the Chivas USA game. Not a bad move, considering Espindola cannot seem to simplify his game enough for the Red Bulls and Luyindula has had trouble finding the net. 

 Another interesting change in the lineup, with Roy Miller absent, was the addition of David Carney in the Left back position. Carney, who had only seen reserve time so far, was immediately exposed as a week link in a cobbled together back line. DC continued to attack Carney's side and eventually reaped the rewards when a cross from Dwayne De Rosario caught Carney ball watching and allowed Red Bull killer Nick Deleon slot one past Robles to tie the game. I am not a big fan of Roy Miller, but he was sorely missed while watching Carney try to keep up with the game. I would have taken Miller's random lapses in hustle and poor judgement over Carney for this match-up.

The Red Bulls did control most of the first half with promising work put in by perennial sub Lloyd Sam. I thought this was one of Sam's best performances for the Red Bulls. After a few suspect crosses early, Sam found his range and continued to work the ball into dangerous places inside DC United's penalty area. Sam's chip shot/cross goal that Hamid made a mess off set the tone early that the Red Bulls would be on the attack. One thing missing from the attack, was playing though the ever reliable Jonny Steele out wide. With Alexander and Mccarty playing centrally, the Red Bulls chose to filter the ball through Sam instead of Steele. Steele was wide open constantly during the first half, until Carney began to have trouble. Once Steele began playing deeper in order to help Carney, Sam was the only option out wide.

After conceding, the Red Bulls did go back to Steele out wide, who delivered a perfect ball to the head of Cahill. This combination will be vital going forward into the final months of the season. Steele has proven time and time again that he is one of the major keys to the Red Bulls' success. Without good service from the flank, Cahill's aerial prowess is harmless. Without a solid back four, Cahill and Mccarty will be pushed deeper into the defensive end and distribution will have to go wide. If Steele can continue his run of form, the Red Bulls can continue to bounce around at the top of the East.

Luis Robles, not to be outdone by Cahill's crowd pleasing forehead, came up huge for NY once again. A clear penalty and red card (last defender, clear scoring chance, etc) by Sekagaya, forced Robles to come up huge with a PK save on De Rosario. When DC had been on the verge of stealing a point and quite possibly the game, Robles stood up and made a save that seemed to remind the Red Bulls that they desperately needed to secure all 3 points.

 I would have imagined that Petke would have taken Carney out for Olave and pushed Holgersson out wide if Sekagaya was not shown the red card. As is was, Henry for Cahill, Kimura for Barklage (hip), forced Petke to use his final sub on Wright-Phillips for Olave instead. 

Speaking of Barklage, if this injury is serious enough to miss a few games, the Red Bulls will be playing nail biting soccer on the back line. Poor clearances were abundant during the Atlantic Cup match. It was frustrating to watch a decent defensive stop be undone in moments by a poor clearance. DC was given opportunities that could have proven costly if they were able to cash in on a few.

As pleased as I was to see the Red Bulls grab all three points, it does look interesting going forward if the defensive depth of the team is this shallow. If the normal defenders are in, no problem, however there are huge gaps in communication and comfort if the back line is stitched together with fill-ins. Forward looks brighter with Henry, Espindola, and even Cahill as vyeable starting options and Wright-Phillips, Akpan, and Luyindula off the bench. If Espindola would stop taking one to many touches every time he gets within 30 yards of goal, he would be a lock up front.

The Red Bulls needed the win, Petke needed to make a statement by sitting Henry, and Cahill needed to spark the team with a beastly performance upfront. All stars aligned Saturday night and the Red Bulls should feel confidant going forward, but they also need to realize the DC United team they beat is just a shell of the team from last year's playoff round.

-Holding Midfielder