The Red Bulls came into their tilt against Columbus the hotter hand. New York had nine goals in two games, only allowing four goals in that span. New York also came into the game battered up the middle, traveling without defender Wilman Conde and midfielder Teemu Tainio. Heading back on the road, with a banged up Marquez as well, no one knew which New York would show up. Would it be the explosive offensive force of Henry and Cooper paired up with a calm, defensive poise or would the back-passing slow offensive build-up take the field? For NY fans, the high-octane offensive firepower of Thierry Henry and Kenny Cooper proved too much for Columbus from the opening whistle to the full 90.
New York’s strike pair only took three minutes to continue their fine form. A third minute midfield bomb from Thierry Henry flew directly to Kenny Cooper’s chest. Cooper showed his skill by controlling the ball, having it drop to his feet, turned, and fired past the Crew’s goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum. Cooper’s second goal came only 10 minutes later off a Dane Richards deflected shot. Cooper did well to stay onside and just get a head on the ball and guide it towards the back post. Thierry Henry opened his scoring in the 40th minute after combination play in the midfield between Ballouchy and a pushed up Roy Miller, allowed Henry to make a run into the box to pick up a Miller through ball. Henry just opened his hips and fired back post to put the Red Bulls up 3 goals before the half.
The Red Bulls received their first full, midfield performance this season. Through the previous four games, only one or two players in the midfield could have been said to have a solid game. Against the Crew, the midfield, from starters to subs, all put in full performances. While Marquez spent more time dropping back to play in front of the defenders, Henry would drift through his midfield, especially to the wings. This allowed Ballouchy, Richards, and McCarty a bit more free roam. Henry often drifted to the left wing, allowing Ballouchy to move more centrally and act as a catalyst. Even Joel Lindpere, whose lack of offensive production and struggles paved the way for Ballouhy, was able to get an assist on only ten minutes of play.
Although NY achieved an MLS first, three consecutive wins by a three-goal margin; New York knows it needs to do better for the entire match. Both Henry and Backe have talked about not playing consistently for 90 minutes. Against Montreal, NY was lucky to be tied at the half. Against the Crew, Emilio Renteria was able to string together a dangerous 15 minutes of play around the 55th minute mark. Communication between Ryan Meara and the backline was questionable at times and at others non-existent. There were a few instances where Meara came off his line to collect a cross and he either collided with a NY defender or had to avoid them and let the ball drop. In fact, the Crew’s lone goal came off a corner kick where Markus Holgersson let his marker, Chad Marshall, run free in the six-yard box because he thought Meara was coming for the ball. Markus Holgersson, for me, actually had his first okay game in a Red Bulls kit. Outside of 15 minutes of play in the second half, Holgersson tamed Emilio Renteria from making any impact on the game. If the Swede didn’t step in front of any pass intended for the forward, he was able to strip the ball before Renteria became dangerous in front of goal.
Out of the three wins in New York’s win streak, the result in Columbus seemed the easiest to achieve. New York (3-2-0) now heads home to take on a strong San Jose (4-1-0) team who boasts one of the top three, goal scorers in the league. Though, New York just happens to have the other two.
(image courtesy of newyorkredbulls.com)
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