Defensive Errors Cost Red Bulls

There were a few key questions entering the 2012 season for the New York Red Bulls. Would their keeper be a rookie and be good enough for MLS? Did they do enough to shore up their defensive gaps from 2011? Who would partner up top with Thierry Henry? New York opened their season in Dallas with a 2-1 defeat and we already have some of those answers.

Both the goals FC Dallas scored came off of defensive flubs. Early in the first half, new to MLS Markus Holgersson botched a clearance, immediately following a soft clearance by Dax McCarty. The ball bounced to Zach Loyd who just put the ball on net. A few players blocked Ryan Meara’s view and it seemed he cheated to his left a tad to get a better look of the ball as it came in.

NY would dominate possession in the typical fashion that NY dominates possession. With the ball being played between the fullbacks and centerbacks in the final third, rather than the ball being moved forward. Many times later in the game, Henry would drop back behind the midfield line, with Tainio and McCarty ahead of him. It’s at this point the game screamed for a true number 10 for NY (or for Rodgers to start with Cooper and Henry to play withdrawn behind them). Instead, Thierry Henry had to try to grab the game by the collar and force it forward.

Dallas did very well to put pressure on NY all over the pitch. NY gave the ball up too easily. At times, McCarty or Tainio would hold possession up at the center circle while FC Dalla’s Blas Perez would poke the ball out of NY’s possession and into an FC Dallas attack. This pattern would hold in the 60th minute, when Blas Perez intercepted a lazy ball played back by Roy Miller. Ricardo Villar would make the run alongside Perez who gave him the ball at the top of the box. Ryan Meara was left one-on-one again with Villar, who this time beat him.

In the attacking third, it is safe to assume all were surprised Juan Agudelo received the start over an in form Kenny Cooper. NY was rarely an attacking threat in the first half. A cheeky free kick off the bar by Henry preceded a cross across the six-yard box that Henry and Richards failed to get on the end of to end the first half. Nothing really changed to start the second, with Henry dropping back to force the game forward. No one was making runs behind the back four or trying to stretch FC Dallas’s defense. Joel Lindpere and Dane Richards were, for the most part, invisible from the game. The two would play the ball back or between themselves and their fullback counterpart more often than taking players on and moving forward. Less than twenty minutes into the second half, Kenny Cooper came on the field for NY. Right away he showed Hans Backe why it was wrong to keep him off the field to start the game (and the second half). Cooper went after every 50/50 ball, went in for challenges, tried to maintain possession, all the while taking on defenders going forward. 15 minutes into his debut for NY, Cooper made a small motion to Henry who had the ball. The striker obliged and played a beautiful lobbed pas over the Dallas backline to a streaking Cooper. Cooper, using his technical skill, flicked the ball over a charging Kevin Hartman for Coopers first goal as a Red Bull.

Kenny Cooper was one of the three bright spots for the Red Bulls. Icelandic midfielder Victor Palsson came on late in the game and started to show why he deserved the pre-season praise. Palsson made a few excellent timed challenges to stop counter-attacks by FC Dallas late in the game when NY was somewhat committing forward.

Not enough can be said for how well Ryan Meara quitted himself in his pro debut. Yes NY gave up two goals but as I alluded to earlier, neither were his fault. Could he have tried to stand up Ricardo Villar a bit longer, sure, but one-on-one situations are never easy on a keeper. Meara made a few point blank saves on Perez and Villar throughout the game to ensure Dallas did not go up by three or four goals. On a day when decisions made by Hans Backe were puzzling (using 3 subs was never his style), it may be safe to say that he finally made another right decision in Ryan Meara.

It may only be the first game of the season for NY, on the road, against a tough team in the west but the warning signs are there. If NY is to right the ship before it starts to sink, Backe needs to do some proper coaching and fast. Otherwise, NY fans should prepare for another underwhelming and drama filled year.

(image courtesy of newyorkredbulls.com)