Mid-Season Report Card: New York Red Bulls

It has been an up and down first half of the season for the Red Bulls. Injuries and the Gold Cup have had their affects on the squad, making the team rely on its depth relatively consistently to fill spots all over the field. However, this is inevitably part of any season for any team and has to be expected. The Red Bulls made a very positive start to the season, entering the month of May with four wins and only one loss (as well as two draws) to put themselves towards the top of the Eastern Conference. However, after a seemingly pointless midweek friendly in May against the Montreal Impact, the Red Bulls began to slip up. The Red Bulls returned home that weekend after the friendly only to surprisingly lose to Chivas. Since then the team has really struggled to regain the form that saw them as one of the top sides in the MLS. There seemed to be a cool confidence within the side of picking up wins before that has abandoned them. This is illustrated in the team’s results as the Red Bulls have only won one of their last eleven games, dating back all the way until the beginning of May.

Going forward for the second half of the year, hopefully the Red Bulls can regain some of the form we saw in the earlier part of the season. The team is still neck and neck with the Philadelphia Union for the top spot in the Eastern Conference and in all fairness should make the playoffs, especially with the ability they have on their squad. I think just about everyone would agree, including the players themselves, that anything less than that would be a failure for the season. The Red Bulls have enough quality to not only make it to the playoffs, but win the MLS Cup. Actually doing this though, is a completely different task. A lot will depend on the form of the teams at the time of the playoffs, who has been playing well and has momentum. As much as it would be nice to see the Red Bulls find their top form again as soon as possible, its unrealistic to think that a side can carry on in its best form for months at a time. Furthermore, the most meaningful matches are yet to come, so hopefully the Red Bulls will be able to find their top gear when it matters most. Ultimately time will tell though. For now the Red Bulls just need to keep taking each game as it comes and especially now try to covert some of these good performances that have resulted in draws into wins to firmly cement their spot towards the top of the Eastern Conference.

Finally, with the culmination of the half way point, it is time to give credit where credit is deserved with the mid-season awards for the squad.

Rookie of the Year: Teemu Tainio

This selection is a little tricky as Tainio certainly isn’t a rookie player, but this is his first season with the Red Bulls so he is technically a rookie for the team specifically. Tainio has proven to be an outstanding acquisition for the Red Bulls. He does a great job sitting in the hole in the center of the midfield and is very effective both defensively and offensively. On the defensive side of the ball he in the anchor of the midfield right in front of the back four and does a great job of breaking up attacks before they become threatening. Offensively, he starts many of the moves for the Red Bulls with his intelligent passing. He understands how to control the tempo and pace of the game and is definitely a key player for the team.

Offensive Player of the Year: Thierry Henry

Its hard to argue with this selection. After a slow start to season and being troubled by some injuries, Henry has done very well to silence his critics this year and has proven why he is one of the best strikers to play the game. Henry is currently tied for the most goals in the MLS with eight and is leading the league in points with 20 (8 goals and 4 assists). Beyond just the stats though, he has single handedly made the difference in some games throughout the season with his intelligence as well as ability to create chances and unbalance defenses.

Defensive Player of the Year: Jan Gunnar Solli

Solli is another newcomer to the team that has made a tremendous impact. It was a tough call with all four regular starters (Miller, Marquez and Ream) making big contributions to the team, but Solli has been very good getting forward and creating chances in attack without being a liability in defense. Solli is currently tied for 8th place for the most assists in the league, along with the likes of Dwayne De Rosario, Freddy Montero and others. He is also has the most assists of any defender in the league. You could make a strong arguement that Solli is the best right back in the whole league. He is certainly near the top, which is why he receives this award.

Most Valuable Player: Thierry Henry

I alluded to it before in the explanation for the Offensive Player of the Year, Henry has definitely been the most valuable player for the team. He has changed games just on his own and simply put, the Red Bulls would not be nearly the same team they are if they did not have the qualities of Henry.

(image courtesy of Getty Images)