Red Bulls beat Fire in MLS opener

Dailyharrison.com

New York bested Chicago 1-0 in Red Bull Arena on Saturday, winning their league opener and successfully opening the new stadium.  It wasn’t dominant, and it certainly wasn’t pretty, but it was a much needed win.  Although the starting eleven probably wasn’t what fans will see for the majority of the season, Hans Backe put an effective team on the field despite injuries and paperwork issues limiting his options.  It may not have been the best players this roster can produce, but there are a number of things that can be taken from this match.

Box to Box Dynamics

Joel Lindpere can play.  He scored the first ever goal in Red Bull Arena against Santos, and then decided he might as well get the stadium’s first league goal while he was at it versus Chicago.  He has an excellent work rate and does well on both sides of the ball.  Here is coach Hans Backe-s take on the Estonian midfielder:

“He could almost be a number 10, given his play from central midfield.  His passes, the final passes, he can even score goals for us.  He is an absolute excellent worker, a hard worker.  His work rate is phenomenal.”

Lindpere really hasn’t played like a number 10 under Backe, and I doubt he will, he appears to be a very good MLS central midfielder, capable of opening up games with simple yet well executed passing and a solid strike from distance.  He scored against the Fire from the top of the box using his weaker right foot, displaying an ability to use both feet quite well.  If Lindpere can stay on form he will be one of the better midfielders in the league.

Defensive Responsibility

Key to Metro’s victory was the team’s defense, which bent slightly but did not break against a potent Chicago attack.  Starring again was rookie Tim Ream, who looks to be an early steal of the draft.  His poise and composure on the ball is excellent, better than most veterans.  He is working well with Petke, and the entire back line has been working hard for the team.

Our back four were excellent.  Absolutely all of them were excellent, including Bouna, who made a couple OK key saves.  Ream, Petke, Hall, Miller, the way they defended was definitely out key to winning the game. -New York Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe

The combination of Miller and surprise starter Danleigh Borman on the left allowed for a lot of interchange and solid defensive stability, while still allowing for both to push up.  Backe sees Borman as more of a fullback than attacking midfielder, but he didn’t wan’t to break up a back line that has been extremely successful in preseason.  That back line includes Jeremy Hall, who looks to have won the starting right back spot over Luke Sassano.

Attacking Impotence

Despite its solid possession, New York had few solid chances.  Juan Pablo Angel, who is recovering from a knee injury looked rusty, and new signing Ibrahim Salou couldn’t start up top due to visa issues.  Starting in Salou’s place was Macoumba Kandji, who seems to be in a similar position as last year.  Kandji is clearly talented, yet his decision making and over dribbling are still costing him chances.  Kandji sounds like he is aware that he needs to shoot more and take his opportunities.

Every attacking player, they have to get shots.  You have to shoot to get a goal.  Its something you have to learn about every day, every game you have to sit down and think about and watch the game and see what you have to do. -New York Red Bulls forward Macoumba Kandji
With Angel looking rusty and Salou still unready to play, Kandji will have to adjust quickly.  Time will be much harder to find up top for New York given their recent offensive signings.

Attack from the wings was solid, but left a bit to be desired.  Dane Richards, Danleigh Borman, and Roy Miller all get up consistently, but they need to improve their crossing to better utilize their possession.

Still, New York created more chances on Saturday than it did in the first three months of last season.

General Thoughts

The game was a bit rugged and possession for both teams broke down at times, but New York managed to win a game against a solid MLS team.  Attendance to the teams long awaited Harrison home opener was a little disappointing, with a fair amount of empty seats and much less of an event type feel than last weeks game against Santos.  If Red Bull wants attendance to stay where it is, or Jebus willing go up, the team will need to continue to succeed.  Next weekends game at Seattle will be an important bellwether of exactly how talented the squad Erik Soler and Hans Backe built is.

Dave Braneck is a blogger and an all around soccer fan who represents North Jersey to the fullest and contributes to Dailyharrison.com

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