Armas on Forward Goal Drought: "Even Barcelona Has Difficulties"

(photo by Matt Kremkau)

New York Red Bulls returned to MLS play on Thursday evening, picking up a big win against NYCFC but still have yet to have a goal come from the forward position. A new formation saw Daniel Royer sitting at the top of the attack but the former winger wasn't able to effect the game on the score sheet. Despite this, head coach Chris Armas is positive on what he's seeing from his options

"Even Barcelona has difficulties at times breaking down a low block," said Armas about City's efforts to stifle the Red Bulls offense. "We're a team that's built for transition. We're going to keep getting better at how to break down shapes like that."

The game's only goal came from defender Kyle Duncan. A second half effort fell to the young wing-back who rocketed a shot to City keeper Sean Johnson. The ball cross the line after the ball was mishandled, handing New York a bit of luck that was well deserved considering the possession and chances created in the game. The Red Bulls have created chaos so far in 2020 and taken advantage with what can be considered scrappy goals. However, there is a lack of output and a lack of options at forward that is still concerning.

New York has Royer, Brian White, Tom Barlow and Mathias Jorgensen as options. All but Jorgensen have seen significant minutes either before the pandemic stoppage or during the MLS is Back tournament. Only Royer has scored and that goal came back during Opening Week in February. The team has managed to keep their heads above water over that time but with each passing game the loss of Bradley Wright-Phillips grows more and more apparent.

"Scoring goals is never an easy thing but we got some good cracks at it tonight. I'm really proud of the effort tonight. There are not many negatives that I can find right now."

Armas can certainly praise his team for their effort. The win moves New York into third place in the Eastern Conference and has sent NYCFC into a tailspin. Recent signings Dru Yearwood and Samuel Tetteh have yet to arrive and could be the solution to getting more goals from strikers. While the results aren't coming from common places, the 2020 MLS season will be defined by results and Armas has shown an ability to make that happen thus far.

Next will be another rivalry game for the Red Bulls as they travel to Subaru Park to play the Philadelphia Union. The improved Philly team will put the forward drought to the test with a potent offense. However, New York's defense has proven to be formidable and expectations should be high for a positive result.

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