RBNY: Second Half Fallouts

photo by Matt Kremkau

The Red Bulls have started a poor trend that is starting to scare the fans and right now it's early within the process. This process however is a situation that needs to end as soon as possible since it got started in the second half of their US Open Cup Semi-Final loss to Orlando City. The tragic deflating losses that have popped up out of nowhere against teams in two competitions.

When the games are underway, the RedBulls are out of the gate running and dominating, they are looking strong, dangerous and are pouring in the goals like there's no tomorrow and there is cause for joy and celebration. After halftime is over, the concern creeps in about how to maintain the lead or at least keep that positive energy going.

What we saw in the second half of their US Open Cup Semi-Final match at Orlando City and the last home match against the Colorado Rapids are the two biggest examples of this early panic button moment for a young Red Bulls side that has done very well this season, up to this point. The questions are now starting to pop up asking is it fixture congestion? Is it substitution patterns?  What are the problems?

A four-goal implosion after being leveled at one in Orlando & then a three-goal implosion against the Rapids till Tom Barlow converted a late penalty in second-half stoppage time, and a possible late tying goal that was wiped out on an offside flag has now questioned the current situation. But the main problem this club is having is very simple, where are the reinforcements during the summer transfer window?

So far a loan deal for a 20-year-old Brazilian striker from Gremio Elias Manoel and another 32-year-old attacker formerly from Legia Warzaw Tomas Pekhart are the big moves that the front office is going to give the fans some hope to quickly turn things around. Will these players turn things around? We don't know, but at this moment we don't have Tom Edwards on the backline due to his loan deal expiring with Stoke City of England, and that is also a problem. Now we have the return of Kyle Duncan to the back line on loan from Belgium side K.V. Oostende, coming home.

Can we truly blame Gerhard Struber's substitution patterns at this point? While you can make an argument on it during the Open Cup loss, you really can't in this loss against the Rapids, as that seems more mental from the players than what the Head Coach is trying to do, but overall it's very alarming this club could lose hosting a home playoff game or even worse, could fall out of making the playoffs in its entirety.

Either the front office is to be blamed or Red Bull Global is to be blamed for the lack of the need to make upgrades during the summer transfer window has currently been a failure by management and the fans are upset with what they are seeing. While it was nice to have a sold-out Red Bull Arena and a valiant effort to show their skills against one of the best clubs in all of Spain, and Europe in Barcelona, that's not who you get a result against.

At the end of the day, this Red Bulls team has several holes and they need to be filled as soon as possible. Bringing up Red Bull 2 players will not do the trick, and there is a feeling these two new transfers might not do the job either, but until the next winter window comes, the question marks will remain about what changes the club will make when there needs to be a proper signing and the dreams of the fans going for pie in the sky players to come over and make this team better.