Skip to main content

Set piece setbacks doom Red Bulls, lose to NYCFC, 2-0

photo by Matt Kremkau

BRONX, NY - New York City FC took full advantage of two set-piece blunders by the New York defense in the first half. And that was all they needed to sweep the season Hudson River Derby, defeating the Red Bulls, 2-0.

With their 13th consecutive playoff appearance already assured, the Red Bulls made the quick trip across the Hudson River to resume their hostilities with local rival and defending MLS Cup Champion New York City FC.

It didn't take very long for the hosts to get on the scoreboard. The Red Bulls surrendered a corner kick just a minute in the match. Maxi Moralez delivered a great ball over to defender Alexander Callens, who leaped over and headed the ball in the back of the net to take the early lead.

Red Bulls nearly responded ten minutes later as Luquinhas looked at an open net for a split second, but it was Alexander Callens sliding across the box and blocking the shot. Cristian Casseres pounced on the rebound but skied his chance in the seats.

New York City doubled their advantage in the 23rd minute, and once again, it involved a corner kick. Gabriel Pereira delivered the cross, and the Red Bull defense once again had trouble securing the ball. But Santiago Rodriguez managed to find it first and promptly put it in the back of the net to the sheer delight of the home supporters. 

The Red Bulls thought they had cached in on goal from a set piece in the 38th minute, but after a quick review, VAR judged that one of the Red Bulls' players was in an offside position when the ball bounced off the post before the rebound. And the goal was overturned.

The Red Bulls pushed hard to get at least one on the scoreboard but could not solve the NYCFC defense. As the final whistle blew, the result cemented the loss and clean sheet for captain Sean Johnson. And until the next time they meet, perhaps in the MLS Cup Playoffs, the city both teams call home will remain in blue for the foreseeable future. 

THE BIG PICTURE:

If you are a head coach in Major League Soccer, let alone any league on the planet, it is to have an utterly shambolic performance in front of your fans during a huge local rival match. Even more ridiculous is to have you practically guaranteeing your squad would walk away with a win beforehand.

For it was Gerhard Struber's team that were the ones walking off the Yankee Stadium pitch embarrassed, exposed, and just ready for the international break before heading off to face Columbus on the first of October.

Until then, the team was in an excellent mindset before making the cross-river trip. With the team looking very limited in such offensive categories, they would have to be forced to be nearly perfect every time from here on out as they try to put a stranglehold on third place.

Even better, it would be an excellent idea not to make such declarations unless your team is ready to back it up.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Red Bulls Announce Fan Experience Improvements

by Garry Redman On top of the theme nights announced this season, something new has been added the next time the season ticket holders and supporters step inside The Cathedral... The state-of-the-art LED lighting system at Red Bull Arena will provide higher on-field light levels for enhanced visibility and safety and introduce new entertainment features that heighten the overall experience for spectators.   Built around Musco's Total Light Control—TLC for LED™ technology, the new system is designed to provide exceptional playability and uniformity while minimizing glare. Cleaner, whiter light will elevate the broadcast quality for fans watching around the world.  Color-changing fixtures and Show-Light® Pro entertainment technology will allow the Red Bulls to wash the stadium in different colors and synchronize light shows to music, heightening the fan experience during goal celebrations, player introductions, and other big moments. If you have no idea what this means, cl...

Quotes: Red Bulls Show Promise, But More Work Need To Be Done

photo by Matt Kremkau Sixty seconds in a ninety-minute match. That’s all it took for Sporting Kansas City to ruin the Opening Day festivities at Red Bull Arena on Saturday night. The supporters in attendance saw crisp passing and a stout defense that kept the visitors at bay, despite not having striker Alan Pulido in the starting lineup. But significantly, the supporters were buoyed by a return to that press that has last seen since Jesse Marsch was in charge. But that was the first 45 minutes. In the second half, things turned for the better and then, shockingly, worse for the home side that evening. Midfielder Caden Clark, who scored the opening goal, spoke about the match as a whole: I’ve kept that in the back of my mind, actually, not scoring at home. I really wanted to do that in front of the supporters, and it was great to do that in front of the few that were here tonight who brought the noise. When I scored that [goal] the place was shaking, and you feed off of that and gai...

Editorial: New York Red Bulls are Fun to Watch

photo by Matt Kremkau by Daniel Feuerstein The New York Red Bulls 2024 season starts off and running. In their first three matches, they have looked different from their last five to six seasons of doom and despair when trying to attack or have a lapse in judgment on the defensive end. The two big editions for the club are undoubtedly the imports from Sweden in Centerback Noah Elle & attacking midfielder Emil Forsberg. Two players who are a part of the Swedish National Team have started off well in Major League Soccer. We all knew what we were getting right away from Forsberg. A high-energy creative and attacking midfielder who was already bought in from day one, when Director of Sport Jochen Schneider went to Leipzig and brought him over. He was already committed to making the trip to the United States to play his brand of soccer, and so far he hasn't disappointed. Even though he has come close three times off of free kicks, hitting the crossbar twice and being saved by the ke...