Derrick Etienne Jr. Haunts the Red Bulls

Anytime you face an opponent on your schedule, you know who you might be facing from the opposition and how they want to prove you wrong so badly. That was former Red Bulls Academy player Derrick Etienne Jr. who was highly touted to make the big move to the senior side along with his former USL Championship side teammates in Tyler Adams, Florian Valot, Vincent Bezecourt, and so on to do something spectacular.

Even though he scored the game-winning goal to defeat Orlando City and earned the clubs their third Supporters Shield in six seasons back in 2018, the Haitian International showed some flashes here and there to become that fantastic attacking player.

Unfortunately, there were times the negative side did pop up from Etienne where he would make spectacular runs and when he got to goal, he would falter at the scoring chance. Yes, there were frustrations with Etienne getting great chances to convert, but sadly he would miss those big chances.

But since he joined the Columbus Crew in 2020 he started to turn things around. Won the 2020 MLS Cup championship, and now has broke out this season scoring big goals coming off the substitutes bench. Especially this past weekend's game when he brought the Crew back to life with his two goals late in the second half. A late equalizer in the 89th minute and then the winner in second-half stoppage time wasted an excellent chance for the Red Bulls to take home the full three points.

Any time you see former players coming back to do damage to the club that gave them their career or a chance to do something special, it has come to bite the team in red right in the backside. Giovanni Savarese, Kerry Zavagnin, Peter Vermes, Clint Mathis, Mike Petke, Juan Pablo Angel, and now add Etienne Jr. who has won MLS Cup or scored on the Red Bulls with a different team.

To get beaten by a former academy player of the club is just heartbreaking to watch because you always thought they would create these memorable moments for the Red Bulls and the fans, but sometimes even those who are touted to be something special just don't develop it, till they get somewhere else and burn the side that developed you.

This loss on the road really hurts, even though Derrick Etienne Jr. didn't celebrate scoring the first goal against his old side, he showed it in the game-winner and I bet he was thinking to himself, "I told you so " to Sporting Director Denis Hamlet. This hurts the Red Bulls, but it hurts a lot more because the loss was delivered to them from one of their former home grown players.

Comments

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, click here t

Rumor: Dru Yearwood to be Traded to Nashville SC

photo by Matt Kremkau by Anthony J. Merced More trade rumors are circulating as Red Bulls midfielder Dru Yearwood is linked to a move to Nashville SC according to Tom Bogert of the Athletic . What Red Bull will receive for such a trade remains to be seen. However expectations are that the move will be finalized by the end of next week. Yearwood joined New York in 2020 from Brentford in England. Along the way he has made 86 appearances for the club, including 55 starts. In 2021 and 2022 he made 18 starts, scoring three goals and three assists, his total output for the club in Major League Soccer. In 2023 Yearwood found his position in the club to vary greatly. At times he played in a defensive midfield role next to Frankie Amaya and other times higher up the field, almost as a second forward. After the departure of Cristian Casseres Jr. earlier in the year, it appeared as if Yearwood's minutes would increase. However Daniel Edelman stepped into the role, relegating Yearwood to more

Ex-Red Bulls Coach Gerhard Struber Shares Thoughts on MLS and Salzburg

photo by Matt Kremkau by Anthony J. Merced Red Bull News Network had the chance to communicate with former New York Red Bulls head coach Gerhard Struber, now the manager of Red Bull Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga. Struber was with New York from the end of the 2020 campaign through to the early part of 2023. Along the way he secured two playoff berths, a seventh and fourth place finish in 2021 and 2022 respectively. While his time was ended abruptly in MLS, his memories of the American version of the game have helped him prepare for such a monumental task in Europe. You spent nearly three seasons in Major League Soccer with the New York Red Bulls, what did you learn from that experience that has made you a different coach at Red Bull Salzburg? Struber: In addition to the sporting aspects, there is a lot that I was able to gain from my work at New York Red Bulls. Any work in a foreign country not only brings you closer to the language, but also to the culture and mentality of the pe

Red Bull News Network

Search This Blog