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Everything But The Goal: Red Bulls 0, DC United 0
By
Dan Dickinson
Published Mar 17, 2013
Modified Mar 17, 2013
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photo: Pablo Maurer/DCist
By
Dan Dickinson
Published Mar 17, 2013
Modified Mar 17, 2013
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The New York Red Bulls brought almost everything to their home opener on Saturday afternoon. With a dominant 90 minute display, the Red Bulls corrected their mistakes of their last two outings and outclassed a lackluster DC United. Only a strong performance from DC's goalie and a goal-line controversy kept NY off the scoresheet, and the game ended 0-0.
FULL HIGHLIGHTS
THE GOOD
A "complete" 90 minute performance. No late game collapse, no early goal concession. New York dominated the game from start to finish, outshooting DC 24-4 and holding 57% of possession. As DCist's Pablo Maurer reflected after the game: "I picked [the Red Bulls] to win the east this year, and they finally played that way today. If they can finish, they could be lethal."
A defense that clicked. For the first time this year, the Red Bulls back line found cohesion. Jamison Olave was paired with Markus Holgersson for the first time this year, with Backlage and Pearce out wide. The centerback pairing worked particularly well, with Olave's strength and Holgersson's finesse balancing well. After Holgersson's grousing for weeks that he didn't know if he would still be with the team in the summer, he did well to prove his spot in his first start of the year.
NY's Dax McCarty and Jonny Steele. Both midfielders had big games. Steele's movement on the wing helped generate constant attacks, while Dax put on a masterclass at central defensive mid that earned him Man Of The Match honors.
DC's Bill Hamid. Hard to not give United's goalkeeper credit for keeping them in this game. Hamid was credited with seven saves, many of them requiring point blank reactions. He was far and away United's best player on the day.
Roy Miller being left out of the lineup. After the amount of grief Miller took from fans and media alike after his performance last week, Coach Petke smartly opted to let him depart for international duty a day early so he could spend time with his family and clear his head. While Miller can occasionally shine during games, it was the right choice, as the home crowd reaction had he seen the field would not have been pretty.
THE BAD
Getting shut out. Twenty-four attempts on goal over the length of the match, and not one of them (well, possibly one of them—see below) went in. Sure, Hamid saved his team from a loss, but it wasn't just the saves that cursed RBNY. Plenty of shots went wide—only seven of the twenty-four were on target. And they could have had more—there were countless attacks that died in the final third as the team kept trying to make final passes. Thierry Henry loves to mention he's "not having a go at anyone" in interviews— well, RBNY's attack force need to have a go at the opposing keeper more often.
Still not getting a win three games into the season. Sure, it was a "complete performance" and the season is only three weeks old. And sure, the team have all acknowledged the team needs time to gel. But with only two points of a possible nine, those who only see things in terms of the standings table will continue to be sour.
THE UGLY
The lack of goal-line technology. It wouldn't be an MLS match without some controversy. In the dying moments of the game, a Juninho corner kick was headed on goal by Brandon Barklage. The ball may have crossed the line—it might not have. We won't know, because the NBC broadcast didn't have a goal-line camera set up. The only angles on the replay don't give a conclusive call one way or the other. FIFA's slowness to approve and implement goal-line technology means fans won't have any true final verdict as to whether or not the Red Bulls did in fact score.
DC United's game plan. DC seemed barely on the field for most of the game. Dwayne De Rosario and Chris Pontius—two players that are known for terrorizing NY—had just awful performances. There were repeated points late in the match where DC put every outfield player back in their own box, killing any chance to catch NY on the break. It wasn't quite "anti-football", but it sure didn't leave anyone impressed with DC's cohesion this season. (Maybe they were just cold and scared of the snow, as a number of DC press were heard complaining about the weather.)
PATH train service after the game. Look, we know the Harrison station is tiny and in sore need of renovation—but having PATH service get suspended 15 minutes before the final whistle just seemed like a kick in the teeth. Get it together, Port Authority.
LOOKING AHEAD
It's not going to get any easier next week as the Red Bulls (0-1-2) head up north to take on the Montreal Impact (3-0-0). "L'Impact" lead the league with a perfect record, having already downed Seattle and Portland on the road and defeated Toronto at home. NY will be missing Tim Cahill (World Cup qualifying duties) and possibly Thierry Henry (generally averse to turf). It would be a perfect statement game for NY to get their first win, but far from assured given Montreal's sudden transformation into a powerhouse.
POST-MATCH REACTIONS
Coach Mike Petke on the game: "I think we were very unfortunate in certain situations with not coming up with a goal. Other situations, I give D.C. a lot of credit for coming in here and putting in a strong defensive effort. They also had opportunities going forward, but I feel that we sniffed out pretty well. It’s a good team we played against today, I’m proud of the boys effort. Obviously I’m not happy with the result, but it’s one of those moments that this coaching staff came back in and said ‘Alright, forget about the result for one second and tell me if you liked what you saw’ and we liked what we saw."
Midfielder Dax McCarty on the performance: "What more is there to say other than what we showed on the field. It’s a great performance from top to bottom. I think probably one of the most dominating performances I’ve been a part of since I’ve been on the Red Bulls. I’m not one to really give the whole complain about luck card but that’s just unlucky. I don’t know how many balls were inside the six, cleared off the line, rolling across, and Bill Hamid, give him some credit, some unbelievable saves. It’s disappointing but at the same time you can see the confidence that we played with today and Mike instilled that in us before the game. We were ready and I think they had absolutely nothing. That was a complete performance and we haven’t had many since I’ve been here. That was a complete ninety minute performance from top to bottom. Defensively, we were very strong and attacking wise, what can you say, a little more luck and we come out of here with three points."
Goalkeeper Luis Robles on watching all of the attack on the other end of the field: "I'll tell you what—it's frustrating, but I'm glad it's not my end. My job is to organize the defense, and to keep us disciplined. What goes on in the other end, that's a completely different thing. That's why I'm in the goal, I'm not taking shots. I thought overall our team did very well creating chances. Getting forward, especially with our backs, the outside backs got forward well. That was another thing Mike put emphasis on this week. So in the end, even though it was zero-zero, there's a lot of positives we can take from this game and move forward to Montreal."
Tim Cahill on the team's evolution: "I've said this for a time, I've said it takes time for us to grow and work together, find our positions to get this rhythm. And the rhythm does feel good. We have to be positive about everything we do. In training, what Mike's trying drill, Robin, our set plays, defending, playing the balls long, playing short. Making them guess what we're going to do. Sometimes we've been really predictable, and I think today the predictableness is gone and we've got options. And I come in, and I said to the boys I should've stuck that in the back of the net. That's what you do, you've just got to pick yourself up and go again...I'm proud of the team. I'm proud of what Mike's trying to do. And the thing is, this is going to develop over the season. And I hope, my personal feeling is, that people can see the progression over time. Three games in, two points, it should be better, but we'll see what happens next week."
Next Match: Saturday, March 23 4:30 PM, at Montreal (TV: MSG)
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