Joel Hates the New Playoff System… and Owns the Fire

Well, at least I know the latter part for sure.  Seriously, what the hell was Don Garber thinking?  But I’m getting ahead of myself here; we still have two games to break down…

New York got its first taste of MLS competition yesterday when they took on the Chicago Fire in two separate games.  In the first match, the reserve team, aka the Baby Bulls, took the field against Chicago’s second squad.  Now, with all the talk of how deep the team is and the fact that there is competition at every position and how no one’s job is safe, so on and so forth, you’d expect the Baby Bulls to run all over the Fire.  Not quite.  From nearly start to finish, New York was outplayed and outmatched resulting in a disappointing 4-2 loss.  Of course, this is just a friendly, and a reserve match at that, but there are definitely still some things to be taken away from the match.

1. Is Ibrahim Salou officially a reserve now?
   Backe started him with the Baby Bulls and it seems more and more that he’s the likely to be the odd man out.  Don’t be surprised if the team cuts ties with him, with the likes of Corey Hertzog, Juan Agudelo, and Luke Rodgers seeming to be more ideal options to pair with Thierry Henry.
2. John Rooney should take all free kicks.
   Well, maybe not, but he did have an impressive strike from about 19 yards out to equalize for the Red Bulls early on.  While it may have been one of the lone bright spots on the day for the Baby Bulls, it sure was a nicely taken kick.  Perhaps we’ll see more throughout the season…
3. Let’s hope Ream and Marquez don’t get hurt.
   Now I’m not ready to totally throw the defense under the bus, but at times on Wednesday, they just looked downright awful.  It started with a lack of possession by the midfield all game, and the Fire attacks just kept on coming. Orr Barouch, a trialist for the Fire, torched New York for four goals.  That’s something that usually only happens when I’m playing career mode in Fifa 11.  Teddy Schneider and supposed Tim Ream Jr. Tyler Lassister started at centerback and had a bit of a rough game, but expectations are still high.

The next match featured the Red Bulls first team against their Chicago counterpart and the difference was night and day.  New York controlled possession and created chance after chance.  Joel Lindpere scored against the Fire once again as his blast from outside the box found its way past a screened Sean Johnson.  Throughout the majority of the game, New York maintained its shape and passed the ball well.  The Fire were able to equalize in the second half after Patrick Nyarko raced past Danleigh Borman and whipped in a cross that found an unmarked Marco Pappa, who made no mistake.  Bouna Coundoul, who was making his Red Bulls preseason debut after missing out on the trip to Mexico, had a solid match between the pipes.  Bouna preserved the tie for New York after Marquez brought down Nyarko setting up a PK.  He guessed correctly on Pappa’s spot kick and kept the game all square at 1-1.  A few key things that popped into my mind after the match:

1. What to do with Mehdi Ballouchy.
   Ballouchy, who also missed the Mexico trip due to immigration complications, seemed to impress Backe in his preseason debut.  He could prove to be an important piece in the center of midfield this season. “That is his best position, in the middle of the park,” Backe said. “He’s always asking for the ball, and hopefully he’s the guy for the final passes, too.”  Only question is, what to do with the others?  In yesterday’s match, Dane Richards was knocked out to the starting 11, as Jan Gunnar Solli shifted to the right side of the midfield.  Is this the best midfield configuration New York has to offer?  Probably not, but it could work.  However, Backe also said that he could potentially use Richards as a striker, which I think would be a mistake, but we’ll see where that goes.
2. Greg Sutton or Bouna?
   This is something I’ve been thinking about for a while.  We all know Bouna is capable of making crazily athletic saves and is a great shot stopper, but we all know how prone he is to mental mistakes.  Sutton has proved to be a more than capable backup.  He’s been rock steady in the back in all of his appearances and might be viable option for starting keeper.

Now, in case you don’t already know, the new playoff format has been announced… and it’s horrible.  There will now be 10 teams in the playoffs and “play-in” games in the wild card round.  You can see all of this explained with last year’s standings here.   I really don’t like the idea of rewarding mediocrity in the regular season.  This just results in teams like Colorado taking home MLS Cup and furthering the notion that the Supporters’ Shield is the more important accolade.  Are you guys fans of the new playoff format?  What did you think of the Red Bulls two games yesterday?  Let me know in the comments.

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Side note, if you don’t already do so, check out Seeing Red, an online radio show hosted by Mark Fishkin and Dave Martinez (who wrote this blog before me).  It’s a weekly show that talks about all things NYRB and it’s a great show.  They answered a question that I sent in via email in their last episode; so go check them out and listen weekly, you won’t regret it.

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Some Related Red Bulls Posts:

Category: Bouna Coundoul, CURRENT ROSTER, Corey Hertzog, Dane Richards, Danleigh Borman, Greg Sutton, Jan Gunnar Solli, Joel Lindpere, John Rooney, Juan Agudelo, Luke Rodgers, Mehdi Ballouchy, Rafa Marquez, Salou Ibrahim, Thierry Henry, Tim Ream, Tyler Lassiter