So Close, Yet So Far…

Dane's been the man of the moment this preseason.

The hectic preseason continued for New York as they wrapped up their final trip in Arizona this week.  The only thing is, did this long preseason leave us with more questions than answers?

Last time we spoke, the Red Bulls just wrapped up a win against Ft. Lauderdale in a rather lackluster performance.  As we transitioned to Arizona, the glaring questions included who would start up top with Thierry Henry, who would be between the pipes come opening day, and what will the midfield look like?  Lots of questions, not so many answers.

In regards to a possible forward tandem, Backe seemed keen to place Mehdi Ballouchy higher on the pitch, but it seems that perhaps Dane Richards may be the Red Bulls best option.  We know how re-energized Dane was ever since TH14’s arrival, and he’s done surprisingly well paired alongside Henry so far.  Both Richards and Henry found the back of the net against Sporting KC, setting each other up in the process.  To be honest, I used to hate the idea of Richards at forward.  I loved the way he played down the stretch as a winger and, as they say, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”  But I’ve been impressed with the way he’s performed in the preseason at forward, so if Juan Agudelo and Luke Rodgers can’t go come March 19^th, I think the Red Bulls won’t mind having Richards move to the forward line.

If Richards does indeed move out from the midfield, that may pose even more questions.  As it stands, there is still some debate as to how Backe should align his midfield.  I think it’s safe to say that Joel Lindpere has the left flank on lockdown.  Tony Tchani seems to be the safe bet slotted just behind the three in the midfield.  The big question comes into play when talking about Ballouchy and Jan Gunnar Solli.  Both have had good preseason games, but bring totally different skill sets to the table.  Ballouchy is supposed to play the role of creative midfielder, that true #10 that can be the link from the midfielders to the forwards.  At times, he’s been just that, displaying great ball movement and trickery.  Others, he’s made errant passes and seemed out of synch with his teammates.  Solli is an absolute workhorse, box-to-box midfielder.  He’s played well adjusting to his new team and brings versatility to the table.  With Richards potentially moving away from the midfield (at least for a little while), it may open up room for both Ballouchy and Solli to coexist.

Then, of course, is the question that doesn’t seem to want to go away: Bouna or Sutton?  Both have played well this preseason, and both have different strengths and weaknesses.  It’s a battle that pits the pure shot-stopping ability of Bouna against the steady consistency and distribution skills of Sutton.  For me, it’s very close.  Bouna certainly did not win over Backe after choosing to play with Senegal in a relatively inconsequential game.  However, I still give the edge to Bouna.  It’s nice to have someone as talented as Sutton as a backup, but perhaps that is all he is meant to be on this team…

In regards to the four preseason games in Arizona, not much needs to be said:

• Against Tucson, the Baby Bulls easily handled their opponent and Corey Hertzog continued to impress and show plenty of promise.  It was also nice to see Austin da Luz get on the score sheet after his injury-riddled 2010 campagin.
• In the Desert Cup, New York took on Sporting KC.  The aforementioned Henry-Richards tandem played well, and Backe said he was pleased by the overall effort of his team, and it’s always good to play against some MLS competition for a change.
• The match against FC Dalls was a massacre, but who cares?  I don’t know why some people were freaking out.  Sure, we lost 4-0, but did you see who New York had on the pitch?  It was all reserves and trialists, against a Dallas team that played almost all of their regulars in their last game of the preseason.  To quote Dave Martinez, it was our “C” team against their “A” team.  What did you expect?
• New York wrapped up against Atlas de Guadalajara, Rafa Marquez’s former team.  It was a fairly even match for the majority of the match, but I was left scratching my head after I saw that Salou Ibrahim got the start.  He was once again ineffective and seemed to not give a crap (who knew?).  Atlas scored after a shot took a ricochet off of Tim Ream and found the back of the net.  But in a last ditch effort to salvage a tie, Lindpere was taken down in the box setting up a Red Bulls penalty.  Henry deferred to Marquez, and he made no mistake, slotting away and giving New York a well-deserved draw.

Now that the preseason is over, what are your final thoughts?  Who impressed you?  Who didn’t?  Let me know down below.  So far, it’s been wild.  So close to the 19^th I can almost taste it…

Where Would You Rather Have Dane Richards Play?survey software

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Category: Austin da Luz, Bouna Coundoul, CURRENT ROSTER, Corey Hertzog, Dane Richards, Greg Sutton, Jan Gunnar Solli, Joel Lindpere, Juan Agudelo, Luke Rodgers, Mehdi Ballouchy, Offseason, Rafa Marquez, Red Bulls, Salou Ibrahim, Thierry Henry, Tim Ream, Tony Tchani