A new day dawns

Well folks, with my first solo post of 2007, allow me to first thank Martha for keeping a very entertaining, informative and Dema biased blog which Ive thoroughly enjoyed reading. As mentioned, she will be back in time for the playoffs, but in the meantime I will keep things going with news, commentary and fitness related writing which hopefully fills the gap of her absence.

I welcome your suggestions and feedback on how I can make this blog better, so feel free to email or post here.

Ok, so after Thursday’s dismantling of an admittedly poor Chicago side, writers and posters agree the Red Bulls have been blessed with an Angel. But if JPA was sent from heaven above, Bruce must be regarded as Zeus amongst the soccer gods for his intelligent reworking of our team in the absence of several starters.

Lets take it from front to back:

The Attack

: After starting Angel up front with incumbent tackling dummy John Wolynick, Bruce clearly feels Angel is best with a striking partner. With his intelligence of movement and finishing skill, this guy could be the best striker ever to suit up for the franchise, but what impressed me most was his workrate. While staying up top for most of the match, Angel dropped in to midfield several times (noteably on the run up to the 3rd goal) in order to assist his teammates. So far, it seems this guy is the complete package, lets just hope we can keep him on the field.

The Midfield

: With Jozy often joining Angel from the left wing, our 4-4-2 looked more like a 4-3-3 for much of the match. This worked well with Seth Stammler slotted seamlessly in to the role of midfield destroyer– showing some nimble footwork
in helping to set up the second goal– while VDB provided an offensive spark to compliment Jozy on the left wing. Add a cameo from Marcus Schopp to the mix and we looked unstoppable going forward.

The Backline

: While our offense was heaven sent, our depleted backline continues to be god awful. After Jeff Parke joined the now four injured starters on the pine, Taylor Graham was sent on to hack away at the opposition. This guy means well, but there were several instances throughout the match in which he seemed completely lost.

Jeff Conway enjoyed a solid match and distributed the ball better than expect, but perhaps most ominous for our makeshift backline was the lack of speed from the two fullbacks. While seamless going forward, VDB and Dema were turned inside out by Thiago’s dribbling in the second half, while Taylor Graham, perhaps still smarting from his whiff on the 3rd goal, was predictably nowhere to be found most of the time. A faster forward (Jozy) or a more astute finisher (Angel) would have buried at least some of the many chances we gave up and it seems this is the last piece of the puzzle. If Bruce can dig up two to three decent defenders.

The bottom line:

After bouncing back from a mini-losing streak, we witnessed another solid performance from a team that continues to grow. I recall several weeks ago when this game was being touted as a grudge match between the top sides in MLS. But in contrast to early pace setters Chicago, our boys overcame a losing streak to go top of the table with a solid performance.

There are still some holes to be filled at the back, but the team as a whole looks a class apart from years past.

Off the field happenings:

#1: Where oh where is Red bull park?:

Like most fans, my mouth waters for a full house where we can chant the other team in to submission and stomp our way to victory. But at the current moment, it looks as if most of current side will be retired by the time this place opens. Officially blamed on industrial waste cleanup, this delay makes me wonder whether Red Bull may be having second thoughts about soccer in the states. Symbolic of this delay is the inability of organizers to list a time line beyond the groundbreaking (http://www.redbullpark.com/stadium_timeline.html) “We have a flexible time line,” Grandpre told Bigapplesoccer.com April. “We’re not going to rush to finish it with one game left in the 2008 season if we run into unforeseen problems next winter. We have a flexible time line that says by this time if we know we’re not going to be in by X-date. We’ll make sure its done properly and move in in ‘09. There’s no need to cut corners to get there for a few extra games in ‘08.” Hmm.

#2: And the crowd goes wild:

Ok, so while we still drew around 9,000 on Thursday, the crowd actually looked involved– beating drums, causing commotion and getting in to the game. While many of these supporters may have been from Chicago, my hat is off the Empire Supporters Club, Raging Bull Nation, and all of the other fans who put on a good showing for the cameras. Our support at the moment is a case quality over quantity, but we have some of the best fans in the league.

#3 Defenders anyone:

Alright, so we all know we need defenders. Ives reported earlier this month that Bruce was eyeing unknown Argentine defender Mariano Fernandez for a short trial. Word is now however that this guy has been shipped home after a disappointing few days.

While we continue to be linked with overseas defender, I suspect we will see someone a little closer to home (ala Hunter Freedman) in the near future. If a trade happens within the league, it would appear the most likely victims are John Wolynick, Taylor Graham, Tim Regan and somewhat surprisingly, Seth Stammler, who may be seeking a permanent field position. With injuries mounting, whatever happens looks sooner rather than later.

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Category: CURRENT ROSTER, News, Red Bulls, Team News