FC Dallas v RBNY: Another Game, Another Shutout

By: Martha | April 27th, 2007

Incoming! So, let me get this straight: An undefeated start, four straight shutouts, two defensive records and a team playing with buckets of confidence? Man alive. If this is a dream, no one is allowed to pinch me for the foreseeable future, at least not until we give up a goal.

Though last night’s game didn’t seem as coherent and smooth as the win over Houston, in some ways it was better because of its ragged moments. There were definitely some periods during which the Red Bulls were under the cosh (as the TV people in England say), but no matter what was happening they never lost focus or control. And that, more than anything else, is what impressed me about RBNY’s performance — this team is just supremely confident they can handle anything, so a loose ball in the box (while it gives all of us a heart attack) is something to be dealt with, not a reason for panic. Instead, we defend well with numbers, and the back four play as a coherent unit, refusing to hurry and making consistently non-crappy decisions. Which, given our problems at the back in the past, is a real reason for celebration.

Speaking of patience, how great was Freeman’s goal? That close to the goal, a lot of guys would have snatched at that ball instead of waiting for it to drop, but he kept his composure and just ripped it into the net. That capped off a fine overall performance full of good attacking play, useful crosses and, oh yeah, solid defending. (This is where we start saying “Marvell who?”)

A few other observations:

•Despite being 11 years old, Jozy is a legit threat in this league; it’s amazing to see other teams so focused on the kid. And he’s tough, increasingly resilient, and mature beyond his years both on and off the field. (Knocking frantically on wood that he avoids injury.)

•I love watching van den Bergh, even when he annoys me by moving really slowly. He works hard to get back and defend, gets crosses in, and just plays with a really pleasing intelligence — there’s something sort of … zen about his style. If you will.

•How ’bout that Dane Richards? God damn. He was on fire yesterday with the ball at his feet, just eating Dallas up. When he puts on a little more muscle and gets some more experience, this kid could be good.

•I know it makes me a bad person, but I was so happy Woly didn’t play. Take that, you lazy bastard.

•Interesting to see van den Bergh and Dane using the space up top more freely. I liked it, but imagine it was one-time thing, done only because we were without a second striker and with support in the midfield. That said, it certainly wouldn’t be bad to see Dane making more forays away from the line even when Mathis comes back.

•Someone needs to stage an intervention and get either Tommy Smyth or ~~Asshole~~ Eric Wynalda out of the booth, because listening to them is 1000 times worse than even Theismann and Kornheiser. I mean, Jesus. Not only are they irritating on their own but they clearly cannot stand one another, which makes their commentary both bad and hostile. Yeah, get me more of that, ESPN. Please.

So we’ve got nearly 10 days now to recharge and get ready for Real Salt Lake; if Angel can track down his work papers in that time, the optimism among RBNY fans will be practically off the charts. I’m not complaining or anything, but man what a weird feeling this is.