In a Galaxy 2792 Miles Away
The Pregame Mindset
It is Sunday, April 25th - it’s game day again and optimism is in the air, as the Red Bulls head to the Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles to face the LA Galaxy. With some recent additions expected to make their debut and some uplifting sound bites from players and coaches throughout the week, fans had something to look forward to ahead of this out-of-conference, east vs. west clash of MLS originals. LA had a surprising result last week, beating Miami on the road on the back of a brace from Chicharito. Not to mention, the Galaxy won thanks to a go-ahead goal from former Red Bull midfielder and all-time club assist leader Sacha Kljestan. In that match, the Galaxy had to put in a full day’s work, having barely edged out David Beckham’s side 3-2 in front of a packed crowd in Fort Lauderdale. But with the suspension of Sebastian Lleget, LA were missing one of their best attacking players - surely, this was thought to improve RBNY’s chances on the road. Coming off a tough 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Sporting KC, I remained optimistic that Gerhard Struber would use the previous result as a learning tool to earn his first win as RBNY manager. From a fan’s point of view, I was eager to see what our starting XI would look like. Will Struber shake things up with wholesale changes, or will he stick with the guys he trusted last week in order to build chemistry within the squad? Overall, the project that is Red Bull New York is in motion, and today is another chapter in that story.
Thoughts on the Starting Eleven
As the lineup was announced, a couple of thoughts jumped to the forefront of my mind. As expected, Fabio, Caden Clark, Christian Casseres Jr, Aaron Long and Carlos Miguel all retained their starting role. Also, seeing Florian Valot back in the starting lineup was a breath of fresh air. Valot is an underrated player in my eyes, so I hoped he would form a partnership with Sean Davis and Casseres Jr, in order to create a good flow in the midfield. However, what really caught my eye was the fact that Struber decided to leave RB Kyle Duncan, who doubles as an offensive threat, on the bench in favor of CB Amro Tarek, who is normally in central defense rather than on the wing. Another surprise was seeing the newly signed Young DP midfielder Frankie Amaya on the bench, despite being available for this fixture. Though his transfer-and-sign deal was only just completed earlier last week, I hoped to see him get the start. I was also hoping to see Cameron Harper, another recently acquired young American from Celtic FC, in the starting XI - he seems to have a ton of upside, so I was hoping to see him display his talents during this match. RBNY fans hope to see all of the new talent begin to make their mark and mesh as a group, especially as players begin to get consistent playing time. Overall, I was satisfied with the starting XI, excited to see what the team could produce and hoping for a good result in the Red Bulls’ second challenge of the season.
Game Time
Right from the start, it was clear that the Red Bulls were pushing the high press, just as they did versus Kansas City. However, the change in formation really bothered me; though the starting lineup indicated a 4-4-2 formation, Struber had actually started the boys in a 3-5-2. This made me feel anxious, considering this is not a formation that RBNY have been able to master in past attempts. As the game began to show its colors, my worst fears came true - the three central defenders were spaced too far apart, which left ample room for Galaxy Striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez to grab his first of many on the day. It was especially discouraging considering that, had Red Bull played a normal back four, there would have been less room available for the Galaxy attack. With that said, RBNY never gave up, which became an ever-growing theme in this contest. After absorbing the pressure in their final third, RBNY made great use of pressure and counterattacking to setup a beautiful first time shot for LB Andrew Gutman, which was oddly enough setup up by striker Brian White. This was Gutman’s first goal in the MLS, which was a massive boost to the morale of this young team of new players. With positivity in the air the Red Bulls looked to fix their mistakes from last week and hoped the defensive side of things would hold much stronger. Unfortunately, LA’s relentless pressure was just too much, as they were able to find prime open space, similar to their first goal. Chicharito eventually found room off a beautiful ball from LA midfielder Victor Vazquez, giving him his second goal of the day. The disconnect between Aaron Long, Sean Nealis, and Amro Tarek created too many problems and, in my opinion, was the biggest problem for the Red Bulls on this away trip. Chicharito’s late first half goal gave the Galaxy the momentum going into the half, as RBNY supporters were hopeful that Struber would make the necessary adjustments to get New York into better positions and back into this game.
Before the second half had kicked off, RBNY fans were thrilled to see that Struber had made the necessary changes and brought the team back to a 4-4-2 formation, ditching the failed attempt at the 3-5-2 from the first half. Bringing on Kyle Duncan and Dru Yearwood to replace Nealis and Valot had an immediate impact on the flow of the game. RBNY had full control of the first ten minutes of the second half and created some great opportunities. However, in the end, it couldn’t get them over the line. With wasted chances came regret, as a LA cross into the box followed by a failed clearance from Long led to an amazing finish for Chicharito’s third goal, completing his first MLS hat trick. No matter what RBNY did, there was no stopping the former Manchester United striker. On the season, Chicharito now has five goals in just two games. Nonetheless, even after going down by two on the road, this New York side did not give up. The Red Bulls continued to take advantage of the diamond midfield combined with their signature, relentless high pressing. With Danny Royer and Harper both coming on for White and Fabio, the Red Bulls looked to add some pace to their attack, hoping this would be what they needed to get back in the game. Their hard work was rewarded, as Casseres Jr put away a goal line header to draw RBNY within one. With roughly 30 minutes to play they could go find another goal. Despite how crazy this game had been through 60 minutes, the match started to hit a wall - both teams spent the last 20 minutes pinging the ball back and forth, not to mention the various injury time outs and long stretches with little memorable action. Then, in the 86th minute, the anticipated debut of Frankie Amaya came to fruition. As the young American got his first minutes with the Red Side of New York, it made a significant impact on the team and match. Though he was only on the field for a brief period of time, Amaya made massive moves, both tracking back on defense and creating chances in the offense. Amaya even put himself in a position to earn a penalty in the waning seconds of regular time, though it wasn’t awarded. Unfortunately, all of these chances weren't enough. Even after ten minutes of stoppage time added on, Red Bull New York fell short on their trip to the west coast, losing 3-2 to the LA Galaxy.
Final Thoughts
Overall, it is sad to see this team fall short on a day where they had several opportunities to shine. I feel the biggest downfall for this side was starting in an unorthodox formation and having the wrong players in the starting lineup. Playing a back five and having players like Duncan and Amaya on the bench hindered what could have been an excellent opportunity to grab some important points on the road. This, of course, should not take away from LA’s hot start to the 2021 MLS season, nor the performance of Chicharito, who had an incredible hat trick and a smile from ear to ear. It seems Chicarito could be back to his top form, which could spell trouble for even the best defenses in the league. Still, Red Bull had every opportunity to ruin his day and plainly didn’t. This Red Bull team is a project, so we cannot expect greatness overnight. The pieces are there, so fans must be patient. I hope others agree with my thoughts and see that we can’t demand perfection, bearing in mind what has happened over the last 12 months. This team will get better together, but it will take time. I understand this year may be rough, but the payout will be oh so sweet in the end.
As always I am here for it all.
