A Battle Within The War: Armas and TFC return to Red Bull Arena
First Thoughts
Coming off their first win of the year, RBNY faced off against a familiar face on the opposing touchline - Former New York manager Chris Armas. Armas returned to RBA to face off against his former team with a new and improved Toronto FC side. It’s no secret that Armas’s exit was celebrated by Red Bulls fans, as most did not see Armas as a good fit for the manager role. Having been booed and heckled by countless supporters, not to mention being completely downsized by the online community, it’s clear that Armas is still not a fan-favorite after all this time. Most RBNY supporters were hopeful that the former manager would leave the arena in disappointment on Saturday. Last week, Gerhard Struber’s side enjoyed a comfortable 2-0 victory over a struggling Chicago FC side – Struber is hoping to keep the momentum going into this matchup. Many fans, myself included, were excited to see if RBNY could keep the good times rolling.
The Lineup Is In
When the lineup was released, to every fan’s delight, it appeared that Struber had finally settled on a starting XI. Struber made only one change in the entire starting lineup, with Brian White replacing Tom Barlow at the front of the attack. It was also great to see that team standouts like Frankie Amaya, Caden Clark, Aaron Long, Kyle Duncan would continue to get consistent playing time. For the moment, Struber seems to be sticking to the 4-4-2, with a diamond midfield and a two-striker system. After a tumultuous 2020, fans are happy to see some consistency on the RBNY side and have welcomed a return to the aggressive high press that has flustered many opponents this season and in the past. As game time approached, I felt that this Red Bull side looked strong, felt strong and were looking to take all three points for the second week in a row.
Game Time
Right from the jump, New York caused absolute chaos for Toronto - the high press left Toronto with absolutely nothing to build on. As the energy from the fans increased, it seemed that the high press chaos would continue throughout the match. The first fifteen minutes were all RBNY, as New York kept the ball almost entirely on Toronto’s side of the field. With heavy pressure, speedy tactical runs and quick forward passing, RBNY kept the momentum moving. Shortly after the 30th minute, RBNY broke through – some great link-up play and beautiful, technical passing between wonder kid Caden Clark and Brazilian newcomer Fabio led to a beautiful final ball to Frankie Amaya, who finished with a first time hit right outside the box for his first goal as a Red Bull. The crowd went crazy, not only because it was Amaya’s first goal, but also because of how lethal Amaya can be on offensive side of the ball. Needless to say, Amaya has proven to be worth every single penny exchanged in the offseason transfer with FC Cincinnati. This goal also marked Fabio’s third assist of the season, displaying his incredible hold up play and the intuitive way he links up with the rest of the attack. RBNY owned every second of the first half and didn’t allow TFC to gain a foothold all the way to halftime. Even with limited attendance, the energy in the stadium was wild – it was almost hard for fans to believe that this new system and all these new players would be take hold and mesh as quickly and as well as it had to date. There was a lot of hope in the air, as we all wanted to see New York put Toronto away early in the second half.
As the Second half got underway, Struber’s message must have been clear, as there seemed to be no change of pace from the frenetic first half. RBNY were outright running Toronto straight off the pitch and it didn’t take long for Toronto to crack, as consistent pressure from RBNY squeezed Toronto in their own half. This led to a chance for Fabio, a goalkeeping error and a speedy tap-in goal for Caden Clark, his third of the season. This also gave Fabio his fourth assist of the season, making him the current MLS assist leader. Toronto had no answer for what New York were throwing at them.
More chance creation and link up play led to great opportunities, but unfortunately did not lead to more goals for the Red Bulls. However, some second half substitutions did give playing time to RBNY veterans like Danny Royer, Omir Fernandez, and Dru Yearwood, as well as some minutes for young winger Cameron Harper and an MLS debut for homegrown defender John Tolkin. With fresh legs, RBNY continued their high line and consistent pressure in the second half. Meanwhile, Toronto could only get off one shot on target in the entire game - the RBNY back line blew up anything Toronto created and the fans fed off of that energy. The match finished as a 2-0 Red Bull win - fans were not only be happy to see back-to-back wins, but back-to-back clean sheets as well. Sending former manager Armas packing with no points was an added bonus.
Final Thoughts
The boys in red did it again, and the fans are thrilled with the last two performances. From front to back, there seems to be structure and a solid game plan, though it’s practically built into the DNA of Red Bull at this point. As a fan, I love what I’m seeing - it has been many years since we have seen play like this. With all of these new signings, combined with seasoned veterans, what’s not to love? RBNY have something special here and we can all see it. With new signing Patryk Klimala on his way to the team, things seem like they can only get better. Struber has asked for time to allow his system to work and I fully support him when I see amazing progress like this. Put simply, I’m hopeful - with a tough trip to Philly next weekend, I’m hoping for more progress.
As always I'm here for it all.
